Happy Valentine’s Day! Red velvet is decadent, lush, and the perfect flavor for this holiday. Whether you’re celebrating with a loved one, celebrating with Gal-entines, or celebrating yourself, these red velvet cupcakes and cream cheese frosting are sure to be a delight!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (160g)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 large eggs, room temp, separated
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 5-6 tsp Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder (8g)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar
- 2 tbsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese (1 pack)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a cupcake or muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside. If you have two pans, prepare two more spots for batter, as this recipe makes 14. If not, you can bake in batches.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and the cornstarch. Add the baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt, and whisk together to thoroughly combine.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter on high speed until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add the sugar and cream together for 2-3 minutes, or until mostly combined; it will still seem a bit dry and crumbly. Add the oil and beat for an additional 2 minutes, again scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the 2 egg yolks and the vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Next add the vinegar and the food coloring, starting with 1 tbsp of food coloring and continuing to add more until your desired color is reached. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and slowly add 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Once mostly combined, add 1/4 cup of buttermilk. Repeat this, with another 1/3 dry ingredients and 1/4 cup (all that should be left) of buttermilk. Finish by adding the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Stop mixing as soon as all the ingredients are combined, making sure not to over mix. If you do not have another mixer, transfer the batter to a medium sized bowl, set aside, and wash out the bowl of your stand mixer.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, whisk the egg whites for 1-2 minutes on high speed just until soft peaks begin to form; it should look frothy, not glossy. Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter. When done the batter should be smooth and a little shiny. Spoon ~1/4 cup of batter into the prepared cupcake liners; they should fill up 1/2-2/3 of the way up. Be careful not to over fill, as they will rise while baking. Bake the cupcakes for ~20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Make sure the cupcakes have completely cooled before frosting them, or else they can quickly melt the frosting! Pipe or spread the cream cheese frosting over the cupcakes and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until creamy and fully combined. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract, and beat until fully combined. Keep adding powdered sugar 1 tbsp at a time until your desired thickness/sweetness has been reached.
