Red Velvet Cupcakes are made from scratch. The recipe produces a super moist and velvety cupcake with a gorgeous red color, topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. However, don't be fooled. Both the cupcakes and the frosting are easy to make.
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Traditional Red Velvet Cake - The History
The history of red velvet cake can be traced to the 1800s, when unsweetened cocoa was used for so-called luxury cakes. These cakes were called "velvet" because of their smooth, soft texture.
Cocoa, which is acidic, helped break down the coarse flour. The result was softer flour, producing a cake with a velvety texture.
Initially, it was thought that a chemical reaction with cocoa produced the cake's red color. Later, beet juice was used to produce the red color.
Today, commercially produced red food coloring available in grocery stores is used to produce the red color.
I first posted this delicious recipe in October of 2022. This repost contains updated text and photographs, as well as a video.
Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need for the Cupcakes
- The Wet Ingredients: I used unsalted butter for the fats in this recipe, granulated sugar (I'm not sure if this is a wet or dry ingredient!), buttermilk, eggs, and white vinegar.
- The Dry Ingredients: I used cake flour, kosher salt, and baking soda for the dry ingredients.
- The Flavorings: To add flavor to the cupcakes, I included unsweetened cocoa, which is typical of red velvet cakes and cupcakes, along with vanilla extract.
- The Red Color: To achieve the vibrant red color, I used red food coloring.
Steps in Making the Red Velvet Cupcakes
- I started by adding butter and granulated sugar to a large bowl and beating them together on high until they reached a creamy consistency, which took about 2 minutes.
- Then, I added the egg and beat the mixture until it was light and fluffy.
- Next, I added the food coloring, unsweetened cocoa, vinegar, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. I beat everything together until the ingredients were well incorporated.
- After that, I alternated adding the cake flour and buttermilk, starting and stopping with the cake flour.
Specifically, I added about a third of the cake flour and half of the buttermilk. I beat everything together until these ingredients were incorporated. Next, I added half of the remaining cake flour and the remaining buttermilk and beat everything together. Finally, I beat in the rest of the cake flour.
I ended up with a gorgeous red batter.
- I lined a regular-sized muffin pan with cupcake liners. Then, using a ¼ cup ice cream scoop, I added the batter to each lined cup.
I baked the cupcakes in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, the cupcakes were perfectly done. I removed the pan from the oven and transferred the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Here's How I Made the Cream Cheese Frosting
For the cream cheese frosting, I used cream cheese, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, fine sea salt, and confectioners' sugar.
- I started by beating together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Then, I beat in the confectioners' sugar in stages until I had reached the proper piping consistency. Overall, it took three cups of confectioners' sugar.
Finishing the Red Velvet Cupcakes
I started by filling a pastry bag with a 1M large star tip with the cream cheese frosting. A trick Susan taught me is to use a large ice cream scoop to fill the pastry bag.
Anyway, I piped the frosting onto each cupcake in a swirling circular motion.
To finish the cupcakes, I sprinkled each one with red sanding sugar.
I ended up with 12 amazingly delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. The cupcakes were velvety and moist with just a hint of chocolate taste. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
The cupcake batter contains baking soda, an alkali. The baking soda needs an acid to react with it to form carbon dioxide, which helps the cupcakes rise. Vinegar is an acid added to react with the baking soda.
Cake flour results in a lighter, softer cake with the classic velvety texture that is a trademark of red velvet cake. If you don't have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour with some cornstarch added. Specifically, for each cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
You can use either regular unsweetened cocoa or Dutch-process cocoa in this recipe.
Buttermilk is tangy and creamy and makes red velvet cupcakes extremely moist. Therefore, it is an important ingredient in red velvet cupcakes. In addition, buttermilk, which is acidic, helps activate the alkali baking soda to help the cupcakes rise.
If you're a fan of red velvet, you should check out my Red Velvet Madeleines!
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Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Regular-size muffin pan
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- ½ cup (4 ounces, 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cups (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon liquid red food coloring
- 1 Tablespoon 0(.19 ounces) unsweetened cocoa (See Tip 1)
- ½ Tablespoon (0.25 ounce) white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (5 ounces) cake flour (See Tips 2 and 3)
- ½ cup (4 ounces) buttermilk (See Tip 4)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (See Tip 5)
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 3 cups (12 ounces) confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon red sanding sugar to sprinkle on frosted cupcakes, optional
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°. Place cupcake liners in the wells of the muffin pan. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat well.
- Add red food coloring, unsweetened cocoa, vinegar, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Beat on high speed until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Add ⅓ of the flour and half of the buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add half of the remaining flour and the remaining buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Add remaining flour; beat on medium speed until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and incorporate any residual flour.
- Add batter to pan filling about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes in preheated 350°F oven. Remove from oven. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and salt on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, several cups at a time, beating well after each addition. (See Tip 6)
- Add the frosting to a piping bag with a 1M large star tip. Pipe the frosting onto each of the cooled cupcakes. If desired, sprinkle with red sanding sugar.
- Yield: 12 red velvet cupcakes. (See Tip 7)
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used regular unsweetened cocoa, but you could also use Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa.
- To ensure the proper consistency of the cupcake batter, it's important to weigh your ingredients.
- Cake flour produces softer, more tender cupcakes. If you don't have cake flour, you can make your own by removing two tablespoons of flour from each cup of all-purpose flour and replacing them with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
- It doesn't matter whether you use full-fat or low-fat buttermilk in this recipe. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make your own by adding one half tablespoon (0.25 ounces) of white vinegar or fresh lemon to a measuring cup and then adding 3.75 ounces of milk to equal ½ cup of liquid. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes.
- I used reduced-fat cream cheese in the frosting, but you can also use regular cream cheese.
- If necessary, add additional confectioners' sugar or whipping cream to achieve the proper piping consistency of the frosting.
- This recipe is easily doubled.
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