My red velvet cake recipe has been a blog reader favorite (and a personal fave) for years now. And while lots of you have made my red velvet cake recipe into cupcakes, I thought it would be a little more convenient to make an official red velvet cupcake recipe post! So without further ado, here are my beloved red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese buttercream in all their glory!
Red Velvet Cupcake Ingredients
These red velvet cupcakes are wonderfully soft and moist with the perfect hint of chocolate flavor. Here are some of the key ingredients that make these red velvet cupcakes so special:
- All-purpose flour. If you’ve made the layer cake version, you might notice one difference between that recipe and this one: all-purpose flour instead of cake flour. While I prefer cake flour in the layer cake for an extra fine crumb, all-purpose flour gives these cupcakes more stability while maintaining that beautiful softness.
- Cocoa powder. A hint of cocoa powder gives these cupcakes a subtle chocolate flavor that is oh so delicious.
- Vegetable oil. A few tablespoons of vegetable oil adds a beautiful amount of moisture to the cupcake crumb. I love using plain vegetable oil because it doesn’t add any flavor, but you can substitute this for any kind of cooking oil you prefer. Just keep the flavor of the oil in mind.
- Distilled white vinegar. This ingredient is key to creating a super soft (velvety) texture. It reacts with the baking soda in the recipe to create carbon dioxide bubbles that expand in the baking process, which ultimately creates a soft and airy crumb. If you can’t find white vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar as a substitute.
- Red food color gel. For that iconic red color.
- Buttermilk. Adds even more moisture to these red velvet cupcakes. You can create a homemade version of buttermilk if you can’t find it at your local grocery store – the instructions are in the notes section of the recipe below!
What Gives Red Velvet Cupcakes Their Color?
Red velvet cake batter most commonly gets its color from red food coloring. While you can use a more natural method like beet purèe, using gel food color is the easiest way to achieve a beautiful red color while maintaining the ideal soft cake crumb and perfect flavor. I find that using a highly concentrated food color gel like AmeriColor Super Red allows me to get away with adding less than the average red velvet cake recipe – about 1 teaspoon per batch will yield a brilliant red color. Since the food color gel doesn’t add any flavor to the cake, you could add even less (or none at all) and still have a great tasting cake. But what’s the fun in that? You know you’re going to want to dye this cake batter deep red!
Red Velvet Cupcakes + Cream Cheese Buttercream
My go-to frosting for these red velvet cupcakes is delicious cream cheese buttercream. It’s a classic combination in my eyes and always a crowd pleaser. I love this particular cream cheese frosting recipe because it’s so soft and creamy yet stable, making it perfect for piping and decorating the cupcakes.
The most important ingredient for the stability of this frosting is full-fat brick-style cream cheese. If you’re using either low fat cream cheese or the spreadable kind in the tub, your buttercream will not be the right consistency (aka it will look like soup). Both of those cream cheese options contain more liquid than the full-fat brick-style kind and will thus add too much liquid content to your frosting. If you don’t have access to the right kind of cream cheese, I recommend making a different kind of buttercream to top these cupcakes. My top recommendations:
- Vanilla Buttercream
- White Chocolate Buttercream
- Freeze-Dried Strawberry Buttercream
- Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
- Ruby Chocolate Buttercream
How to Decorate Red Velvet Cupcakes
There are so many different ways you can decorate these red velvet cupcakes. You can spread the cream cheese buttercream on with a spatula for a rustic look, pipe a swirl or rosette with a star tip, create a floral design, add some pretty sprinkles – the possibilities are endless.
I chose to keep things simple by piping a swirl onto each cupcake with Wilton Tip 4B and then adding a pop of color with some pretty Valentine sprinkles. I couldn’t find the same sprinkles available for purchase anywhere but if you’re looking for pretty sprinkles any time of year, Sprinkle Pop always has a great assortment.
However you decorate these red velvet cupcakes, they are sure to be a hit at your next event! They’re an iconic flavor that so many people love. I can’t wait for you to give this recipe a go!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- 1 Cup (133g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 Cup (57g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 Cup (150g) white granulated sugar
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 tsp red food color gel*
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) buttermilk, room temperature** DIY recipe in notes
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 Oz cream cheese, room temperature brick-style, not the spreadable kind
- 4 Cups (480g) powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Garnish
- 2 Tbsp sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
Make the Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a cupcake tin by placing liners into the cavities. This recipe will make 14 cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside. Mix the red food color gel into the buttermilk and set aside.
- Cream the butter on high for two minutes, then add the vegetable oil and sugar. Cream together on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the egg. Mix until incorporated, then add the vanilla and white vinegar and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more.
- Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on low speed until just incorporated, then add the red buttermilk mixture and continue mixing on low speed until uniform.
- Scoop the batter into prepared cupcake liners (no more than 2/3 full) and bake for 13-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on high until light, fluffy, and uniform (no lumps), about five minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, mixing on low for another 30 seconds.
Assembly
- Once the red velvet cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with the cream cheese buttercream. To create the look pictured, fit a piping bag with Wilton Tip 4B and fill it with the cream cheese buttercream, then pipe a swirl onto each cupcake. Garnish with sprinkles.
Notes
- The cupcakes can be made ahead and stored in the cupcake tin with plastic wrap covering the top (or in an airtight container) for up to one day. Alternatively, you can store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- The cream cheese buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.
Did you make these cupcakes? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments section below or tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me a photo. I love to see what you make!
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