How would I make Red Velvet cupcakes using the WASC recipe?

A few weeks ago I had an order for 2 dozen red velvet cupcakes...I went to my go to scratch recipe that usually comes out wonderfully...well, for whatever reason the cupcakes came out very dense and hard...it was really odd.  Anyway, I threw all of the cupcakes away and use a modified WASC recipe. I used  buttermilk for the liquid, added 2 TBSP of cocoa powder, omitted the almond extract and used vanilla, and used enough red food coloring to get the coloring I wanted.

the client emailed me the next days to tell me they were the best red velvet cakes she had ever had and ordered 3 more dozen for a birthday party next month.