These red velvet cupcakes are fluffy and moist and oh so delicious with a wonderful color. The cream cheese frosting takes them to next level delicious.
These cupcakes are totally gorgeous with the most wonderful vibrantly red color.
They are also perfectly textured, light, fluffy, moist and pretty much everything you could dream of in a cupcake.
The flavor hints at vanilla, a little chocolate, and a slight tanginess from the buttermilk and these subtle flavors are complemented beautifully by the cream cheese frosting.
Love cupcakes? Check out our chocolate cupcakes and our vanilla cupcakes too. And for the cake version of these cupcakes, check out our red velvet cake. Our red velvet ice cream is also a real treat for anyone who loves red velvet!
How To Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- They are SO easy to make.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add white sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix together.
- Add homemade buttermilk, vanilla extract, egg, canola oil, white vinegar and red gel food coloring and mix into a batter (don’t overmix). Use a hand whisk briefly if needed to remove any lumps.
- Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners and divide the batter evenly between them.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the tray and leave them to cool on a wire cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Recipe Tips
The cocoa powder should be a natural unsweetened cocoa powder, something like Hersheys.
We found homemade buttermilk – 1 tablespoon of lemon juice + room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line – to create a better rise in these cupcakes than regular buttermilk.
You can use either/or but if you use regular buttermilk expect your cupcakes to be flat on top. I know this is sometimes preferred, but personally I like the little dome on top and you get that with the homemade buttermilk rather than regular.
Canola oil provides the moisture in these cupcakes, but you can also use vegetable oil.
White vinegar reacts with baking soda (so does the buttermilk) in this recipe providing rise, but it also strengthens the color. It’s a normal ingredient in red velvet recipes, and you can substitute it for apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
Red gel food coloring creates the perfect color in these cupcakes. We did not find a liquid food coloring to work as well. We used the Americolor Super Red (link in the recipe card) which works wonderfully.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cupcakes stored in a covered container in the fridge where they will last for up to 5 days. It’s not ideal to store them at room temperature because of the cream cheese frosting. Overnight is fine, but longer than that and they should go in the fridge.
They are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Biscoff Cupcakes
- Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour Measured correctly*
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder Natural, Unsweetened
- 1 cup Homemade Buttermilk or Regular Buttermilk*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tbsp White Distilled Vinegar
- 1 tsp Red Gel Food Color
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 Full Recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder and mix together.
- Prepare homemade buttermilk by adding 1 Tbsp of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it sit for a few minutes to curdle.
- Add the homemade buttermilk, vanilla extract, egg, canola oil, white vinegar and red gel food coloring and mix into a batter (don't overmix). Use a hand whisk briefly if needed to remove any lumps.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Remove from the tray and leave them to cool on a wire cooling rack.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Video
Notes
- The flour should be measured correctly either using the spoon and level method (spoon it into a cup measure and then level off the top with a knife, don’t scoop it or pack it in) or weighed on a food scale. Click ‘metric’ below our ingredients list to get the weight in grams if you prefer to weigh it.
- You can use homemade buttermilk or regular store-bought buttermilk. We did find however that regular buttermilk caused these cupcakes to be really flat on top, whereas the homemade buttermilk caused them to have a nice little domed top. We preferred the domed top, but the taste and texture is amazing either way.
- The vinegar (along with the buttermilk) reacts with the baking soda to give these cupcakes rise, but it also helps strengthen the color. You can also use apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
- Red gel food coloring is stronger than a liquid food coloring and is recommended in this recipe.
- Keep your cupcakes stored in the fridge in a covered container where they will last for up to 5 days.
- Nutritional information is for cupcakes only, the cream cheese frosting nutritional information can be found on that separate linked recipe.
Great recipe, all my family loved them, thanks!
So happy to hear that Carla! Thanks so much for the great review!
I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make these cupcakes. And they are so soft and spongey and moist. Huge hit with everyone. Thanks.
That’s my favorite thing too, they are just so easy. Thanks Beth!