Red Velvet Cupcakes

Why You’ll Love This Recipe!

Valentine’s Day is coming up and that means it’s Red Velvet season.  Can you think of a more perfect cake/cupcake to celebrate the holiday of love? Although they are popular at Valentine’s Day, Red Velvet Cupcakes are perfect for any celebration. I also love that the frosting to cake ratio is better with a cupcake!

What is Red Velvet?

Being the history buff I am I had to do a little research on where red velvet cake originated.  Here’s what I found out according to Wikipedia.

A red velvet cake was a signature dessert at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City during the 1920s. According to a common urban legend a woman once asked for the recipe for the cake, and was billed a large amount. Indignant, she spread the recipe in a chain letter.

A resurgence in the popularity of this cake is partly attributed to the 1989 film Steel Magnolias in which the groom’s cake (another southern tradition) is a red velvet cake made in the shape of an armadillo.

What Makes Red Velvet Red?

Red food coloring is the source of the red. A lot of red velvet recipes call for A LOT of red food coloring.  So much food coloring that you end up with red gums and red teeth after eating one!!  I cut the amount down a lot and still got red cupcakes.

Red Velvet has a unique flavor thanks to a hint of chocolate from cocoa powder and buttermilk.

• Cake Flour – I have used both cake flour and all purpose flour in these cupcakes and had similar results.
• White Vinegar – helps to make the cupcakes to rise a little better and actually helps make the red, redder.
• Buttermilk – it’s best to have the buttermilk at room temperature before adding it in. Buttermilk reacts with the baking powder and soda to help make the cake lighter and more tender. If you don’t have real buttermilk you can make your own.  To make your own buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of milk.  It won’t be as thick as regular buttermilk but it will create the desired effect.

• Baking powder and baking soda.
• Salt
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Red food coloring
• Butter. I use salted butter but you can also use unsalted.
• Sugar
• Eggs. room temperature
• Vanilla extract

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers
• Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside
• In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste without lumps; set aside
• In a large bowl, beat butter with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes
• Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go.
• Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk Beat in another third of flour mixture, then second half of buttermilk. End with the remaining flour mixture. Mix until combined.
• In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda.
• Add vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir well to combine
• Using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcake cups with cake batter (they should be 2/3 – 3/4 full)
• Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool completely and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Frosting

Red velvet cupcakes or cake is traditionally frosted with cream cheese frosting (recipe below). I used a decorating bag and a large star tip to pipe the frosting on.