Name: The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter; 1/2 cup Vegetable or Canola Oil; 1 1/2 cups Granulated White Sugar; 2 Large Eggs; 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract; 1 cup Buttermilk}; 1 tsp White Vinegar; 2 1/2 cups Cake Flour (Can substitute with 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 5 tbsp Corn Starch); 2 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder; 1 tsp Baking Powder; 1 tsp Baking Soda; 1/4 tsp Salt; 3 tbsp Red Food Coloring; Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

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This is the best red velvet cupcake recipe topped with cream cheese frosting made from scratch that melts in your mouth.

Red velvet cupcakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day treats, Christmas parties, birthdays, or any time during the year to fill your red velvet cupcake craving! You won’t be able to stop with just one!

Red velvet is a popular cake flavor and these classic red velvet cupcakes are to die for! The cupcake is moist, has that hint of chocolate flavor, and is topped with luscious cream cheese frosting.

I seem to be known for my homemade red velvet cupcakes.

Not only did I bring them for each semester we completed of clinical in nursing school, but somehow, it also became a tradition that I have brought them arranged in a basket to every memorial and funeral service I attend.

My in-laws also love red velvet cupcakes so they get made several times a year, just because.

Needless to say, these cupcakes are classic and they’re perfect for gatherings, birthdays, baby or wedding showers, holidays, and all celebrations!

These are a couple of the baskets I put together for the services and/or brought to the family and piped them to look like roses. I wish I had taken better photos at the time.

Needless to say, these cupcakes are a classic and they’re perfect for birthdays, baby or wedding showers, holidays, and pretty much all celebrations.

What is Red Velvet?

Red velvet is a cake that has been mixed with cocoa, white vinegar, and buttermilk, among other cake ingredients.

What Makes it Red?

Traditionally, the cake batter was mixed with beetroot. It gave a rich red color to enhance the darker maroon color from the cocoa being mixed.

These days, most have steered away from beets in their red velvet cake recipe, and instead opt for red food coloring to give the cake vibrancy.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cupcakes

Butter, room temperature
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extract
Buttermilk
White Vinegar
Cake Flour or Substitute with All-Purpose Flour + Corn Starch
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Red Food Coloring

Ingredients for My Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Cream Cheese, room temperature
Butter, room temperature
Confectioners’ Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
Pure Vanilla Extract
Shortening

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a muffin pan by lining with 24 cupcake paper liners.
Combine butter and sugar together until creamy in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time to the mixing bowl and blend over low speed.
Add oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix well after each addition.
Add red food coloring to the cupcake batter and blend.
Spoon approximately 3 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner in the muffin pans.
Place muffin pans in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes.
To check for doneness, the tops will spring back when lightly touched, or insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and if it comes out clean they are done.
Remove from the oven and place on cooling racks. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and shortening. Slowly add powdered sugar at a low speed. Mix until well blended.

Baking Substitutes

White Vinegar Substitute Use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. They are needed to help balance out the buttermilk in the recipe. They give a slightly tangy flavor to the recipe.

Buttermilk Substitute Add 1 cup of milk to a measuring cup. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. It will slightly curdle and thicken. Once it has, mix it into the cupcake batter.

Cake Flour Substitute Replace with all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons of corn starch for every cup of all-purpose flour.

Pro Tip: Oil & Butter

I have tried making red velvet cupcakes with only butter and the cake turns out so much drier. Oil adds noticeable moisture to the cupcakes while butter adds in its own buttery-rich flavor. It’s best to use a mixture of both oil and butter for this cake batter.

What piping tip do you use for decorating red velvet cupcakes?

I used Wilton’s 2D tip for these cupcakes, but you can also use 1M which is a slightly more open star.

How do you pipe a cupcake?

Cakes by Lynz’s piping tutorials on YouTube are great for beginners.

She explains the basics of cupcake decorating and how to get started with piping frosting. She has other great videos on all different kinds of tips and tricks.

Piping cream cheese frosting onto a red velvet cupcake

Try these other sweet treats!

Enjoy!