Red Velvet Cupcakes II

They don't look shocking red anymore because my red food coloring ran out and tahdahh, a reddish brown "velvet cupcake". They're softer than the previous recipe, but tastes pretty flat to me somehow. I guess the difference in taste comes from using vegetable oil instead of butter.

Hmm. Think I'm favoring HummingBird's recipe more.

Red Velvet Cupcakes (adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)
(makes 24 cupcakes)

Ingredients:
324g cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
2 tbsps unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
300g sugar
360ml vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp red gel-paste food color (I use 2 tsp red food coloring)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
240ml buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp distilled white vinegar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 mins. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.