Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These red velvet cupcakes are topped with the best cream cheese frosting, making them perfect for Valentine's Day or anytime throughout the year! The cupcakes are moist, soft, and have subtle notes of both chocolate and vanilla flavors.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 379kcal
Equipment
- 12-count muffin pan
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon red gel food coloring
- ½ cup buttermilk, room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (block-style), room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, vanilla extract, vinegar, and red food gel until fully combined.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet ingredients (flour, milk, flour), whisking just until everything is combined (be careful not to overmix). Use a rubber spatula to fold in any remaining dry ingredients if needed.
- On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour (flour, buttermilk, flour) and mixing just until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in any loose ingredients with a rubber spatula.
- Fill each cupcake liner ⅔ of the way full (a little more than 3 tablespoons of batter) and bake for 16-20 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the centers for doneness and let the cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring them over to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachent, cream together the cream cheese and butter on high speed until light and creamy (2-3 minutes). Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined (30 seconds).
- Increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes. I placed the frosting in a piping bag and used the Wilton 1M piping tip.
- Keep any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
Room Temperature Ingredients: If an ingredient calls to be at room temperature before baking, do it. This helps to ensure the best quality in both flavor and texture.
Cupcake Batter: Fill the cupcake liners ⅔ of the way full, which is a little over 3 tablespoons of batter.
Food Coloring: I recommend using red gel food coloring over a liquid kind. You don't have to use as much and the red color is much brighter and deeper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
