The Best EVER Red Velvet Cupcakes
Cocoa-kissed vanilla cupcakes with a generous cream cheese frosting. No wonder red velvet cupcakes are a firm favourite worldwide!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 80 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 175 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- red food colour
- 80 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) yogurt
- 80 ml (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) milk
- 210 g (1 ½ cups) plain (all purpose) flour
- 10 g (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
For the cream cheese frosting
- 150 g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 150 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar
- 300 g (1 ¼ cups + 1 tbsp) full fat cream cheese
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Line the muffin tin with cupcake cases and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F whilst making the red velvet cake batter.
- Beat the butter in a mixing bowl for 4-5 minutes until really soft and paler. Add in the caster sugar and beat again until really pale, light and fluffy.
- In a separate jug, whisk the eggs together with the vanilla and food colouring. Gradually add the egg mixture in with the butter and sugar, beating between additions, until fully incorporated. Make sure to scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
- In the same jug the eggs were mixed in, combine the milk and yogurt to make buttermilk. In another clean bowl, sift and combine together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
- Add the flour to the egg mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, and mixing on a low speed only until just combined. Scrape down the bowl again to make sure all the ingredients have been incorporated.
- In a small clean bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and vinegar. It will bubble together when combined. Quickly tip this into the cake batter and fold through until completely mixed in.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the twelve cases, filling them about ⅔ full. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cupcakes are risen, springy to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for five minutes, then remove and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the cream cheese frosting
- Beat the butter in a mixing bowl for 4-5 minutes until really soft and paler.
- Add in half the icing (powdered) sugar and beat again until combined and smooth. Add in the other half of the sugar and beat again until everything is well combined and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the bowl to ensure it is all evenly mixed.
- Take the cream cheese out of the fridge, drain if necessary, then give it a gentle mix to loosen it. Add the cheese to the butter mixture and fold in gently until evenly combined. DO NOT OVERMIX! Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle.
Decorating the cupcakes
- Holding the bag upright and starting from the middle of the cupcake, pipe a swirl going out to near the edge before coming back in and creating a swirl on top. Keep the bag upright throughout and the pressure even.
- Sprinkle the iced cupcakes with some red velvet crumbs or use some red or white sprinkles to finish them off. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Always use room-temperature ingredients when baking. Here, that means the buttermilk for the cupcakes and the butter for the cake and frosting. This ensures smoother mixing and better results. The only exception to this rule is the cream cheese which should be used straight from the fridge.
- Beat the butter really well to soften it before adding in the other ingredients. This will help everything blend together beautifully for perfect cupcakes.
- Take your time! From beating the butter and sugar to pale and fluffy and adding the eggs in a little at a time to gentle folding in the dry ingredients, each step of preparing these cupcakes requires care to ensure best results.
- Adding the eggs in gradually helps them blend far better with the butter and sugar than plopping a whole egg in and beating it does. Trust me, I've tried both ways: it really is worth the extra effort!
- Don't over mix the dry ingredients. It's the combining of the wet and dry together correctly that is critical in ensuring the red velvet crumb is light and fluffy, not claggy or gummy once baked.
- Fill cupcake cases only up to ⅔ full. This ensures they rise just right without spilling over.
- Use a high-quality, full-fat cream cheese for the icing. After trying many brands, I always return to Philadelphia here in the UK. It’s always reliable, easy to work with, and tastes great!
- Be sure to beat the butter well when making cream cheese frosting for red velvet cupcakes. This softens it, helping it blend smoothly with the cream cheese for a silky icing.
- Cream cheese nightmares. Here in the UK, the technique needed to make a pipeable cream cheese frosting is very different from in the US where you can get the cheese in a block, similar to butter. See my "How to make perfectly firm cream cheese frosting for red velvet cupcakes" above for details.
- Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before adding cream cheese frosting or the frosting might melt and the cake may become soggy. Nobody wants that!
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcal