Red velvet cupcakes with a classic, velvety soft crumb, signature red color, and tangy cream cheese frosting.
Red velvet cupcakes are one of those bakes that look simple, but anyone who's tried to make them knows how tricky they can be to get just right. Too often, they turn out dry, dull in color, or without that signature "velvety" crumb and subtle cocoa flavor that makes red velvet so special.
As a professional baker and recipe developer, I've tested countless variations to perfect this recipe - and I'm sharing all my secrets for achieving the soft texture, rich flavor, and striking red color every time. If you've ever been disappointed by a red velvet cake before, this post will show you exactly how to make it the way it's meant to be.
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Why You'll Love This Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
- The perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavor and fluffy texture.
- Vibrant red color - perfect for Christmas, Valentine's Day, or themed parties.
- A versatile batter that can be used for layer cakes and cupcakes.
What are Red Velvet Cupcakes?
Red velvet cake is a classic Southern dessert known for its velvety soft crumb, tangy flavor with a hint of cocoa, and signature red color. The texture comes from the chemical reaction between the acidic ingredients (buttermilk, cocoa powder, and vinegar) and the alkaline baking soda, which creates a super tender crumb.
Red velvet cupcakes take everything you love about the traditional cake and pack it into individual portions. They're finished with a silky cream cheese frosting that complements the flavor beautifully. When made properly, red velvet isn't just "chocolate cake dyed red", as many people think - it has its own unique flavor, texture, and charm.
Ingredients
Just like with my viral Red Velvet Brownies recipe, there are a few important ingredient notes to pay attention to here to ensure you get the best results for a perfect red velvet cupcake.
- Flour - Cake flour will give the softest texture, but all-purpose flour will also work if that's what you have at home.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar adds just enough sweetness to still let the chocolate flavor shine.
- Cocoa Powder - Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder as the acidity will contribute to the soft texture and red color.
- Eggs - Use large, free-range eggs if possible.
- Oil - Using oil instead of butter keeps red velvet cupcakes extra moist. I use vegetable oil, but any flavorless oil works.
- Buttermilk - Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and reacts with the leavening agents to help the cupcakes rise, while keeping the crumb nice and moist.
- White Vinegar - This also reacts with the baking soda, creating little bubbles whilst the cupcakes bake to help them rise. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Red Food Colouring - Make sure you use gel food colouring, not liquid. Liquid food colouring will not be strong enough to maintain the deep red color through the baking process, and your cupcakes will turn out dull or orange.
- Vanilla - A high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste will bring all of the flavors together beautifully.
- Cream Cheese - It's important to use a full-fat block of cream cheese (not the spreadable kind) in order to make a stable frosting.
- Butter - Use unsalted butter for the creamy frosting.
- Powdered Sugar - This icing sugar will dissolve nicely into the frosting to make it silky-smooth and pipeable.
Make sure the eggs, buttermilk, cream cheese, and butter are all room temperature before using them.
See the recipe card below for measurements and the full recipe.
Recommended Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Cupcake liners
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer - with paddle attachment - or a hand mixer. This is for the frosting. You can use the stand mixer for the cake batter, but it's easy enough to mix it by hand.
- Cookie Scoop - optional, but it's a great hack to ensure all the cupcakes are the same size!
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
My homemade red velvet cupcakes use oil instead of butter, which means rather than the traditional creaming method, we can make a quick-mix batter, which is much easier and doesn't require a stand mixer.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted). Sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl, and mix together..
- Crack the eggs into a large bowl, and pour in the buttermilk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add the red food coloring to the wet ingredients and mix until the color is evenly distributed.
Pro Tip: Adding The Color
It can be easier to put a few tablespoons of the liquid mixture into a cup or a small separate bowl and stir the red food colouring into that first, then pour it back into the liquid ingredients.
This ensures it incorporates fully and doesn't leave any lumps of unmixed gel colour.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir together just until there are no more lumps - be careful not to overmix. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the cupcake batter into the paper liners, filling them about ⅔ full. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this to ensure they are a consistent size.
- Bake your red velvet cupcakes in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
I use this homemade cream cheese frosting on so many of my bakes, from cozy pumpkin spice cupcakes to my sweet strawberry cake. It's deliciously creamy and so quick and easy to whip up - just make sure you use room temperature ingredients, as cold cream cheese can cause lumps.
- Place the soft butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat them together until smooth and creamy.
- Add the vanilla and salt to the creamed butter mixture, then sift in the powdered sugar. Start the mixer on low speed to avoid a cloud of sugar everywhere, then gradually increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes.
Frosting Consistency
You can adjust the amount of sugar to get the frosting consistency you like - the more you add, the thicker it will be.
For a softer, spreadable frosting, beat on medium speed just until everything comes together. For a sturdier, pipeable frosting, add more powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed to add a bit of air until it's smooth and fluffy.
You can pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes with a piping bag and star tip, or just use a butter knife or spoon to spread it on top. Garnish with a few red velvet crumbs on top.
Storage
Store your unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature. Your cream cheese icing is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator - let it come up to room temperature and rewhip before use to bring back the creamy texture. Both the cupcakes and the frosting will be good for about 5 days.
Once the cupcakes have been frosted, they will need to be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese.
Red Velvet Cupcake FAQ
There are a few things that give red velvet cake its distinctive taste. First of all, the tang of buttermilk adds both texture and flavor, creating a lovely soft crumb which has a noticeable tang to it. Secondly, the cocoa powder gives it a hint of chocolate flavor.
Also, the classic combination with rich cream cheese frosting is an essential part of the flavor experience!
Traditionally, the red color came from the use of natural cocoa powder, which has a slightly reddish color to it. These days, most recipes use red food color in order to get a deep, vibrant red color.
As an acidic ingredient, white wine vinegar reacts with the baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, which helps the cupcakes rise and stay nice and light. It also adds a subtle tang and tenderizes the crumb for that signature velvety texture.
Although red velvet cupcakes and chocolate cupcakes are both flavored with chocolate, they are very different. Red velvet cupcakes have a mild cocoa flavor, a subtle tang from buttermilk and white vinegar - not to mention the striking red color! Chocolate cupcakes, on the other hand, are richer and more intensely chocolate-flavored.
More Red Velvet Desserts
Red velvet is hands down my favorite flavor of cupcake. If you love all things red velvet as well, try some of these recipes:
Recipe
Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (285 g) Cake Flour 285g
- 2 cups (400 g) Granulated Sugar 400g
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder natural unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) Vegetable Oil 360ml
- 1 cup (240 ml) Buttermilk 240ml (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Gel Red Food Colouring
- 8 oz (227 g) Cream Cheese 227g
- 1 stick (114 g) Unsalted Butter 114g
- 4-6 cups (480-720 g) Powdered Sugar 480g - 720g
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted) and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners
- Sift the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and mix together.2 ½ cups (285 g) Cake Flour, 2 cups (400 g) Granulated Sugar, 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and add the buttermilk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Whisk together until combined.2 Large Eggs, 1 ½ cups (360 ml) Vegetable Oil, 1 cup (240 ml) Buttermilk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- Add red food coloring to the wet ingredients and mix it in. Tip: It can be easier to put a few tablespoons of the liquid mixture into a cup or small bowl and stir the red food colouring into that first, then pour back into the liquid ingredients. This ensures it incorporates fully and doesn't leave any lumps of unmixed gel colour.1 teaspoon Gel Red Food Colouring
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to stir everything together, just until there are no more lumps. Be careful not to overmix.
- Divide the batter into the lined cupcake tin. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this to make sure all the cupcakes are the same size.
- Put the cupcakes straight into the oven, don't let them sit on the counter too long before baking, as the baking soda will start to react as soon as it gets wet. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for a few minutes before taking the cupcakes out of the pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Beat the room temperature butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy.8 oz (227 g) Cream Cheese, 1 stick (114 g) Unsalted Butter
- Add the vanilla and salt, then sift in the powdered sugar and turn the mixer back on, starting on low speed so you don't get a dust cloud of sugar everywhere. Gradually increase to medium-high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes.1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract, ¼ teaspoon (¼ tsp) Salt, 4-6 cups (480-720 g) Powdered Sugar
- You can adjust the amount of sugar to get the frosting consistency you like - the more you add, the thicker it will be. For a softer, spreadable frosting, beat on medium speed just until everything comes together. For a sturdier, pipeable frosting, add more powdered sugar and beat on medium-high speed to add a bit of air until it's smooth and fluffy.
aria
love it
Vicki
Hi,
Tried this recipe today. and was disappointed. I’ve baked many a cake and cupcakes and this one just didn’t work. The temp of 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-25 minutes was 12 minutes undercooked (goop) The batter was too airy. Tried 2nd pan of cupcakes at 350 for 22-25, was much improved. Frosting was perfect.