Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

These red velvet cupcakes bake up soft and moist thanks to buttermilk. They’re topped with a classic cream cheese frosting that’s smooth, rich, and easy to pipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings cupcakes

Calories 559kcal

Author Wanda Simone

Equipment

12 cup muffin tin
12 cupcake liners
measuring cups and spoons
mixer and mixing bowl
Spatula
Piping bag or spoon for adding the frosting

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup + 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
a few drops Red gel food coloring
¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk room temperature
3 Tablespoons Oil

For the frosting:

1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
1 teaspoon Vanilla
⅛ teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the cupcake liners in the cupcake pans.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a spoon or whisk.
1½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the butter is smooth.
½ cup + 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar
Mix in the eggs and the vanilla.
2 eggs, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Add in the red gel coloring and mix until combined.
a few drops Red gel food coloring
Sift in half of the dry ingredients and add in the half of the buttermilk. Mix until combined.
¾ cup + 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
Continue by sifting the rest of the dry ingredients and pour in the rest of the buttermilk. Mix again until combined.
Add in the oil and mix, scraping the bowl down as needed.
3 Tablespoons Oil
Distribute the batter evenly into cupcake papers, filling each paper about ⅔ full.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched.
Let cool for a few minutes in the pans. Then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Make the frosting

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Add the vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
1 teaspoon Vanilla, ⅛ teaspoon salt
With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing until combined after each addition.
4 cups powdered sugar
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe on top of each cooled cupcake. Or use a spoon to add a dollop of icing.

Notes

To use salted butter instead of unsalted, reduce the added salt in the cupcake batter to ⅛ teaspoon and remove the added salt from the frosting altogether.

Nutrition