Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Course: Cakes, Dessert, Valentines
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 337kcal
Author: Chula King
Regular-size muffin pan
Electric Mixer
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
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)
- 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.
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.3mg