Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
User Reviews
4.6
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Description
The Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting start with a batter mixing egg, sugar, buttermilk, oil, Greek yogurt, and vanilla for moisture and subtle tang. Flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and optional salt are gently folded in to keep the crumb tender and light. Red food coloring is added carefully to achieve a deep red hue without affecting taste. The cupcakes are portioned into lined muffin cups and baked until domed and springy to the touch, indicating doneness.
The vanilla cream cheese frosting is made from softened cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar, whisked until smooth and fluffy. The frosting is spread over cooled cupcakes, providing a creamy, lightly tangy contrast to the mildly chocolate-flavored cake. Optional sanding sugar or sprinkles can be added as garnish for texture and visual appeal.
These cupcakes keep well at room temperature for up to three days, and the frosting can be refrigerated airtight for up to one month. Storing frosted cupcakes in the fridge is possible but may dry out the cake faster.
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup buttermilk or Powdered Buttermilk, use 2 1/2 tablespoons + 2/3 cup water
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt plain Greek yogurt or sour cream may be substituted, vanilla flavor
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder natural
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt optional and to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons red food coloring or as needed
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup cream cheese softened (I used Trader Joe’s soft spreadable light)
- 2 tablespoons butter softened, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar or as necessary
- cream only if necessary, or milk, splash
- sanding sugar optional for garnishing, or sprinkles
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside. You will likely have batter for a 13th or 14th cupcake, and I baked it in this cooking-sprayed mini loaf pan because my oven is small and that setup works; discard extra batter if that’s easier.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first 6 ingredients, through vanilla, until smooth.
- Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, optional salt, and whisk until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Carefully whisk in the food coloring, making sure to add only as much as necessary to color the batter a deep shade of red; adding more than necessary can leave an aftertaste.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they’re solidly 3/4-full. I poured the excess batter into a mini loaf pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter; don’t overbake. My cupcakes were on the large side of normal because I generously filled liners to 3/4-full, and they took exactly 20 minutes. If yours are filled more shallow, start checking at 18 minutes.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing. I baked the mini loaf for 20 minutes. While cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Continue adding sugar until desired frosting consistency is reached. If you add too much sugar and need to thin frosting out, add a splash of cream. Because I used light cream cheese, the frosting stayed on the runnier side. If you want frosting thick enough to pipe, do not use light cream cheese.
- Add 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting to the top of each cupcake and smooth with a knife. Optionally transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I like the Wilton 1M tip for cupcakes.
- Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a sprinkle of sanding sugar or pinch of sprinkles.
Notes
- Frosting leftover can be kept airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
- Cupcakes store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerating frosted cupcakes is an option but may dry out the cake more quickly.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 14servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 340 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 340kcal | 17% |
| Carbohydrates | 48g | 16% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Trans Fat | 0.1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 78mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 123mg | 5% |
| Potassium | 86mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 37g | 74% |
| Vitamin A | 271IU | 5% |
| Calcium | 35mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
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