With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, red velvet cupcakes make for the perfect dessert!
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If you’ve been around Teaspoon of Nose for very long, you know I love holidays AND I love embracing the seasons. Themed food is SO FUN, but should also be doable and not take 54895370174589 steps. So for Valentine’s Day, some beautiful red velvet cupcakes are perfect!
Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s day with your person, Galentine’s Day with your ride-or-die girls, or just want to bring some cheer to your office, red velvet cupcakes are perfect.
My husband used to think he didn’t like red velvet cupcakes, saying they were “fake chocolate.” So I made him try my version. He loved them!
For those like my husband, red velvet flavor is essentially chocolate buttermilk. It’s a rich texture with chocolate.
Also: you can make any color “velvet” cupcakes you want. Just sub out the food coloring. 😉
Speaking of food coloring, red velvet needs a lot. If you can, best to skip the four pack of food coloring we all used for easter eggs and such – it would take at least 3 of those to achieve the deep red we want. Something like this is better.
Lets talk fancy frosting piping. I’m not an experienced piping master – most of the time I spread it on with an offset spatula and call it a day. But I inherited a set of Wilton piping tips from my mom – an abandoned hobby from another decade – and they’re a fun way to jazz up cupcakes! You can buy a basic set for pretty cheap if you’re interested. But really, they taste the same.
I will say that once you make the frosting, I’d refrigerate it for 10 minutes. One more step, but it’ll set up a little nicer if you do.
This red velvet cupcake recipe is 100% from Sally’s Baking Addiction, so all credit goes to her. When I’m experimenting with new recipes, I usually make them my own. But red velvet is such a specific flavor with very specific ingredients that my version would always end up looking like someone else’s if I searched long enough.
So I share these because this is my go-to red velvet cupcakes recipe! But all credit goes to her.
Tools you’ll need: mixer, muffin tins, red food coloring, and offset spatula or piping tips.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter unsalted, room temperature (60g)
- 1 cup sugar (200g)
- ½ cup vegetable oil (120ml)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp red food coloring
- ½ cup buttermilk room temperature (120ml)
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (32g)
- 4 tsp cocoa powder unsweeted (6g)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar (360g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill muffin tins with 15 liners.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites. With the whisk attachment, beat the eggs whites on high until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- In a different bowl and with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high for a minute until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat another minute or two until fully combined.
- Add the oil to the sugar mixture and beat for another two minutes. Add the eggs yolks and vanilla and beat on medium. Beat in the vinegar and food coloring until just combined.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
- Add half the flour to the sugar mixture and mix until just combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until combined. Repeat with the second halves of each.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
- When the batter is combined, scoop into the muffin tin. Bake for 18-20 minutes, erring on the side of underbaking if you're not sure.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl for 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of the sugar. Beat low until the sugar is mostly combined then beat on high.
- Add the rest of the sugar one cup at a time until everything is smooth and fluffy.
- For best piping results, scoop into a piping bag and refrigerate for 10 minutes or so to allow the frosting to firm up. Either way, don't frost until the cupcakes are fully cool.
Red velvet cupcakes make the perfect addition to your Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s day, or to your Wednesday! If you need more red velvet love, try my red velvet chocolate chip cookies too. You’ll love them! Or check my whole dessert section to treat yo self!
