It was a long long time ago. I was probably 13 or 14 at the time; I picked up a magazine and as I browsed through it, I found a page showcasing these majestic looking red beauties with their luscious white frosting against a black background. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of them. They were beautiful and looked unfathomably delectable. (No, I’m not in LOVE with cakes! Okay, maybe a little!)
Ever since, I’ve been fixated on Red Velvet Cupcakes, always looking for them in every patisserie I enter. All of that stopped when I baked them myself for the first time. It was a couple of years ago, I was pensive to the bone about how they would turn out. As they sat on my dining table, the frosting a teeny bit too runny, I went through a series of emotions – it felt like all those years of waiting came down to my first-ever tasting of Red Velvet Cupcakes! And may I tell you, instantly they were my favorite among the entire lot of cakes and cupcakes I had tried my hand at. Even today, they remain my favorite.
Over the years I’ve baked these cupcakes for many family members and friends and there has not been a time when any one disliked them. I’ve also been asked for their recipe tons of times. So here goes.
Here’s what you need:
For the cupcakes:
- All Purpose Flour – 125 g
- Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Cocoa Powder – 1 tbsp
- Unsalted Butter – 60 g
- Sugar – 130 g
- Egg – 1
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
- Buttermilk – 120 ml
- Red Food Coloring – 1 and 1/2 tbsp
- Vinegar – 1/2 tsp
- Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream Cheese – 200g
- Icing Sugar – 100g
- Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
This is how you make them:
The Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven at 160 degrees Celsius.
- In a bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Pour the red food coloring into the buttermilk and stir well. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add in the egg and mix thoroughly.
- Add in one-third of the flour mixture into the beaten egg butter and sugar and blend.
- Then add in half of the red buttermilk and mix.
- Continue the same procedure, alternately adding in the flour mixture and red buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.
- Mix the vanilla extract into the prepared batter.
- In a small bowl, mix the vinegar and baking soda. The mixture will start bubbling and fizzing. Immediately add it to the batter and mix well.
- Line a muffin tray with paper cups and pour in the batter – fill up to about two-thirds of the volume of the cup.
- Pop the tray into the oven and bake for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
The Frosting:
- Beat the cream cheese until soft and creamy.
- Carefully sift in the icing sugar. Make sure not to over-beat as the frosting will turn out runny.
- Add in the vanilla essence and give the frosting one final mix.
- Once the cupcakes cool down, top them with the frosting. You can either pipe it on the cupcakes of spoon it over them.
- Decorate with whatever kind of edible decorations you wish to use.
These Red Velvet Cupcakes will blow your mind. The cupcake by itself is buttery with a hint of chocolate and an enveloping wholesome feeling coming from the buttermilk. The texture of the cake is Oh-soooo-velvety; melt-in-your-mouth is an understatement really! Complimenting the moist sweet cupcakes is the stark contrast of tangy, creamy and sweet cream cheese frosting that is sure to make you fall in love. These cupcakes are by far the only baked goodies that I just cannot resist. They are pure, glorious heaven! Every time I bake them, they taste better and better and better; they’re one of the few cakes I’ve never gone wrong with, and proudly so!
Everyone I’ve ever baked these cupcakes for, absolutely loves them. My best friend asks for red velvet cupcakes almost every time we talk. The cousins can’t seem to get enough of these; every time they are in town, they most definitely demand for a batch. My brother loves Red Velvet Cupcakes and so does my mom. The boyfriend can eat an entire batch all at once, and still ask for more! Back when I was in college, I regularly received order for Red Velvet Cupcakes; amazing how something so small can bring so much joy to so many tummies!
Everyone who’s ever tried them, has definitely loved them. Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are a world-wide favorite, and I would recommend you try them too! You can thank me later 😉
The Foodscape 