Red Velvet Cupcakes!
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Deliciously light & fluffy red velvet cupcakes with a gorgeous cream cheese frosting!
Red velvet cupcakes
A couple of weeks ago I posted my recipe for my red velvet cake and it was a massive success – it’s one that you were all waiting for for a very long time! I had, however, had many requests for a cupcake version, so here it is!
You will see however that my recipe isn’t just my cake recipe halved as I believe this version bakes better as a cupcake, and the other as an actual cake – so there is a difference!
Food colouring
I was flabbergasted with how red my cupcakes came out – such as they look like they have been edited beyond belief, but they really are that red! It’s mind-blowing! Don’t they look cute! Look at the sprinkling of the red velvet crumbs – they’re just so red!
I use this red food colouring for these cupcakes. I will emphasise on the fact that you MUST USE A GOOD QUALITY COLOURING. Use a supermarket one? They’ll probably fail. You need quite a lot of colouring to get the right red anyway, so using the better quality means they work, and also means you actually use less colouring!
Red velvet
Red velvet is one of those controversial cakes – it’s like why on earth does a cake need to have vinegar in it? and do I really have to use buttermilk?! But honestly – a classic ‘red velvet’ contains these ingredients – and you can’t really avoid them.
You can of course just bake vanilla cupcakes and use food colouring, but red velvet is meant to be chocolate AND vanilla but be super red – the bicarbonate, vinegar, and buttermilk help create the texture and bring the colour out more!
Key Components
Bicarbonate of soda works by reacting to acid in the recipe – the rising comes from the mix of bicarbonate, buttermilk and vinegar. I always use a white vinegar for my red velvet cupcakes, but others can work such as apple cider vinegar.
One question I always get is “what is buttermilk?” or “can I just use regular milk” and to basically answer this.. you MUST use buttermilk. However, if you can’t find any in the shops (it’s usually found in pots near the cream!) you can make your own. To do this, you need to use FULL-FAT milk and mix with 1tbsp of lemon juice. Whisk it in, and leave to sit for five minutes before using!
More red velvet recipes
The reason that this recipe differs slightly to my regular red velvet cake is that when using different forms of raising agents, then you can’t always just double or half it.
So, this recipe is slightly different. However, I adore both equally! So definitely check out my other recipe if you want to make a layer cake version! I also have cookie bars and truffles so its red velvet heaven!
Cream cheese frosting
Now when this cake comes to the cream cheese frosting… things have changed a little. This recipe has been updated in April 2020. It’s quite a few worlds apart from the near five years ago it was originally posted! I will put the original recipe below in the notes, but the new version is much much better. I, in fact, LOVE IT.
So the new method, which is explained in detail on my ‘How to make cream cheese frosting – back to basics’ post – and it’s delightful. It’s beautiful. And if you ever normally have any cream cheese frosting issues that often we all do, definitely give it a read!
Baking cases and piping tips
For the cupcakes cases, I use my usual cupcakes cases as it is what I had in the drawer but you can easily make these cupcakes “fancy” by using my favourite red baking cups from Iced Jems! I love them as I repeatedly say, as they are amazing.
For the piping, I used my favourite 2D closed star piping tip – it creates the best swirl. And for the piping bags? I use these ones. I find that using the right size bag, and the right size piping tip will definitely help – especially when doing something like cream cheese frosting!
Red Velvet Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tsp red food colouring (see notes)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 15 g cocoa powder
- 125 ml buttermilk
- 175 g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g icing sugar
- 300 g full-fat cream cheese (I use Philadelphia)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC/150ºC fan and get 12 cupcake cases ready!
- Beat together the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy like you would a normal cake!
- Add in the eggs and beat again!
- In a small bowl, mix together the red food colouring, and vanilla extract to a paste – Add this mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined and coloured well!
- Turn the speed down so it's slow and mix in the cocoa powder.
- Pour in half of the buttermilk and beat on a slow speed. Add in half of the flour and beat again, and then the other half of the buttermilk & beat, and then the other half of the flour & beat (I realise this is faffy, but it works!)
- Finally – beat in the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and vinegar. Beat again briefly until everything is smooth and incorporated well.
- Spoon into the cases so it's even – I use a cookie scoop and fill the cases about 2/3 full so that it's even across them all.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean when poked with a skewer! Once the cakes are baked, leave to cool on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature, and make sure to use actual butter and not a spread.
- Beat your butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy - like you would a normal buttercream. I beat them together for about 5 minutes.
- Add in your full-fat cream cheese (That has been drained if needed), and beat for about a minute.
- Scrape the bowl well, and add in the vanilla. Beat again for another minute.
- Scrape the bowl again finally, and beat again if needed. It should be a thick and smooth frosting once finished!
To Decorate
- If you want to use some cake crumbs to decorate, level off any peaked cupcakes, or core a couple out slightly and crumble up. This isn't essential, but red velvet cake crumbs make the best sprinkles!
- Using your piping bag and piping tip, pipe your cream cheese frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Once piped on, sprinkle over the cake crumbs!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- These cupcakes should be stored in the fridge for up to 3+ days due to the cream cheese frosting!
- I used...
- This recipe was updated in April 2020. The cake recipe is the same, apart from using the better food colouring!
- The original cream cheese frosting recipe was:
- 75g butter, room temperature, 150g icing sugar, 2-3tbsp whole milk/double cream, 1x 180g Philadelphia full-fat cream cheese
- You can use self raising flour instead of plain flour - if so, also leave out the baking powder. I prefer using plain flour for red velvet cakes though.
ENJOY!
Find my other Cupcake & Christmas recipes on my Recipes Page!
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J x
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Hi Jane,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I’m having difficulties getting hold of the sugarflair colouring. I’ve ordered online but it won’t come in time. Is there any other colouring you would recommend after sugarflair. I have Wilton, but the colour still doesn’t seem to come out that lovely bright red? X
Generally, I do only use the sugar flair as it’s by far the best – sometimes the Wilton one is darker, but it would still be much better than a shop-bought one!
Love this recipe made the best cupcakes I’ve ever made the sponge is so light and fluffy! Will definitely be using this as my go to red velvet recipe!
Ahh yay!!
Would I be able to use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean? The extract that you would normally use in vanilla cupcakes or something
What can I substitute the white win vinegar with?
Someone has asked me to make red velvet cupcakes and decorated with sugar roses…two questions, would the flowers work on cream cheese or woild they bleed and go soft. Also would they be ok out of the fridge if i was making on the sat amd being eaten on the sun?
Depending on what the flowers were made of, they might bleed, but they’d have to be kept in the fridge as cream cheese frosting needs to be in the fridge x
I would be using floral paste do you think this wouod be ok?
I can’t say for certain I’m afraid as I’ve never personally done it, but I’ve heard of colours leaking from fondant onto frostings x
Just made this and by far my favourite cupcake recipe! The sponge is really soft and moist, cream cheese frosting is perfect, not too sweet and sickly!
Hi Jane
They look amazing, will try them today (not Christmas, but sure they will still go down well).
Do they freeze well?
Ahh thats fine, they’re perfect for year round!! And yes they do x
Hi. Would stork/baking spread work as an alternative to unsalted butter?
Made these today as a birthday treat for a friend. Absolutely gorgeous cakes. Recipe was easy to follow. Needless to say there aren’t many left now!
Thank you!!
After finally finding the best red velvet recipe from your red velvet cake I was even more impressed with your cupcake version! I did however use a different cream cheese frosting recipe, one that I’ve always found really reliable in the past and the results were great.
Hi Jane. Absolutely love your blog and I’ve been trying out so many new recipes using it, and they’ve all gone so well… Except for this one.
I copied the recipe to a T but the buttercream turned out really liquidy. If I tipped the spoon it just dropped straight off it, and I ended up spreading it onto the cakes. I have no idea why this happened, help!!
Chances are is that you over beat the mixture too much – with cream cheese frosting you have to be really careful not to beat it like crazy as it’ll loosen it. Also, the cream cheese might have had some excess liquid in it which wouldn’t have helped… sorry you had troubles!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
Aww its okay!! Thank you too! 🙂
Yuuum! Perfect for Xmas 🙂
Thank you! And I agree! 🙂
Can I ask what the decoration on top of the icing is? Keen to give these a go after tasting one made with this recipe. Delicious. Hope my first attempt is as good
It’s cake crumbs!
Love red velvet cupcakes! They are definitely common around this time of year with the holidays.
The perfect colour! 🙂
It’s so hard to find a reliable Red Velvet recipe – thank you for both of your’s Jane 🙂 my sister wants me to create red velvet brownies for her over Christmas, wish me luck! X
Its such pressure for it to work, mostly it doesn’t come out red as people used the wrong colour! Hahah yes thats on the list for me too – red velvet eeeeeverything. Good luck!! 🙂 x
Hi Jane if I cant get hold of buttermilk could I use double cream instead? These look yummy x
You can make you’re own buttermilk very easily – double cream wouldnt work 🙂 x
Really cute
Thank you! 🙂