Make a batch of tender, red velvet cupcakes for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or your next celebration, all from scratch. They've got soft notes of chocolate, vanilla, and buttermilk, and are topped with silky ermine frosting.
Heather's recipe summary
Texture: Tender and moist red velvet cupcakes are topped with a velvety, less-sweet ermine frosting.
Red velvet flavor: A combination of chocolate, vanilla, butter, and tangy buttermilk.
Yield: 15 cupcakes
Make a cake instead: Red Velvet Sheet Cake
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Buttermilk - Don't have buttermilk on hand? Make a buttermilk substitute. Add 1.5 teaspoons of white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, then fill to the ½ cup line with whole milk and wait 5 minutes before adding to the recipe as directed.
- Cake flour - All-purpose flour can work as a substitute but your cupcakes will have a slightly more open, less tender crumb.
- Food coloring - Gel food coloring can be substituted with liquid food coloring at a 1:2 ratio (substitute 2 teaspoons of gel coloring with 4 teaspoons of liquid coloring).
How to make red velvet cupcakes
- Start your ermine frosting on the stovetop and cook until mixture has the consistency of sweetened condensed milk.
- Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then allow to cool to room temperature while baking your cupcakes.
- Whip butter in a large bowl, then add cooled milk mixture by the tablespoon to incorporate.
- Add vanilla and mix to combine. Frosting will look silky smooth.
- Mix butter and granulated sugar, then add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Mix remaining wet and dry ingredients separately, then slowly combine both into the butter mixture.
- Divide between 15 cupcake liners.
- Bake until the centers pop back when gently pressed, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and serve.
Heather's Top Tip
For accurate results every time, use a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method. Stir the flour (especially if it's been packed down in a bag/container), then gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the top with a knife. Scooping with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup and adds up to 25% extra to the recipe, resulting in dry, bland baked goods.
Tips and tricks
Gel food coloring is best - Gel coloring is concentrated, meaning you'll use less liquid to achieve a bold, vibrant color. Liquid food coloring contains extra liquid and works better for pastel colors, but is relatively inexpensive and easy to find.
Testing for doneness - Gently press onto the top of a cupcake with one finger. If the cupcake pops right back, it's done. If an indent is left, it needs more time.
Allow cupcakes to cool - Warm cupcakes stick to the wrappers and melt frosting. Allow them to cool to room temperature before frosting and serving.
Frequently asked questions
Red velvet is a combination of chocolate, vanilla, and butter, with a hint of tang from the buttermilk. Ermine frosting is a less-sweet vanilla frosting with a light, silky texture.
Ermine Frosting is the traditional choice for red velvet (I've included my recipe below). It's silky, smooth, and less sweet than buttercream. Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting is a modern pairing and a popular choice for red velvet. It's sweeter and tangy, but doesn't require any cooking and can be made in about 5 minutes.
I use this Wilton cupcake decorating kit (Amazon) to decorate my cupcakes. It comes with four piping tips, bags, and easy to read instructions. I also purchased this additional coupler (Amazon) to make it easy to secure the piping tips and to change out tips halfway through decorating.
Beetroot powder makes a great alternative to red food coloring. Omit the listed food coloring and instead whisk 3-4 tablespoons of beetroot powder in with the cocoa powder. Amazon: Beet Root Powder for Baking
This can be caused by humidity in your home or storing cupcakes in a sealed container while they're still warm. This can't really be fixed, but can easily be covered with frosting.
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📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups (168 g) cake flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (49 g) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons red gel food coloring
Ermine frosting
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 g) whole milk
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Cupcakes
- If making ermine frosting, I suggest starting the frosting first. While the frosting base cools, prepare the cupcakes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a cupcake pan with 15 liners and set aside.
- In a bowl, add dry ingredients: cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove any clumps. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add butter and granulated sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat to combine. Add vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, add oil, buttermilk, vinegar, and food coloring. Stir to combine.
- To your egg mixture, add half of the dry ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Add half of your buttermilk mixture and stir until just incorporated. Repeat once more to add your remaining dry and wet ingredients. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter between 15 cupcake liners. Bake for about 18-21 minutes, or until the center pops back when gently pressed. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
Ermine frosting
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in milk and continue whisking until smooth.
- Cook over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, whisking frequently, until mixture looks very thick (like sweetened condensed milk consistency). Remove from heat.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl. Press plastic wrap over the top of the mixture and up the sides of the bowl to prevent a skin from forming. Allow mixture to cool completely to room temperature, about an hour. (To speed up cooling, transfer to the refrigerator, but don't allow it to go below room temperature. Mixture will solidify and become difficult to work with.)
- Now is a good time to prepare your cupcakes.
- Once flour mixture has cooled, add room temperature butter to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer) until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add your cooled flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the whipped butter and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Continue until all of your flour mixture has been incorporated. (If your flour mixture is even a little warm it will melt the butter and ruin the frosting. Flour mixture must be room temperature, not warm, for this step).
- Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Frosting should be silky smooth with a whipped texture.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Food coloring: 2 teaspoons gel food coloring can be substituted with 4 teaspoons liquid food coloring. Food coloring can be omitted entirely for pale brown cupcakes.
- Storage: Cupcakes will keep at room temperature for about 6 hours or in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Allow cupcakes to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Frosting variations: Ermine frosting can be substituted with your favorite frosting - popular choices include cream cheese frosting and whipped buttercream frosting.
- Top tips: Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking cake, based on reader comments and questions!
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!