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Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Dessert / Cake / Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

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By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 1/24/20Updated: 2/23/23

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

Red Velvet Cupcakes are a classic southern dessert topped with cream cheese frosting.  Flavored with a hint of chocolate they are always a crowd favorite.

red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting

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!

red velvet cupcakes with sprinkles on top

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.

overhead shot of red velvet cupcakes

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.

row of red velvet cupcakes

Ingredients Needed

  • 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
red velvet cupcakes with sprinkles

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.

frosting a red velvet cupcake

Tips from Leigh Anne

  1. If you are going to pipe on the frosting, you will need to double the frosting recipe in order to have enough frosting for all 24 cupcakes.  One batch should be enough if you choose to spread it on with a knife. 
  2. If you prefer a plain buttercream frosting try this recipe.
  3. Don’t overmix your cupcakes. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. This keeps the cupcake light and fluffy.

The red velvet cake has a nice light chocolate flavor which I really liked, I am not a dense, heavy chocolate fan so the lightness was just perfect for me.

closeup of red velvet cupcakes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the flavor of a red velvet cupcake?

They have a very light, mild chocolate flavor due to the small amount of cocoa powder that is in them.

Do I have to use buttermilk?

I think buttermilk is a requirement for red velvet cupcakes. It gives it a tender, moist texture and it also helps to activate the baking soda.

Can I make a cake instead of cupcakes?

You can make a cake. You will need to adjust the baking time depending on what size pan you are using. For a 9 x 13 ” pan bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Do I need to refrigerate red velvet cupcakes?

If you frost them with cream cheese frosting you need to keep them refrigerated. They will last 2-3 days.

Be sure and check out these other delicious Valentine treats:

  • Red Velvet Cake
  • Small Batch Red Velvet Cake
  • Roasted Red Pepper Soup
  • Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
  • Brown Sugar Cupcakes

Be sure and follow me over on You Tube for weekly cooking demos.

4.75 from 4 votes
closeup of red velvet cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
Red Velvet Cupcakes are a classic southern dessert topped with cream cheese frosting.  Flavored with a hint of chocolate they are always a crowd favorite.
serves: 24 cupcakes
Prep:15 minutes
Cook:20 minutes
Total:35 minutes
Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour can use cake flour or all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp red food coloring
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup butter slightly softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

  • 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 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.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth
  • Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until everything is combined. Add vanilla
  • Frost cupcakes

Tips & Notes:

  • double the frosting recipe in order to have enough frosting for all 24 cupcakes.  One batch should be enough if you choose to spread it on with a knife. 
  • If you prefer a plain buttercream frosting try this recipe.
  • Don’t overmix your cupcakes. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. This keeps the cupcake light and fluffy.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 268kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 39g (13%) Protein: 3g (6%) Fat: 12g (18%) Saturated Fat: 7g (44%) Cholesterol: 45mg (15%) Sodium: 257mg (11%) Potassium: 69mg (2%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 28g (31%) Vitamin A: 400IU (8%) Calcium: 35mg (4%) Iron: 1mg (6%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
closeup of red velvet cupcakes
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Originally posted on February 10, 2010

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  1. chelsea lewis says

    Posted on 5/7 at 9:26 pm

    i love how it was easy to cook and the recipe even made sense. you were able to tick off all the things that you had, just to make it easier to know what you have. i’m 12 years old and i loved making cupcakes. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Katii says

    Posted on 2/27 at 10:07 pm

    I love your recipies and your website in general, but I am so dissapointed by this post. Red Velvet Cake is NOT “just chocolate cake with lots of red food coloring.” Wikipedia’s history is also incorrect. The red coloring is/was a reaction from mixing the cocoa powder and the vinegar. Now cocoa powder is processed differently, so red food coloring is added to bring back the color. Also, while cream cheese frosting is the modern choice, the original frosting was a cooked flour frosting. (in fact: PW used the correct frosting on her red velvet sheet cake post).

    I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, I really am a fan, but as a young Southern Lady I just couldn’t let this go uncorrected.

    Please check out the closest “true” history here: http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/2290-the-unknown-history-of-red-velvet-cake

    Reply
  3. Julie T. says

    Posted on 1/26 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Leigh Anne, How do you store your cupcakes with cream cheese frosting? I made your recipes and loved it. I put the cupcakes in the fridge and then it made the cake a little dry. Any advice?

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 1/26 at 3:51 pm

      Technically yes they need to be refrigerated but I often will leave cream cheese out over night to soften and have used it with no problems. I have also left my cupcakes with cream cheese frosting out for a day or so with no adverse effects. They usually don’t last for longer than that. But health guidelines will tell you to keep it refrigerated.

      Reply
      • Julie T. says

        Posted on 1/27 at 10:49 am

        Thanks. Love your blog. I get so many great ideas from you 🙂

        Reply
        • Leigh Anne says

          Posted on 1/27 at 11:06 am

          Thank you!! Thanks for reading and I’m glad you enjoy it.

          Reply
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