Ingredients (12 Cupcakes)
Cupcake Batter
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese (half a standard block), softened
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (1/2 stick), softened
- 2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Preheat Oven and Mix Dry Ingredients
Preheat your oven to ~350F.
Line a standard muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Sifting is important here because cocoa powder tends to clump in the bag; if you don’t break those up now, you’ll bite into bitter pockets of dry powder later.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vinegar, and vanilla until fully combined.
Add the red gel food coloring to this liquid mixture rather than the dry mix.
It is much easier to disperse the gel evenly in the liquid; if you add it later, you risk overmixing the batter just to get the color uniform.
Combine and Fill the Liners
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and stir just until the flour streaks disappear. Do not beat this batter; overworking the flour will make the cupcakes dense and tough.
Using a standard ice cream scoop or measuring cup, fill the liners about 2/3 full.
Bake at ~350F
Bake for ~20-22 minutes.
You are looking for a toothpick inserted into the center to come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Let the cupcakes sit in the hot pan for ~5 minutes to set, then transfer them to a wire rack. They must be completely cool before frosting, or the butter in the frosting will melt and slide right off.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth.
If your cream cheese is cold, it will create tiny lumps that are impossible to whip out later, so make sure it’s at room temperature.
Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt.
Turn the mixer to low and gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Once incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and whip for ~2-3 minutes until fluffy.
If you want a stiffer frosting for piping, add the remaining cup of sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.
Frost the cooled cupcakes using a knife or piping bag.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese half a standard block, softened
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 stick, softened
- 2 – 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
- Sift together cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring until combined.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just until flour streaks disappear.
- Fill liners 2/3 full using an ice cream scoop.
- Bake 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Let cupcakes cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Beat softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add vanilla and pinch of salt.
- Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar on low speed, then whip on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until fluffy.
- Add remaining cup of sugar if stiffer frosting is desired for piping.
- Frost cooled cupcakes with a knife or piping bag.
