Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a timeless favorite. They are rich, velvety, and irresistibly elegant. This classic dessert tastes every bit as divine as it looks and is sure to impress at parties and celebrations. The deep red crumb paired with tangy cream cheese frosting makes every bite feel like a celebration on its own.
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Why you'll love the Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting?
- A Match Made in Dessert Heaven: The rich, cocoa-kissed flavor of red velvet paired with the silky tang of cream cheese frosting is simply irresistible. Every bite strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and indulgence.
- Eye-Catching and Elegant: That stunning red hue makes these cupcakes a showstopper on any dessert table. They're guaranteed to impress if you are hosting a party or bringing them to a gathering.
- Naturally Beautiful Option: If you prefer to skip artificial food coloring, you can easily swap it with beet juice or beet powder for a natural pop of color with no compromise on taste!
- Festive and Fun for Halloween or any other celebration: With the holiday around the corner, I couldn't resist giving these cupcakes a spooky-cute makeover. Topped with a swirl of frosting, half an Oreo, and a Hershey's Kiss, they transform into little witch hats. They are whimsical, delicious, and perfect for any Halloween celebration!
- You could also decorate with red heart cupcake toppers for Valentine's Day or Santa's hats for Christmas!
Ingredients Used
- Cake flour from any brand should be suitable. I have used both Swan's and Softaslik brands at different times.
- Cocoa powder, unsweetened, natural Hershey's brand
- Baking Soda and Salt
- Pantry Staples- Organic unsalted butter and granulated sugar, Organic Egg, vegetable oil, and distilled vinegar, Vanilla essence
- Buttermilk Full-fat is preferable
- Food coloring, beet juice, or natural food colors
- Creamcheese Philadelphia brand
- Butter at room temperature, Powdered sugar, and vanilla extract
How to make Red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting?
Steps 1 to 3) Sift and whisk the dry ingredients, namely cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, until well combined.
Step 4 -5) In a separate bowl, use the paddle attachment on your mixer to beat the butter and sugar. Mix just until the mixture is smooth and creamy for about 5 minutes.
Steps 6 -7) Later on, add the wet ingredients: egg, vanilla, oil, white vinegar, and mix well and beat for 2 minutes.
Step 8 -9 ) Add regular or natural food coloring as per your preference and incorporate it into the batter.
Step 10 ) Add the flour after reducing the speed, alternating with buttermilk, and slowly mix until it is just about combined. Do not overmix. You can also mix with a spatula to combine.
Steps 11 - 12) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 deg F for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and frost with cream cheese frosting.
How to make the Cream cheese frosting?
Use the butter and cream cheese that are at room temperature. For the frosting, first sift the powdered sugar so it is smooth, then, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the room temperature butter until it is smooth for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add powdered sugar and beat to incorporate. Finally, add cream cheese and vanilla, and beat. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can use the Wilton 1M open star tip to create a swirl with the frosting and decorate with candy or sprinkles.
Decorate with Oreo and Hershey kisses to make a small witch hat.
Useful Tips
- The cupcake in today's recipe uses cake flour. Cake flour is normally used when you want the cake to be extra soft and tender. The Tres Leches cake recipe I posted earlier uses cake flour as well. I use Swan's or Softasilk brand, and it has always worked out well for me.
- If you only have All-purpose flour handy, no worries, there is a quick workaround that you can use. Just remove 2 tablespoons of flour from one cup of All-purpose flour. Then replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch, and whisk it or sift it using a sieve to mix evenly.
- These cakes have been present since the Victorian Era in the 1800s ( history of the fancy red velvet cake). The velvet highlights the smooth and soft texture of this cake. The raw cocoa that was available for baking in the early days neutralized the acids in the batter to give the bright red burgundy hue, unlike the cocoa powder available these days.
- Red food coloring is an easier option for baking red velvet cupcakes today. At least two small tubes of red food coloring will be required to get the bright red color. You can start with one and then increase as needed. The batter will look pinkish and will turn red on baking.
- If you prefer to avoid artificial food coloring, beet juice or beet powder makes a wonderful natural alternative. I've tried both, and I personally love the subtle, earthy tone that natural coloring gives. While you won't get that classic bright red hue, the cupcakes will take on a lovely deep pink shade instead. Just be mindful not to add too much beet juice or powder, as it can slightly alter the flavor.
- Distilled white vinegar can help bring out the bright color of the cake.
- A very important tip is never to fill the cupcake liners fully; it's better to fill them half full. I learned it the hard way with my cupcakes rising all the way up. If you fill it only till half, the cupcakes will rise beautifully, and the frosting will look just perfect on them.
- Ensure all the ingredients used in the recipe are at room temperature before you start making the cupcakes. The ingredients like buttermilk, butter, cream cheese, and egg especially need to be kept out of the refrigerator until they are at room temperature for better results. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder like Hershey's.
If you love cupcakes, some other delicious ones to check out are Vanilla cupcakes with egg whites, Vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cupcakes with eggs, eggless chocolate cupcakes.
If you are looking for more, here are some chocolate treats for the holidays. A white layered cake made with the easy white cake recipe is also a great cake for any celebration. They are all awesome!
Recipe FAQ
I've experimented with both regular and natural food coloring for these cupcakes, and I personally prefer using natural coloring. While it doesn't always produce that vivid red hue, it gives the cupcakes a more subtle, elegant tone, and I love that it's a cleaner option.
Just keep in mind that adding too much natural coloring can sometimes affect the flavor. Here's how my cupcakes turned out with just a touch of natural food coloring still beautiful and absolutely delicious!
Cake flour is preferred as it is made from soft wheat flour, and the gluten proteins in it are very weak. If you have All-purpose flour handy, no worries, there is a quick workaround that you can use. Just remove 2 tablespoons of flour from one cup of All-purpose flour. Then replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch, and whisk it or sift it using a sieve so it is evenly mixed.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing from you!
Red velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup cake flour Swans brand
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder unsweetened natural Hersheys brand
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp food coloring red or beet juice or natural food coloring
- ½ tsp white vinegar distilled
- ⅔ cup buttermilk full fat
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 block Cream cheese Philadelphia brand at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar Confectioners
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F.
- Line the cupcake tray with liners.
- Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder , baking soda and salt into a bowl so the combined flour is mixed well , smooth and there are no lumps.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment ,on medium speed , cream the sugar and butter for 5 minutes or until smooth and mixed well.
- Scrape from sides using a spatula from time to time if required to mix evenly.
- Add the egg and incorporate it in the batter.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients, namely oil, vanilla extract, and distilled white vinegar.
- Beat for about 2 minutes .
- Add red food coloring as per your liking.
- Add the flour in three additions alternating with buttermilk ensure that flour is added last.
- Divide the batter into the cupcake liners , ensure they are only half full.
- Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes minutes or when a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out neatly without any batter.
- Cool on a cooling rack . They can be frosted when completely cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whip the butter and beat for about two minutes.
- Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat until they all come together..
- Add the cream cheese and vanilla extract on medium speed until combined and creamy.
- Beat for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add more powdered sugar if you want to get a thicker consistency.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or use immediately.
- Decorate the cupcake with the cream cheese frosting
Video
Notes
- The cupcake in today's recipe uses cake flour. Cake flour is normally used when you want the cake to be extra soft and tender. The Tres Leches cake recipe I posted earlier uses cake flour as well. I use Swan's or Softasilk brand, and it has always worked out well for me. Cake flour is made from soft wheat flour, and the gluten proteins in it are very weak.
- If you have All-purpose flour handy, no worries, there is a quick workaround that you can use. Just remove 2 tablespoons of flour from one cup of All-purpose flour. Then replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch, and whisk it or sift it using a sieve so it is evenly mixed.
- These cakes have been present since the Victorian Era in the 1800s ( history of the fancy red velvet cake). The velvet highlights the smooth and soft texture of this cake. The raw cocoa that was available for baking in the early days neutralized the acids in the batter to give the bright red burgundy hue, unlike the cocoa powder available these days.
- Red food coloring is an easier option for baking red velvet cupcakes today. At least two small tubes of red food coloring will be required to get the bright red color. You can start with one and then increase as needed. The batter will look pinkish and will turn red on baking.
- If you prefer to avoid artificial food coloring, beet juice or beet powder makes a wonderful natural alternative. I've tried both, and I personally love the subtle, earthy tone that natural coloring gives. While you won't get that classic bright red hue, the cupcakes will take on a lovely deep pink shade instead. Just be mindful not to add too much beet juice or powder, as it can slightly alter the flavor.
- Distilled white vinegar can help bring out the bright color of the cake.
- A very important tip is never to fill the cupcake liners fully; it's better to fill them half full. I learned it the hard way with my cupcakes rising all the way up. If you fill it only till half, the cupcakes will rise beautifully, and the frosting will look just perfect on them.
- Ensure all the ingredients used in the recipe are at room temperature before you start making the cupcakes. The ingredients like buttermilk, butter, cream cheese, and egg especially need to be kept out of the refrigerator until they are at room temperature for better results. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder like Hershey's.
Nutrition
Sounds like this might be my new favorite sweet thing. I'll definitely try the recipe soon!
looks delicious! I like cupcakes and haven't eaten for ages now. You totally make me want to go and make it today
My daughter's favourite cake is red velvet and I never even looked at a recipe for it prior to this but it's good to know what's involved in making red velvet cupcakes.
Thanks for this. I had no idea that All purpose flour could be tweaked to make cakes extra soft. Look forward to trying it sometime.
Ooo these look amazing, they look like something from a bakery. I've never thought to make red velvet at home, thanks for the recipe!!
Superb. It looks so tempting and perfect Nisha.
I've got to admit, I've never really known what red velvet cakes are or why they're different aside from the colour. These look delliiiiiiicious. I'm such a sucker for icing and the Hershey's Kiss on top is cute.
Caz xx
These cupcakes look perfect for Halloween! They sound delicious and they don't seem too difficult to make.
Oh wow, these sound pretty amazing!! They look impressive too. I need to make them and see for myself x
You can't go wrong with a traditional yummy treat like this!
Well done! it looks neat and classy! I would not mind having 3 lol!
Very tempting muffins, and beautiful presentation. 🙂