These Red Velvet Cupcakes are light, fluffy and delicious! Soft, fluffy Red Velvet sponge topped with a tangy but sweet cream cheese frosting. They aren’t difficult to make and make a beautiful gift!
It seems some people love Valentine’s Day. Some people hate it with a passion and refuse to have anything to do with it. And that’s fine.
Speaking for myself, I kind of sit on the fence with Valentine’s. I neither love nor hate it. It’s just another day in the calendar to me.
I’m not really a hearts and flowers kind of girl. Want to know the way to my heart? My stomach. I would take a lovingly prepared dinner over a dozen red roses or expensive jewellery any day of the week.
If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day or any other regular day in the year by dazzling the object of your affections with your awesome baking skills, then you really can’t go wrong by making a batch of red velvet cupcakes.
Fancy making a showstopping cake instead of cupcakes?
Try this gorgeous triple layer Red Velvet Cake!
These cupcakes, loosely adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson, are the best Red Velvet recipe I’ve ever tried – the vibrant red sponge is incredibly light and fluffy and the slightly tangy cream cheese icing is the perfect topping.
how to make red velvet cupcakes
Ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post
Step 1. Cream soft butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy
Step 2. Gradually add beaten eggs, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract.
Step 4. Mix plain flour, cocoa powder, salt and bicarbonate of Soda together in a medium bowl.
Step 5. Combine buttermilk, white wine or distilled white vinegar and red food colouring paste in a small jug, mixing well until the ingredients are well combined.
Step 6. Add half the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar, then add half of the red buttermilk mixture. Add the remaining ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
Step 7. Spoon this vivid batter into lined cupcake cases – this recipe will make 24 cupcakes so you might have to bake one tray at a time.
Step 8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cupcakes are well risen and spring back when lightly pressed.
Step 9. Make cream cheese icing by mixing together sieved icing sugar, soft butter, cold cream cheese, vanilla extract and lemon juice until smooth. Don’t overmix – if cream cheese icing is overbeaten, it becomes very runny.
Step 10. Ice the cupcakes with the frosting. I used a Wilton 1M icing tip. Alternatively you can spread the icing on with a small palette knife “Hummingbird Bakery” Style – either way is good!
storing red velvet cupcakes
Red velvet cupcakes should be kept in the fridge (because of the cream cheese frosting). They are best eaten within two days of baking.
can they be frozen?
The sponges? Absolutely. However, I wouldn’t recommend freezing them with the cream cheese icing. Store the cold, undecorated cakes in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to three months. Defrost the cakes at room temperature before icing.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Soft, fluffy Red Velvet sponge and topped with a tangy but sweet cream cheese frosting, these Red Velvet Cupcakes are a taste of heaven!
Ingredients
- 250g plain flour
- 2 x 15ml tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Fine Salt
- 100g soft unsalted butter
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 x heaped 15ml Tablespoon red paste food colouring (I use Sugarflair food colouring paste "Christmas Red")
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 175ml buttermilk
- 1 Teaspoon white wine or distiiled white vinegar
- CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- 500g icing sugar, sifted
- 125g Full Fat Fridge Cold cream cheese
- 125g very soft unsalted butter
- 1 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 Teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/350F and line the muffin tins with cupcake cases.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is very light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Mix the buttermilk, vinegar and red colour paste togther in a jug until smooth. Add half the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar, then add half of the red buttermilk mixture. Repeat this process until you have a smooth batter.
- Divide this brilliant red batter between the cupcake cases, filling them two thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until they are risen and spring back when lightly pressed. Leave in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the soft butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and lemon juice. using a electric hand whisk, beat the mixture until it is smooth, but don't overbeat or the icing could become runny.
- When the cupcakes are completely cold, decorate with the icing. I used a Wilton 1M icing tip to create a "rose" effect.
Notes
Because the icing on these cupcakes contains cream cheese, the cupcakes should be stored in the fridge. They will keep for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 254Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 105mgCarbohydrates: 38gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 29gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 2g
I’m with you, a bit ambivalent, but happy to have the excuse to enjoy some nice food with my beloved. I’ve never tried red velvet anything, but these fit the bill for the day, and a plus that your whole family enjoy them!
I’ve never used lemon juice in cream cheese icing – I’ll use it next time to taste the difference. Thanks!
It cuts the sweetness a little, definitely makes a difference 🙂
They are perfect for Valentines. My boys are always amazed at the colour! Thanks for visiting 🙂
Oh my gosh, I love this recipe – who can’t love valentines day if you get the chance to eat this 😀
Cheers
CCU
Perfect and tasty for Valentine’s Day!
Absolutely 😉
Thanks Chop chip uru 🙂
Today for the first time im going to attempt to make red velvet cupcakes, : )was shopping yesterday making sure I had all ingredients , of which I have no idea how I managed to missed it out but I don’t have any bicarbonate of soda!! so looks like I will be going out this morning to get it. I do not have cider vinegar but saw that can use lemon juice, which I have : ) will post again tomorrow to let you know what my chief cake testers think. : )
Hope they turn out well! 🙂
Well just to let you know although I thought my red velvet cupcakes were a disaster, they couldn’t have been that bad when my cake box is empty! Kids loved them fiance said they were ok but still had far more than the one he said he was having :), so not such a disaster after all, just one thing I must remember not to do – that is to never trust my taste buds again 🙂
Hi Nikki 🙂 I think I will just have to play around with the recipe, but yes you could say they were a success, thinking of doing my next batch very shortly, thank you will look around for some different versions of the recipe,:)