Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe

three red velvet cupcakes frosted and topped with chocolate chips

This Red Velvet Cupcake recipe creates decadent moist, and delicious chocolate cupcakes, dyed red and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings cupcakes

Calories 205kcal

Author Liz Marino

Ingredients

1 ½ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup unsalted butter softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
⅔ cup whole milk
1.5 teaspoons red food coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by placing a paper liner into each well.
In a large mixing bowl, use high speed on an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment to cream together the sugar and butter until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Using medium speed, beat the ingredients until all are incorporated.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder to the bowl. Using low speed, mix ingredients to incorporate, just until no clumps of flour remain. *Avoid over mixing the batter.
Add the whole milk and mix again. Lastly, add the red food coloring to the bowl. Fold it in with a large spoon or mixing spatula until the food coloring is well distributed and fully incorporated into your batter.
Fill each cupcake liner to the top with batter. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding icing, if desired. Tasty options are cream cheese frosting and vanilla buttercream.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients, especially eggs, helps to incorporate them with the other ingredients. Take refrigerated ingredients out of the fridge 30 minutes before preparing this red velvet cupcake recipe.

Use paper cupcake liners - they'll protect your pan from being stained red.

Measure the flour properly. To prevent dry cupcakes, it's important not to use too much flour. Never scoop it directly into the measuring cup. The best method is to weigh it on a kitchen scale. If you don't have a scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then use a butter knife to level it.

Consider using red gel food coloring rather than liquid food coloring. Gel coloring is more concentrated than liquid, so you won't have to use as much to create a bright red color.

Nutrition