Red Velvet Cupcakes
This bright and beautiful Southern staple has a hint of chocolate flavor that’s paired with a cream cheese frosting, keeping it from being too sweet. Part of red velvet cake’s allure is how moist it is, owing to the vegetable oil in the batter. (Oil-based cakes are often more tender than butter-based counterparts.) You can make these into even smaller cupcakes — this recipe yields twice as many mini cupcakes — just reduce the cooking time accordingly. And if you want your cake even lighter in texture, sift the flour before you mix it in.
- Total:
- Serves: 24 persons
Ingredients
- 2 ½cups/320 grams cake flour
- 1 ½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 ½cups/360 milliliters vegetable oil
- 1cup/240 milliliters buttermilk, at room temperature
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- 2tablespoons red food coloring
- 1teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2(8-ounce/225-gram) packages cream cheese, softened
- 4cups/410 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.Step 2
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. In another large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.Step 3
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined and a smooth batter is formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Step 4
Scoop batter into muffin cups until they are about three-fourths of the way full, making sure not to overfill. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the oven. Let cool completely.Step 5
As cupcakes cool, prepare the cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a large bowl and a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and butter on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through.Step 6
Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to high and mix briefly, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until fluffy.Step 7
Once cupcakes are cool, frost, using a pastry bag with a large tip, or an offset spatula.