These are the best red velvet cupcakes you will ever have! So red, so velvet, so good.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
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blog post.
Yes, you read it right, these are the Best Red Velvet Cupcakes in the whole wide world! That's such a bold statement but it is what it is. They are so moist, so delicious, and so red. They never disappoint and the recipe is easy peasy.
These cupcakes are rich and moist. I've had dry red velvet cupcakes before and it made me so angry. Like really mad, lol. When you bite into a red velvet cupcake, it should be light and fluffy yet moist, not dense.
The other necessity for a red velvet cupcake is the cream cheese frosting. Cream cheese frosting is a must to achieve the best red velvet cupcake.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, Unsweetened cocoa powder, Baking soda, Salt
- Wet ingredients - Eggs, Granulated sugar, Buttermilk, Vegetable oil, Vanilla extract, White vinegar, Red food coloring
For the cream cheese frosting
- Cream cheese
- Butter
- Fresh lemon juice
- Powdered sugar
Expert tips
- When making cupcakes, you want to buy cupcake liners that say they are no fade.
- The cream cheese frosting will yield more frosting than you need. I'd rather have much more frosting than less frosting. I refrigerate the leftover frosting and eat it when I need a little sweetness in my life.
- I used a larger decorating tip for frosting these cupcakes. The bigger the tip, the better the frosting for your cupcake. Purchase the right size tip to ensure even and pretty frosting.
- It should also be noted that I am not the best cupcake decorator in the world. It takes skill and practice to get these looking perfect. I sprinkle the top with red sprinkles to jazz it up. It gives it a nice taste too.
- My cream cheese frosting is a bit different than the traditional ones as I like to add a hint of lemon rather than vanilla extract like most recipes call for. Why do I add lemon? I don't know, I had lemon one day and just decided why not, but the results were amazing! I have been adding it to this frosting ever since.
Looking for more cupcake/cake recipes? Try these out:
- Chai Tea Cupcakes
- Mini Carrot Rum Cakes
- Simple Pumpkin Cake Recipe
- Easy Southern Peach Cobbler
- Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe
How to store Red Velvet Cupcakes
To refrigerate: The dairy in the cream cheese frosting means the cupcakes must be stored in the refrigerator, and not on the counter-top. Once baked, cooled, and frosted, place the cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: If you plan to freeze these cupcakes, do so before adding the cream cheese frosting. Bake and cool the cupcakes, then place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or at room temperature for a couple of hours, then whip up the frosting and top the cupcakes.
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FAQs
Red velvet cake is a vanilla cake that is flavored with some cocoa powder. The red velvet comes from the red food coloring that is added to the cake batter.
No red velvet is not a chocolate cake, it is a vanilla-based cake with far less cocoa added than you would in a regular chocolate cake.
Both buttermilk and vinegar are acidic, so they balance out the sweetness and add a little tang to any cake they are added to.
If you have tried this Red Velvet Cupcake recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 1 oz bottle red food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 8 oz packs cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or grease the pan. Set aside.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until fully combined. Add vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Add flour mixture. Your batter should be a light brown color.
- Add the entire bottle of red food coloring and stir to combine, ensuring it is fully combined and very red.
- Spoon batter into the cupcake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Mix cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add lemon juice. While mixing, slowly add powdered sugar. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.
Notes
- The cream cheese frosting will yield more frosting than you need. I'd rather have much more frosting than less frosting. I refrigerate the leftover frosting and eat it when I need a little sweetness in my life.
Nutrition
Cake Recipe adapted from Southern Plate
Kristen says
How many eggs? When do you add the flour mixture? Might want to redo the instructions.
Tanya says
My apologies Kristen and I thank you so much for pointing that out. 2 eggs. Add flour mixture after combining the wet ingredients. I will update them as soon as I get to a computer. Thank you again.
April says
I just love looking at mixers mixing up batter. I'm a dork lol. These look so yummy. I'm sure your daughter loved them.
Tanya says
Lmao! I like watching it too! I guess we are both a little dorkie.