Anyone planning a trip to Washington, D.C. needs to take a moment to stop by Georgetown Cupcake, the premium cupcake-making location. But if you're not able to go to the mother store or any of the other locations around the country – or if you'd simply prefer to show off your baking skills to your friends – then Sophie Kallinis LaMontagne, co-founder of the chain, is here to help you out. In a recipe exposed to POPSUGAR Food, the secret ingredient – which may just be the key to a successful red velvet cupcake – is revealed: Apple cider vinegar! Here are the ingredients you'll need.

Red velvet cupcake:
12 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp no-taste red food coloring
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 all-purpose flour (sifted or whisked)
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream cheese frosting:
6 oz cream cheese
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

Before you even start, go right ahead and start preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine unsalted butter and granulated sugar and cream them together in the mixer for 3-5 minutes. Add 2 eggs – but do it one by one and on low speed. LaMontagne insists on treating your batter as gently as possible throughout the recipe, so keep your mixer on a low setting in order to allow your batter to breathe and remain moist and light.

Add cocoa powder, red food coloring and vanilla extract and mix until it reaches the coloring you'd expect from the famous red velvet.

Combine the whole milk and salt in a small bowl, and have your sifted or whisked flour ready in another. Pour the contents of both bowls in alternatively, about one third at a time, while mixing, in order to prevent the mixture from suffocating.

For this next trick, on the other hand, speed is of the essence: Mix up apple cider vinegar and baking soda as quickly as possible and pour them into the mixture before the combination can be allowed to set.

LaMontagne suggests using an ice cream scoop to place the exact same amount of batter into each cupcake tray. Look at that color! Bake your cupcakes for 18-20 minutes.

Now for the frosting: In a clean bowl, combine your cream cheese and unsalted butter at medium-high speed. Add vanilla extract, then sifted powdered sugar halfway through. Take that last ingredient slowly so it doesn't make a mess.

Relocate your frosting into a disposable piping bag with a round tip. If you don't have one, LaMontagne suggests making your own with a plastic freezer bag and ziplock bag with the tip cut off.

Once your cupcakes have cooled and are room temperature, pour your frosting on top in a circular motion by starting in the middle, spiraling outward, and ending back in the middle.

Finish your perfect cupcake with a little decorative touch of your choosing – Georgetown Cupcake uses fondant red hearts that perfectly complement the red velvet's deep coloring. Beautiful!

Are you eager to try this recipe? Watch the video below for a better look, and make sure to SHARE with your friends on Facebook!

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