Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are perfect for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and any day that needs a little sweetness! Made with full fat buttermilk, pure vanilla extract, and unsweetened cocoa powder, these homemade cupcakes are ultra moist and buttery with a hint of cocoa. Ditch the box cake mix and make these instead. Ready in under an hour!

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Made with pantry staples, these Southern-style cupcakes are so simple to bake from scratch. Mix up the batter in just 10 minutes and you’re ready to bake! While the cupcakes cool, whip up the sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting.

I like to pipe them high with swirls of frosting, or take a more laid back approach and use a small spatula or knife to spread the frosting generously over the top. If you’re feeling festive, decorate the cupcakes with red velvet crumbs or your favorite sprinkles. These are a classic for any celebration!

Craving more red velvet desserts? Try my red velvet bundt cake with cream cheese glaze or popular red velvet crinkle cookies next!

Success Tips

Room Temperature Ingredients – Bring butter, eggs and egg yolk, and buttermilk to room temperature before beginning to ensure that they mix together uniformly and incorporate evenly into the batter.

Bake Cupcakes – Bake cupcakes for 17 to 18 minutes, until tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pans on wire racks for 2 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting – Use full fat cream cheese and unsalted butter at cool room temperature (finger leaves an indentation; slightly cool to the touch). Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the mixer bowl as needed. Add vanilla and salt. Gradually mix in sifted powdered sugar on low speed until smooth. If frosting is too soft to use immediately, chill for 15 to 20 minutes before piping.

Decorate Cupcakes – Transfer cream cheese frosting to a large piping bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe a swirl onto each cupcake. Top cupcakes with red velvet crumbs (crumble up one of the extra cupcakes) or your favorite sprinkles and enjoy!

Simple Red Velvet Cupcakes From Scratch

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• Author: Laura Kasavan
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Total Time: 58 minutes
• Yield: 16 cupcakes
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Perfect red velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting! Made with full fat buttermilk, pure vanilla extract, and unsweetened cocoa powder, these homemade cupcakes are ultra moist and buttery with a hint of cocoa.

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Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

Frosting

• 8 oz full fat cream cheese, cool room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two 12-cup standard muffin pans with cupcake liners.
2. Make cupcakes: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat brown sugar and butter in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until soft and creamy; mix in oil. Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time and beat until combined. Mix in vanilla extract. Beat in white vinegar and red gel coloring on low speed until combined. With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk (begin and end with flour mixture).
3. Use a medium cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to fill each baking cup 2/3 full of batter.
4. Bake cupcakes for 17 to 18 minutes, until tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in pans on wire racks for 2 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
5. Make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla and salt. Reduce speed to low; add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and beat well, scraping down bowl as needed. If frosting is too soft to use immediately, chill for 15 to 20 minutes before piping.
6. Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with an open star piping tip (Wilton 8B) and frost cupcakes. If desired, top with red velvet cupcake crumbs. Chill cupcakes 20 minutes before serving.
7. Store leftover cupcakes covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Equipment

Muffin Pan

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Stand Mixer

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Notes

Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own buttermilk substitute: Combine 3/4 cup room temperature milk with 3/4 teaspoon of white vinegar. Stir to combine, then let stand for 10 minutes before using.