The perfect red velvet cupcakes. These fluffy moist cupcakes frosted with white chocolate cream cheese frosting are a wonderful treat for Valentine’s or any festive occasion.
Why you will love these Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes are moist and velvety with a lovely buttery flavour and the white chocolate cream cheese frosting is luscious.
Ingredients for this recipe
Cake Flour – is lighter than all-purpose flour due to its lower protein content, creating light soft-crumbed cupcakes.Â
Cocoa Powder – a little cocoa powder gives a subtle chocolate flavour.
Baking soda – helps the cupcakes rise.
Salt – brings out all the flavours in the cupcakes.
Unsalted butter & Oil – The combination of butter guarantees you cupcakes that are buttery with a soft moist texture.
Egg –Â creates structure and stability within the batter.
Vinegar – Distilled vinegar helps the baking soda leaven the cupcakes.
Vanilla Extract – adds flavour to the cupcakes.
Red Gel Food Colouring – gives the cupcakes the deep red colour.
Buttermilk – It makes the cupcakes extremely moist. You can also make this by combining a cup of milk (250 ml) with a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.Â
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How to make Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 170 C and line your cupcake tin with 12 large cupcake liners.
- Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.Â
- In a large mixing bowl, beat room temperature butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add in vegetable oil and beat until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy, for about 3 minutes. Â
- Add egg, vanilla extract, vinegar, and red food gel. Mix well until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed, to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.Â
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk in three stages. Start and end with the flour mixture and continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. I fill mine 3/4 way full.Â
- Bake the cupcakes until the tops spring back to touch and when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.Â
Let the cupcake cool on a wire rack before piping the frosting on them.Â
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White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream
Red velvet is usually paired with cream cheese buttercream. I added some white chocolate to amp up the flavour. You will need cold cream cheese, double or whipping cream, icing sugar, white chocolate, and a pinch of salt.
Let’s talk about which chocolate to use. As the chocolate is going to be melted and added to the frosting, use one you enjoy eating. I used Callebaut couverture white chocolate which is high-quality chocolate that has been enhanced with extra cocoa butter. It tastes amazing. Â
To make the frosting, beat room-temperature butter until light and fluffy. Add sifted icing sugar, cold cream cheese, whipping or double cream, melted white chocolate and vanilla extract, then continue beating until the frosting is smooth and thick.
Tips for making these cupcakes
- I highly recommend using cake flour for this recipe. If there isn’t any available where you live, you can make your own. Measure one cup of all-purpose flour (125 grams) and remove 2 tablespoons of flour. Replace with two tablespoons of cornstarch or cornflour.
- You can make homemade buttermilk, by mixing 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar with 250 ml of whole milk (1 cup).
- The frosting can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.Â
Check out these red velvet recipes
Ingredients
- 190 grams (1 ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons) cake flour
- 200 grams ( 1 cup) caster or granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 57 grams (¼ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 120 ml ( ½ cup) vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 egg, large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon distilled vinegar
- 180 ml (¾ cup) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon red gel food colouring
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 115 grams (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 200 grams (2 cups) icing sugar sifted
- 200 grams (7 oz) cream cheese, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 50 ml  (¼ cup) whipping or double cream, cold
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) white chocolate callets or chunks, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together cake flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer beat butter and sugar together for 1-2 minutes. Add in oil and beat for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, red gel food colouring and vinegar. Mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full with batter.
- Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and place them on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and leave them to cool completely on a rack before frosting.
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Place chocolate callets or chunks in a heat-proof bowl. Melt in 30 seconds bursts in the microwave until melted. Set aside to cool.
- Beat butter until light. With the mixer on low speed slowly add icing sugar and beat until well combined. Mix in vanilla extract and salt. Add cream cheese, whipping, or double cream and melted chocolate and beat until fluffy.
- Cover and store in the fridge. It can be kept for up to 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
Assemble the Cupcakes
- Fit a piping bag with a piping tip. I used a Wilton Star Tip 1M. Fill the piping bag with cream cheese buttercream.
- Hold the piping bag over the cupcake and slowly pipe a spiral starting in the centre and working your way out,
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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