Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These red velvet cupcakes are a gorgeous red color, moist and fluffy, have the most amazing flavor, and are topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. An easy recipe that is great year-round!
I found long ago that getting a really, really good red velvet cupcake could be totally elusive. Some are dry, some are TOO red. It propelled me to make a great version at home.
I did some reading, I looked at a lot of recipes, and in the end I decided to try this one, which originated at the Hummingbird Bakery. And I'm so glad I did, because I don't think a better one could exist.
If you are looking for a super moist red velvet cupcake recipe, this is IT! They are everything you could hope for - moist, fluffy, a tiny bit chocolatey, and a perfect vehicle for a heaping pile of cream cheese frosting!
Don’t save these just for Valentine’s Day; they are great at Christmas, birthdays, or as an everyday treat!
Key Ingredient Notes
While we use some pantry staples like flour, sugar, and vanilla extract, below are notes on the essential ingredients for our red velvet cake recipe:
- Cocoa Powder – Use unsweetened, natural cocoa powder here. We want to avoid Dutched since it has already been alkalized.
- Vinegar – The reaction of the vinegar with the buttermilk helps to pull out the red hue in the cocoa powder. For this recipe, we use white vinegar, but you could also substitute apple cider vinegar.
- Buttermilk – Using soured milk is a key component to red velvet cakebatter, as the acidic liquid is needed to combine with the baking soda and cocoa powder to get the rise and texture right.
- Baking Soda – This works magic with the cocoa powder and buttermilk to get a beautiful rise and tender crumb.
- Red Food Coloring – We want to boost that beautiful red color! You can use either 2 tablespoons of liquid food coloring or 5 to 6 drops of gel food coloring.
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
Step #1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
Step #2: Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the egg and beat until well incorporated.
Step #3: In a separate bowl, combine the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and red food coloring, which will make a thick paste. Add it to the batter and mix until combined.
Step #4: On low speed, alternate adding the buttermilk and flour, then beat on high until smooth.
Step #5: On low speed again, add the salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Beat on high until the mixture is completely combined and smooth.
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Step #6: Divide the cupcake batter evenly between the liners and bake for about 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the frosting.
Decorating the Cupcakes
I love to pair red velvet with my favorite cream cheese frosting; it’s so thick and luscious, plus the slight tang is a great contrast to the sweetness of the cupcake. However, you could also use a seven-minute frosting, vanilla frosting, or even a chocolate frosting!
Some decorating options:
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on the cupcakes.
- Place frosting in a piping bag and use piping tips to pile the frosting high! My favorite tip for those pretty swirls on the top of cupcakes is a Wilton 1M or Ateco #826 open star tip.
- The most traditional garnishment for red velvet cupcakes is to crumble one cupcake and use the cupcake crumbs to decorate the other cupcakes.
- Or use your favorite sprinkles, popular options are heart sprinkles or red, white, and pink jimmies!
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Buttermilk Substitute: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use this at-home substitution – Pour 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup. Add enough milk (I recommend 2% or whole) to measure 1 cup total. Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes, then use it as directed in the recipe below.
- Adjusting to Make a Whole Cake: This recipe can be doubled to yield two 9-inch cake layers (bake time 25 to 30 minutes), or a 9×13-inch cake (bake time about 30 minutes).
- Mixer: This recipe can be successfully made using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer; either one will work!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
- Unfrosted Cupcakes – Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or bag; thaw at room temperature (should take 30 minutes to 1 hour).
- Cream Cheese Frosting – The frosting itself can be made and stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Frosted Cupcakes – Frosted red velvet cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week. I do not recommend freezing the frosted cupcakes.
More Red Velvet Recipes to Try:
- Red Velvet Cheesecake
- Red Velvet Poke Cake
- Red Velvet Roll Cake with White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Filling
- Red Velvet Whoopie Pies
- Red Velvet Ice Cream
Watch the Recipe Video:
If you make these red velvet cupcakes and love them, remember to stop back and give them a 5-star rating - it helps others find the recipe! ❤️️
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (149 g) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2½ tablespoons (13 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 1 cup (125 g) + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (227 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, chilled and cut into 8 pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard muffin/cupcake pan with liners.
- On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the egg. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth.
- Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another couple of minutes until completely combined and smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center of the largest cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes and then remove cupcakes from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the Frosting: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Increase the speed to medium-low and add the cream cheese one piece at a time and mix until smooth, then mix for an additional 2 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe can be doubled to make an 8 or 9-inch layer cake.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on November 8, 2010.
Photography by Dee Frances.
Pretty! These look wonderful and delicious! -mary
My experience with Red Velvet cake sounds very much like your own. I was all excited by the hype I heard about it, and then I tried one. It was so dry and unmemorable, nothing like what I expected. I tried about 3-4 different recipes until I found one I really liked and was happy with. Yours look moist and delicious, so will have to do a taste comparison with mine to see if yours will become my new go to recipe. Thanks for posting!
The only red velvet cake I have had was similar to your first experience. I was completely unimpressed and let down. So much so that I have never tried it again. But after reading this post I will try making it on my own. Hope I get the great results!!
I’ve never had red velvet and recently went on a search for a good recipe – I’ll definitely be trying these sometime.
I am a huge red velvet fan, but I think it’s hard to find good red velvet at bakeries. But I have had quite a few good homemade ones, and these look perfect!!
this is one of my favorite treats! i recently made red velvet cake balls dipped in bittersweet chocolate. talk about yum.
I love the color of these!!
I’ve too have been curious as to all the hype around red velvet though I haven’t had the opportunity to do some taste testing. Thanks for your efforts (someone has to do it! :))
I was wondering why you had to add the food coloring if the chem. reaction from the vinegar is supposed to make the batter red (technically). Is is because the red color is not as pronounced as we expect it, so using the food coloring adds more umph!?
Thanks,
Joanne
Hi Joanne, exactly – the chemical reaction brings out the reddish hues in the cocoa, but it certainly isn’t as pronounced as you see in the cupcakes. The food coloring gives it an extra boost :)
I too have never got what all the hype was over Red Velvet cake , but now you got my attention . I really have to try your recipe! Thanks for sharing ,I’m sure it’s gonna be great!
I make a vegan red velvet that always comes out moist and fluffy. I add a teaspoon of chocolate extract too. So good!
Breanne, what recipe do you use? Somehow my vegan desserts (made for friends) never turn out as well as the regular ones.
Thanks
I assume you used a liquid food color for this recipe. Do you think I could use a paste food color? And how much? BTW, your cupcakes are beautiful!!
Hi Skeeter, Yes, liquid food coloring. Hmm don’t know that I would use paste since the recipes uses 3 tablespoons of the liquid coloring – it could impact the texture. You could of course give it a try and see what you think; if you do, let me know how it goes!
Michelle, I’ve never met a red velvet cake or cupcake that I didn’t like, and I’m sure I would fall head over heels for these beauties! They look incredible, and so moist and delicious. Thank you for sharing!
I love ice creams, but it looks delicious.
It’s so funny–I’ve never been a big fan of red velvet (and, truthfully, I’m still not), but I’m a Pittsburgher currently living in DC and Baked and Wired is the only place I’ll buy cupcakes. (I’d much rather make them!) Their red velvet is tasty, but then again, all of their flavors are.
Hello fellow Pittsburgher! Glad to hear that Baked & Wired got your ‘Burgh approval too!
Hurrah! This is a beautiful recipe! I don’t know if I’ll ever switch away from my ancestral recipe (which is over at my blog, with a few unorthodox changes), but this one looks genuine and delicious. And not too chocolatey!
Hi Michelle, I’m so excited to try this recipe! Did you use liquid food colour or gel-paste food colour?
Hi Farah, Liquid food coloring.
If I was to use gel coloring, what amount do you soppose I need and will the recipe miss the “liquid”?
Hi Christeena, I have attempted to use gel coloring when I was out of the liquid food coloring, and I haven’t had much success. I would stick with the liquid for this recipe.
Unfortunately, I did not read clear through the recipe carefully before I began to make these and didn’t have liquid food coloring! I was totally bummed when I read Michelle’s above comment, as it was later in the afternoon on Christmas Eve and I was right in the middle of making them and SO not in the mood to venture to the stores. I improvised by using water so that the lack of liquid wouldn’t be a problem and then added a bunch of the gel paste color. The taste of the cake (made cake instead of cupcakes) is fantastic, but the color is not as pretty red as in the pictures. I think I should have added much more of the food coloring. Next time I make it I’ll try to find the liquid food coloring to use, but in a pinch, maybe that would work…it worked for me!
what brand of liquid food coloring do you use? I only have the gels
I use the McCormick liquid food coloring.
Can I make this recipe without the food colouring? Can I substitute the food colouring with something else, or will it alter the recipe?
Hi Zoe, Well you could but they won’t be red, of course. If you don’t want to use food coloring, then just omit it.
I used gel paste color for this recipe tonight, and it worked out fine. I used maybe 1/2 tsp of gel color and about 2 tbsp of boiling water to make the paste. I let it cool before adding it to the batter. The cupcakes came out absolutely perfectly, and just red enough.
I am making this for my daughter’s birthday, as she is a big fan of red velvet cake. I’ve only tasted it a couple of times, and, to be honest, it doesn’t taste that much different than any other chocolate cake to me. I read somewhere a while back, that the original red velvet cake got its color through a reaction between the cocoa powder and the acid in the buttermilk & vinegar, and, as I don’t like to use food coloring when unnecessary, I mixed up the batter without it to see whether any change in color was apparent. But there was no change at all from the brown, so I was forced to resort to the food coloring. I had the liquid kind, but for any other recipe I’ve seen, it only calls for a few drops, and the little containers it comes in probably only hold a teaspoon or so, max. I used most of the container, but still only got it to a reddish-brown, and really didn’t want to use more than that. So hopefully it will taste OK, at any rate, but it’s not going to be red. Why the fuss over the red if it’s only achieved through ungodly amounts of food coloring? Or am I missing something?
I totally agree. I don’t get why a chocolate-like cake with red food coloring is so amazing. Someone please explain!
I totally agree and it’s one of the reason I have never made red velvet cake. Red food coloring? Do you know what that does to the gastrointestinal system?!!! Not good fellas. I suppose doing without it would be ok if u are not looking for red colored cupcakes.. However there’s also a different taste to them without the coloring ( due to no chemicals ) so maybe it’s a combo of the visual and chemically enhanced flavors that make it so unique.
I have given up food coloring as they are made with petroleum. I use beet juice to get the color I desire. Some ppl like it redder than I do and they use more beet juice. Doesn’t change the taste and I don’t worry about what’s in it. (Although I would prefer to use GMO-free beets, I didn’t have time today to go to the co-op.) Also, dye has a flavor. I just read that you can get flavor-free dye, but again, I prefer as natural as possible. Happy Valentine’s day!!!
Hi, I made these cupcakes and frosting and the cupcakes turned out great but the frosting is way too soft for piping. It doesn’t look anything like the frosting in your pictures. Any suggestions how I can thicken it? I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks
Did you happen to use full-fat cream cheese? Philadelphia or generic brand? Low fat and generic brands of cream cheese tender to have a higher water content, which could have made your frosting too soft.
Gorgeous cupcakes. Your frosting always looks perfect!
Those look gorgeous! I bet they taste even better. :)
Yours have such a pretty dome on top! I made RV cupcakes this weekend and, while delicious, they were very flat on top. I have to try this recipe to see if I get the perfect cuppie dome I desire! Wonderful post!
These are so gorgeous! I wanna make em’ today!
YUM! They look so moist. I also love how there’s not like, an entire bottle of food coloring in the cupcakes. I will have to try these!
I totally had the same experience with red velvet. I kept hearing about them, and was always disappointed. I made Joy the Baker’s recipe a while back and was totally converted. Glad you’re on the red velvet train now as well!
oh my – red velvet is my favorite cake ever! (It’s right up there with carrot cake…) Mmmmmmmmm
I personally admire red velvet cupcakes. I like the color of this cupcake its perfectly baked and the toppings is perfect. More presentable once with cherry on the top.
i love red velvet because they’re usually not too sweet and have the slightest hint of cocoa. i’ve tried this recipe too and it was really good!
Looks super yummy! I appreciated the mini history lesson, I was always curious about all the “red velvet hype” and where it came from. I tried a red velvet cupcake about a month ago. Tasted okay, but I wasn’t completely sold. I’ll have to try out this recipe one day! Thanks for sharing!
Did you guys try this the first time
Hi Michelle!!!.. thank you so much for this.. i have been eagerly waiting for your version of the red velvet cupcake.. well i cant wait to try this.. i had trouble the last times i tried red velvet cupcakes, they always sunk afte taken it out of the oven. But urs look perfect.. im hoping to get lucky the third time..
For cake Make sure you don’t open the oven in the First 20 minutes of baking. They will be less likely to sink. or cupcakes I leave them for 12 before opening
Third time’s the charm
These look gorgeous and I love the earthy red colour rather than the overally fake red you somtimes see. Look so tempting
Living in the South for many years gave me an appreciation for good red velvet cake! The cupcakes look beautiful.
yum, i love red velvet cupcakes! cream cheese frosting pairs SO well with them, too. yours are the perfect red color, just lovely!
What is youre website for your blog??