Red Velvet Cupcakes have always been, and will likely always be, my favourite flavour of cupcake. It's so unusual with the deep tangy flavour and the delicious cream cheese frosting!
These are great for so many different things, I'm posting them now in the run up to Valentines Day, they would make a great, easy-to-make treat for your sweetheart if you want to give them something homemade. Red Velvet was also one of our most popular wedding cake flavours, and perfect for kids birthday parties too because of the bright colour. If you love red velvet as much as I do, you might also like my Red Velvet Brownies recipe, or my Red Velvet Cakesicles.
What makes Red Velvet Cupcakes Red Velvet-y?
There are a few things in this batter that give it that special red velvet flavour. First of all, the buttermilk adds both texture and flavour, creating a lovely soft crumb which has a noticeable tang to it. Secondly, the hint of cocoa powder, though it's only a small amount, adds a lot to the flavour, giving it that rich, chocolatey depth of a chocolate cake. Lastly, the way we make the cake rise, by adding vinegar to baking soda, creates a reaction in the batter which is responsible for the velvety texture of the cupcakes.
And of course, let's not forget the frosting, because they are not red velvet cupcakes without the cream cheese frosting!
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes Video
To see me make these red velvet cupcakes step by step, check out my Youtube video below:
How else can you use this batter?
This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, but you could also use it to make full-sized layer cakes, the recipe translates well to different shapes and sizes. Another fun thing to do is to bake a sheet cake of red velvet and then mash it together with the cream cheese frosting and roll into balls and dip in white or milk chocolate to make cake pops or red velvet truffles.
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Recipe
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Gel Red Food Colouring
- 1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners
- Lightly whisk the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla together until blended2 Eggs, 1 ½ cups Vegetable Oil, 1 cup Buttermilk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix for about a minute2 ½ cups All-purpose Flour, 2 cups Sugar, 1 tablespoon Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Add red food colouring and mix until the batter is the shade of red you want1 teaspoon Gel Red Food Colouring
- In a small bowl, pour the white wine vinegar over the baking soda, quickly mix together and then pour into the batter. Mix the batter together1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Scoop batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
- Allow to cool completely and then decorate with Cream Cheese Frosting
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.