Red Velvet Cupcakes
These classic red velvet cupcakes are perfect for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or any day that a sweet treat is required. The cupcakes are made with moist and tender red velvet cake and frosted with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of flavors.
Ingredients for Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Cocoa powder – Regular unsweetened cocoa powder adds a subtle chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Buttermilk – Room temperature. You can also use my buttermilk substitute.
- Vegetable oil – Use your favorite neutral baking oil.
- Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- White vinegar – Helps to activate the baking soda and contributes to the red velvet flavor.
- Red gel food coloring – Use gel color for the brightest red color without impacting the taste or texture.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature.
- Cream cheese – Room temperature.
- Powdered sugar – Confectioners’ sugar/icing sugar.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract.
- Salt – To contrast the sweetness of the frosting.
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- Make the cupcake batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients (buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red food coloring) to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined and smooth.
- Bake the cupcakes: Portion the cupcake batter into the paper liners using a large cookie scoop (about 3/4 full). Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: Whip the unsalted butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix on low speed to combine. Whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble the cupcakes: Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled red velvet cupcakes.
Recipe Tips
- Check out my baking tips posts on 10 Tips for Baking Perfect Cupcakes and 10 Tips for Making Perfect Buttercream to learn simple tips and tricks to make the most out of this recipe.
- If you want to learn more about my favorite cupcake baking and decorating supplies, be sure to check out this post for more information.
- Learn how to frost cupcakes and my favorite piping tips for frosting cupcakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the cupcakes?
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature for the best taste and texture.
Can I replace the buttermilk?
- Yes! If you do not have buttermilk, check out my buttermilk substitute recipe. You can add a bit of lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk to mimic buttermilk.
Can I use liquid food coloring?
- I don’t recommend using liquid food coloring for this recipe. Gel food coloring is highly pigmented so it creates a vibrant red color without changing the taste or texture of the recipe.
Other Recipes You Will Love
- Red velvet cake
- Red velvet brownies
- Cream cheese frosting
- Red velvet whoopie pies
- Red velvet crinkle cookies
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
These classic red velvet cupcakes are perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or any day that a sweet treat is required. The cupcakes are made with moist and tender red velvet cake and frosted with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of flavors.
Equipment
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp (5 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp (1 tsp) baking soda
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- ½ cup (120 g) buttermilk or buttermilk substitute
- ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 (1) large egg room temperature
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) white vinegar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 3 ½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring and whisk until the cupcake batter is well combined and smooth.
- Portion the cupcake batter into the cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop (about 3/4 full). Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter and cream cheese for about 5 minutes until it is light and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until fully combined. Add in the vanilla extract and salt and mix well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and whip the frosting for 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and mix the frosting for several minutes to smooth out the frosting.
Assembling the Cupcakes
- Fill a piping bag fitted with an Ateco 826 piping tip with the cream cheese frosting. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting onto the cooled red velvet cupcakes.
Notes
- Store the red velvet cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Serve at room temperature.
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Categories:
Christmas, Cupcakes, Fall, Fourth of July, Popular Recipes, Red Velvet, Summer, Valentine's Day, Winter,
About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
Hello, Courtney! I followed the recipe to a T a couple days ago, but for whatever reason, they did not come out right. The batter came out hard like cookie dough rather than smooth like cupcake batter.
Hi Sabrina! Sorry to hear the recipe didn’t come out for you. It should definitely not have the consistency of a cookie dough. If it had cookie dough consistency, it sounds like there may have been too much flour added. Did you use the metric or imperial measurements?
I used the imperial measurements: 1 1/4 cups of flour. It felt as if there wasn’t enough liquid. I plan on using the buttermilk substitute rather than regular buttermilk next time I try, but should I maybe use 2 eggs instead of 1? And butter as well as oil? I noticed those patterns in your other cupcake recipes.
Hi Sabrina! Thanks for letting me know. I write the recipes in imperial measurements and then they are converted to metric automatically, so I wanted to double check. I have made this recipe hundreds of times, and haven’t had the experience you did, so I am truly not sure what could be happening. You can certainly make those changes if you wish, but I don’t know if that will work as it will change the recipe significantly. Some recipes will have similar formulations, but there are differences depending on the ingredients. I would not recommend using a mixture of butter and oil or adding the extra eggs. Are you using the correct amount of oil and buttermilk?
Is there anything else you can use in replace for red food coloring. I dont like using it as it been advertised as bad for you?
You can omit the red color if you prefer. The cupcakes will be a light brown color. The taste will be the same. I don’t have a good replacement for the red gel food coloring, unfortunately. I’ve heard of bakers using beets to create a natural red color, but that is not something I have personally tested.
Hi! I’ll be making these for my husbands birthday and I was wondering how many cupcakes does this make? I’m trying to decide if I should double it or not? Thanks!
Hi Joy! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes. Doubling is never a bad idea because more cupcakes is always a good thing!
Thanks! Can you use a hand mixer for the batter or do you have to whisk? Thanks! I’m making these tomorrow night!
Yes, you can use a hand mixer.
Can I use 6 cupcake pan instead?
Hi there! Possibly? If you are asking about halving the recipe to make 6 cupcakes, it may be difficult based on the measurements. If not, you could bake 2 batches of 6 if it is a standard-sized cupcake pan.
They were delicious.. thank you.
Yummy!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
can i make the cream cheese frosting a few days ahead?
Yes, absolutely. Just store it in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap in the fridge. To use, bring the cream cheese frosting to room temperature and rewhip it until it is smooth and creamy.
Can I use cake flour instead of a/p flour?
I haven’t tested this recipe with cake flour, so I can’t say for certain how that would work. If you give it a try, please let me know!