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Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes

Katie

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Buttery red velvet cupcake topped with creamy cream cheese frosting. Somehow, red velvet always makes me feel fancy when I eat it, like a small window into the Southern Victorian era.

It’s such an interesting recipe, cake batter with buttermilk, a sprinkling of cocoa powder, and vinegar (yes vinegar). The vinegar is there to create a chemical reaction with the cocoa powder and buttermilk for color. Plus baking soda is mixed with the vinegar to create more lift to avoid the cake being too dense.

Nowadays we use red gel or powder food coloring to enhance that “red” velvet look, but you can also use beet juice or just let the natural color shine if you don’t care about the look. It will still taste delicious!

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Red Velvet Cupcakes

Servings 24
Author Katie

Ingredients

RED VELVET CAKE

  • 1 ¾ cups sugar
  • 2 sticks butter softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ½ cups cake flour
  • 2 ½ tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Red gel food coloring
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar

ICING

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 2 ¾ cups confectioners sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

RED VELVET CAKE

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. After light and fluffy add the eggs one at a time. Continue mixing until incorporated.
  • Add food coloring and cocoa powder to the butter mixture.
  • Sift flour and salt together (leave out baking soda for later). Starting with the flour mix, alternatively add flour and buttermilk to the cake batter while mixing. Should be well incorporated.
  • Mix in the vanilla.
  • In a separate small bowl, combine vinegar and baking soda and add it to the batter.
  • Prepare cupcake pan with liners. Fill each a little more than halfway.
  • Bake 24 – 29 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out clean.
  • Let cool on a rack.

ICING

  • Whip cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth and airy.
  • Add in sugar and vanilla. Mix until combined and silky. Taste and add up to ¼ cup more sugar if needed.
  • Pipe icing onto completely cooled cupcakes.
  • Store leftovers in refrigerator and let cake come to room temperature, 20 minutes, for best texture.