These Red Velvet Cupcakes are soft, light, moist, and topped with an easy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for any occasion!
One of the most requested recipes I’ve had in the last couple of months has been for red velvet cupcakes. I love red velvet but it’s such a unique flavor and can be a little hard to get just right.
I spent a while testing different variations when it came to these cupcakes, from using just butter to just oil and also a combination of the two. I think it’s safe to say that more cupcakes went through my kitchen than I care to admit, but I finally landed on the perfect recipe.
These cupcakes are buttery, moist, soft, and taste just like a classic red velvet cupcake. I topped these cupcakes with a simple cream cheese frosting, but I’ve included some notes for a couple other options you can try too!
How To Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
You’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients:
- Cake flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which helps create a lighter and softer cake. If you don’t have any cake flour on hand, I’ve included a note in the recipe for how to make your own. I do find that actual cake flour works best to create a soft cupcake, my favorite brand is Pillsbury Softasilk.
- Cocoa Powder: You’ll only be using 2 tablespoons of unsweetened natural cocoa powder in this recipe. It provides a little chocolate flavor, but it’s not too overpowering.
- Baking Soda + Salt: To help the cupcakes rise and for flavor!
Then you’ll mix up your wet ingredients:
- Butter + Sugar: I use unsalted butter and granulated sugar in this recipe. It’s important to cream together the butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes. This will incorporate more air into your cake batter and create a lighter cupcake.
- Egg + Vanilla Extract: You’ll be using one large egg and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extra. A room temperature egg is best, so just be sure to set it out ahead of time with your other ingredients.
- Distilled White Vinegar + Red Food Coloring: A little vinegar helps the cupcakes rise and enhances the color of the red cupcakes. I used liquid food coloring for these cupcakes.
- Oil: Wait, what?! I found that the cupcakes made with just butter were too dry and the cupcakes made with just oil were a little bland. The solution? I used a combination of butter and oil to give the cupcakes a buttery taste and keep them moist (just like my lemon blueberry bundt cake!).
- Buttermilk: It’s best to set the buttermilk out ahead of time to come to room temperature. Instead of mixing all of the buttermilk directly in with the rest of the wet ingredients, you’ll alternate mixing it in with the dry ingredients.
Once you’ve mixed up the cupcake batter, you’ll divide it evenly between 16 cupcake liners in muffin pans and bake them. Make sure you don’t overfill the cupcake liners, otherwise the cupcakes will overflow. I only fill my liners about halfway full, it won’t seem like much but the batter rises quite a bit in the oven.
I used my homemade cream cheese frosting for this recipe because it pairs perfectly with red velvet. If you’re looking for a different kind of frosting, my homemade vanilla buttercream or even chocolate buttercream would be delicious on these cupcakes too.
For the frosting, I used my Wilton 1M piping tip. I absolutely LOVE that piping tip and use it all of the time. You can use it to frost a tall swirl (like in these pictures) or make a simple rose design. I have a full tutorial for how to frost cupcakes here, super easy too!
Baking Tips For Red Velvet Cupcakes
- When measuring your cake flour, avoid scooping it from the container with your measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour around, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Once you’ve whisked together the dry ingredients, I suggest sifting them. This will ensure that there are no lumps of cocoa powder in your cupcakes.
- Only fill your cupcake liners about halfway full. It won’t seem like much, but the batter will rise quite a bit as the cupcakes bake in the oven.
- You should be able to get about 16-17 cupcakes with this recipe. You can crumble up one of the extra cupcakes and sprinkle it on top of the frosting for a little extra decoration!
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the red velvet cupcakes:
- 1 and 1/3 cups (145 grams) cake flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 tablespoons (10 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) oil canola or vegetable work well
- 1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk room temperature
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the red velvet cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two standard 12-count muffin pans with 16 cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Then sift the dry ingredients to remove any lumps of cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 4-5 minutes. Add the egg and mix until fully combined, then mix in the oil, red food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Make sure to mix each addition until just combined and be careful not to over mix the batter.
- Evenly distribute the batter between all 16 cupcake liners in the prepared muffin pans, only filling each one about halfway full.
- Bake in separate batches at 350°F (177°C) for 15-18 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and mix for about 30 seconds-1 minute until well combined and smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue mixing until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting on top.
Hello,
I am seeking guidance here. I tried these cup cakes. I had no cake flour so I made use of notes and made one by taking out 3 tbsp and adding 3 tbspof corn starch to it. My cup cakes raise well but while baking and inside oven only they sunk from middle. What could be the possible reason? I did you the oven thermometer as I am aware that temperature do vary. They tasted fine but out of shape. Please do reply.
Did the cupcakes sink in the center once they were finished baking?
Got the same problem too 😔 i followed the instructions carefully but still end up like her.
Did they sink quite a bit? It’s hard to say what happened, but over mixing the batter or slightly underbaking the cupcakes could cause them to sink.
Followed this recipe exactly but the cupcakes stuck to the papers so you only got about half of the cupcake can you please let me know why? They tasted great but was a mess getting them out of the papers
Sorry to hear that, Beth. I haven’t had any issues with these cupcakes sticking to the liners. Did you use regular paper liners or something different?
Regular paper liners
Did you let them cool completely first? If they’re still warm that can cause them to stick more to the liners. If you did let them cool, you could either spray your liners with a little cooking spray or try nonstick liners that are made from something like parchment paper next time you make them. I believe you can also add a baking dish with some water on the bottom rack of your oven while the cupcakes are baking and the moisture will help with that too. Hope that helps!
I just finished making these cupcakes, their to die for!! I got 12 cupcakes and with the extra batter, I put it in a heart shaped pan, and added a boxed white cake mix prepared as directed on the box. It’s delicious and needs no icing!! Next time I’ll put the white cake mix in first and maybe marble the remaining?! Yum!
Thank you,
Vicki Hetrick
So glad the cupcakes turned out great for you, Vicki!
Just made them for my daughter’s boyfriend. They came out perfect and they are devouring them now. I did not have any vinegar, curious how that would have changed them.
Glad the cupcakes turned out great for you, Linda! The vinegar helps to enhance the red color in the cupcakes.
Superb.baked great.i tried really yummy.
how is 1 and 1/3 cups 145g? my scale says 170g. I made these 3 x times (stupidly) .. the first in cups.. the second and third in grams.. before I realised the flour weight is incorrect.. very frustrating..
Are you using all-purpose flour or cake flour? 1 cup of cake flour that is spooned into the measuring cup and leveled off with a knife is 110g so 1 and 1/3 cup is about 145g. 1 cup of all-purpose flour is 125g per cup. The gram measurement in the recipe is correct for cake flour.
Hi! I just made these cupcakes, they taste pretty good, but I also had the sinking problem. After reading the comments, I was very careful not to over mix the batter. Maybe I filled the molds too much?
Anywho, crumbled the cakes and will layer the crumble with baileys whipped cream- so no real harm done. I’d like to try the cupcakes again, I’ll buy new baking soda to make sure that wasn’t the problem… any other suggestions to make sure they don’t deflate?
So sorry to hear that, McKenzie. Did you use the cake flour substitute or regular cake flour? Did you make 15-16 cupcakes or did you make less? Did you happen to open the oven doors? And did you make sure to beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes? You can also test your baking soda to see if it’s fresh by adding some to something acidic (like lemon juice or vinegar) and it should bubble.
Can you make a stacked cake with this recipe?
This recipe would only be enough for a single layer. You can use this recipe for a layered cake: https://www.livewellbakeoften.com/the-best-red-velvet-cake/.
Made them today!
Delicious. However the frosting did not turn the way I expected… was so liquid!
Any tips how to make it less runny?
Hi, Georgina! Did you use a block of cream cheese or did you happen to use cream cheese spread? If you use a cream cheese spread, the frosting can turn out runny.
Can I use gel food coloring to make these cupcakes? If I can, is there a special way to do it?
Yes, that would be fine but you’ll want to reduce the amount. I usually just use a toothpick and dip it in the gel food coloring, then add it to the batter.
I’ve made these twice now, the first time I had to compromise with a few of the ingredients because I didn’t have it all in my cupboard but they came out tasting amazing! But a little flat, so I just made the recipe again and followed it to the letter and these are incredible, my go to cupcake recipe from now on for sure.
If you use cream cheese spread like I did the icing will not be as stiff as it is intended and you wont get the nice stiff frosting but its really tough finding the proper stuff where I am, and the frosting came out tasting amazing anyway, I added a bit more cream cheese spread than the recipe called for to compensate since its less dense than the good stuff.
Thank you Danielle!
So glad you liked the cupcakes, Abigail! You can also use a regular buttercream frosting too, I linked to one in the post. Glad you were able to make the frosting work with the spread though!
I made the cupcakes yesterday and they are amazing!!! I am so happy I baked it!! The only thing didn’t work is the frosting, it’s so liquid and too much sweet but anyways is delicious
Hi, Clara! Did you use a block of cream cheese? If you happened to use cream cheese spread in a tub, that can cause the frosting to be runny.
I made the recipe exactly what it says, but my frosting just fell down when I put it on the cupcake already cold. I don’t know what happened.
Did you happen to use cream cheese spread instead of the packages/blocks of cream cheese? If so, that can cause the frosting to be runny.
Can you swap out oil canola or vegetable for sunflower oil?
As long as it has a neutral flavor, that should be fine.
Can I triple this recipe and if so do I need to do anything other than triple the ingredients?
I’ve double it and it worked just fine. It will probably be okay, but it will make a lot of batter so you’ll want to be careful not to over mix it.
Do you have you use cake flour? I have some but I’m just hesitant to use it because every time I do my cupcakes come out dense.
I highly recommend it because it will make the cupcakes lighter and taller. As long as you’re spooning & leveling the cake flour, they should not turn out dense.
Hey what is the substitute for eggs in this cupcake….?????
You may be able to use a flax egg, but I haven’t tried it.
Thank you, Danielle, for a terrific recipe! My son really liked them, and that frosting rocks!!
Thank you, Stacy! So happy to hear that!
Hi Danielle,
I made these cupcakes on Friday for my cousin’s birthday party. I have a few comments. First off, they’re are quite delicious! However, as an adult, I would have preferred something with a heartier bite… a little more dense. But that’s just me. My cousin loved them and that’s all that matters. She bakes as well so I was quite nervous when she asked me to me make the cupcakes and I didn’t know how this recipe would turn out. Second, I too had an issue with the measurement of the flour. I scooped it in the measuring cup, just like you said, and I also weighed it, twice. Got two different weights each time. I bake enough to know that a few ounces of flour extra wouldn’t really matter. I wouldn’t say my cupcakes sank in the middle but they didn’t really rise. Next time, I will just add more batter. Because it was hot and humid last week, in order to achieve the quantity of cream cheese taste my cousin wanted, I cored the middle and filled them with a cream cheese filling. I was only able to use a little cream cheese in a butter cream frosting to pipe the frosting because it would have melted had I use too much. My biggest compliment is that this will be my go to recipe for red velvet cupcakes. Not only did my cousin love the cupcakes, but one of the kids ate four (4) and they were the first ones to go. They were that good! Thank you
When you say you got two different measurements, was it quite a bit different? If it’s a few grams, that’s normal and won’t affect the recipe too much. Did you use cake flour for the cupcakes too? That helps them rise taller and properly, but you can certainly use more batter too. I’m glad everyone enjoyed the cupcakes though!
Hi Danielle, I don’t have distilled white vinegar. Is there anything I could use to substitute it?
Thank you!
Do you have another type of vinegar? You could probably use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Noted, thank you! I used lemon juice instead, in a 1:1 ratio and it turned out really great!
I have tried many red velvet recipes and I am so happy I have finally found my go to recipe, thank you!!
I’m addicted to these cupcakes and bake them A LOT!!! They’re my favorite of all time! Thank you SO much for the recipe!
Sunny greetings from Germany!
I’m a prolific baker but have never baked red velvet cupcakes before. My husband said “I think these may be the best cupcakes you’ve made yet”….. a high compliment indeed. I especially appreciate the detail in instructions that make a big difference that not all bakers will know (paddle attachment, don’t over mix, temperature of ingredients) and your extra efforts in experimenting with your ingredients. For those having a sinking issue, over mixing or too soft butter (softened in microwave) could be areas to troubleshoot. Thank you for a great recipe and my new favorite baker to borrow from.
So glad the cupcakes turned out great for you!
I dud nit have cake flour so I substituted and added the cornstarch etc.
I did not overbeat
BUT they sank slightly in center
I will fill now to address that but i was disappointed
My guess: “cake flour” is needed and subbing doesnt really work.
Sorry to hear that, Denise. I find that the cake flour substitute usually works fine in recipes. There are other factors that can cause sinking. Did you happen to open the oven door at all and were they fully baked when you removed them from the oven? Also, if your baking soda isn’t fresh that could cause them to sink too. A little frosting on top should cover up the sinking in the center.