posted by Liz Berg

on November 2, 2021 (updated 2/21/23)

This quintessential Crimson Velvet Cupcakes recipe with buttermilk and a splash of vinegar will rock your world. Moist and flavorful, they’re topped with a dazzling swirl of cream cheese frosting.

This recipe also makes an unparalleled layer cake. Scroll down ought to which that you simply can perchance enjoy directions for making this a exhibit-stopping three-layer cake. When you’re keen on Crimson Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, right here is the recipe for you!

Crimson Velvet Cupcakes on a Juliska pink and white tray. Crimson Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cupcakes1 2 1

Why You Have to Make

Whereas I turned into as soon as out sipping cocktails with about a of my “limoncello” girlfriends, they requested one other cooking date. Making Crimson Velvet Cupcakes turned into as soon as the unanimous desire. I’d made these sooner than with mascarpone icing, however decided to head forward with the extra former cream cheese frosting. When you also can score beyond the three bottles of pink meals coloring in the cake components, I maintain you’ll enjoy these!!

Here’s the most intriguing pink velvet cupcake recipe you’ll ever affect!
These cupcakes are big moist and tender!
Crimson Velvet pairs fantastically with cream cheese frosting. This frosting is dazzling, too!

Ingredient Notes

Kitchen Staples – Desk Salt, Sugar, White Vinegar, Baking Soda
Cake Flour – With a decrease gluten than All-Perform Flour, it makes for a tender crumb.
Unsweetened Cocoa – not Dutch-processed. The type of cocoa you make convey of is dependent upon baking chemistry.
Canola oil – Makes for a moist cake.
Eggs – Possess them at room temperature for more straightforward incorporation.
Crimson Meals Coloring – You may maybe perchance presumably presumably also convey meals coloring gel, however which that you simply can perchance want considerable much less. Plus, which that you simply can perchance ought to substitute the liquid the same of the coloring with water.
Vanilla – Real vanilla extract, never imitation.
Buttermilk – You may maybe perchance presumably presumably also affect your maintain in a pinch. Peek be taught the approach to entire this in the recipe guidelines under.
Cream cheese – This recipe calls for chilly cream cheese to affect the frosting.
Butter – At room temperature for uncomplicated blending.
Powdered Sugar – Make certain to sift for the smoothest frosting.

Crimson Velvet Cupcakes on a square white plate with a pink handled fork. Crimson Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cupcakes 7 2 1 1 1

Instructions for Making a 3-Layer Cake:

Here’s the the same recipe I convey to affect a Crimson Velvet Layer Cake. All you would like to entire is grease three 9-toddle cake pans with butter and line the bottoms with parchment. Mix batter as directed, then divide the batter between the 3 pans.

Bake for 40-forty five minutes or unless a cake tester comes out natty. Let cool for about 10-20 minutes, then recall from pan and peel off parchment. Frigid entirely sooner than icing. You’ll enjoy this recipe as cupcakes OR a layer cake!

Recipe Pointers

There are about a uncomplicated guidelines that can support you affect ideal cupcakes. As with all recipes, be taught by the directions a time or two sooner than starting so you be definite which that you simply can perchance even get your entire components on hand and quandary the time frame of organising the dish.

PRO-Tip: Search out pink meals coloring in come, specifically round Christmas or Valentine’s Day. You’ll want THREE 1-ounce bottles.
Possess your components at room temperature. This implies getting the eggs, etc., out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours sooner than you commence the recipe.
When you disregard, which that you simply can perchance constantly build your eggs in a bowl of very warmth, not boiling water to flee alongside the job.
PRO-Tip: When you don’t get buttermilk, which that you simply can perchance affect a substitute at home! True desire a 1-cup liquid measuring cup and add 1 tablespoon of both white vinegar or lemon juice. Then bear the cup with milk to the 1 cup tag. Budge and let relaxation for about 5 minutes. This may maybe maybe perchance curdle a miniature bit and work successfully in any recipe calling for buttermilk.
PRO-Tip: Enact not over-mix the batter. This may maybe maybe perchance real back extra gluten formation which is ready to affect for a much less tender cupcake.
Scoop out even quantities of batter into your cupcake tin by utilizing a 1/4 cup scoop. This may maybe maybe perchance affect definite each and each are carried out baking on the the same time.
All ovens bake otherwise so commence checking your cupcakes a minute or two sooner than the timer goes off. I convey each and each the toothpick and finger tap ability to test.
Insert a toothpick into the center of 1 or extra cupcakes, if it comes out natty or with about a moist crumbs, your cupcakes are carried out. If there’s batter for your toothpick, bake for a couple extra minutes and recheck.
To test a cupcake alongside with your finger, gently press your index finger on the dwell of the cupcake. If it leaves an indentation, your cupcakes want beyond regular time in the oven. If the indentation bounces real back up, the cupcakes are carried out.
Let your cupcakes cool for 10-Quarter-hour in the tins sooner than doing away with them to a wire rack to abet out cooling. This time will allow the perimeters of the cupcakes to firm up a miniature bit.
Wait unless the cupcakes are cool to frost. But which that you simply can perchance desire the cream cheese and butter out of the refrigerator sooner than time to allow them to melt.
PRO-Tip: Situation your baked cupcakes into a 2nd paper cupcake wrapper (a ornamental one is even better!) to abet. The principle wrapper often has some oil seep by all by baking and isn’t very vivid.

Rave Opinions—even from the dog!

I’ve updated this extinct put up with some fresh photos however needed to recede in the portray with candy Lambeau, our first labrador retriever. She turned into as soon as a factual crumb remover and loved after I baked. Besides getting flour in every single build myself, there turned into as soon as often a dusting on the ground which she turned into as soon as overjoyed to natty up.

Crimson velvet cupcakes are a favourite of my daughter, as very successfully to attach chocolate truffles will not be her thing. The choosy hubby, a self-proclaimed chocoholic, will indubitably exhaust his comely fragment however would recall a successfully to attach, black chocolate cupcake.

My mother-in-regulations is staying with us for a couple of weeks. She’s a warmth, comely 90-pound Irish girl who’s barely 5 toes big. She acknowledged these pink velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting brought back recollections of the tender cupcakes her mother former to affect. Not one to snack, she ate her comely fragment of these gems! You’ll enjoy them, too!

Crimson Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting coming out of the oven. Crimson Velvet Cake Red Velvet Cupcakes

Continuously Asked Questions

What’s the Distinction Between a Crimson Velvet Cake and a Chocolate Cake?

You may maybe maybe perchance wonder if pink velvet is a variation of chocolate cake. My husband may maybe maybe perchance presumably without considerations reply this question, not ample chocolate! Though, black in look, pink velvet entirely has about a tablespoons of cocoa powder to darken and deepen the pink velvet color versus giving it a chocolate taste.

There’s also some vinegar added to the batter which interacts with the cocoa and buttermilk to work some magic baking chemistry. This trio of components brings out the pink anthcyathin in cocoa powder, thus bettering the pink color.

So ought to you’re waiting for a chop of pink velvet cake or a pink velvet cupcake to taste enjoy chocolate cake, you’ll be sorely disappointed. There is a extraordinarily light hint of chocolate from the cocoa powder, however that’s about it. But ought to you enjoy a moist tender cake, you’ll be an instantaneous fan!

What Makes Crimson Velvet Crimson?

For many widespread recipes, the pink in pink velvet comes from pink meals coloring. There is a chemical reaction between the cocoa powder and buttermilk that also contributes as said above.

Can This Cupcake Recipe Be Transformed to a Cake Recipe?

Yes! You’re in success because the inspiration for this recipe turned into as soon as a 3 layer pink velvet cake. Major aspects are listed above, however you’ll bake 3 9-toddle cake layers for 40-forty five minutes.

Why Enact You Need Buttermilk in a Crimson Velvet Recipe?

As mentioned above, the acid in the buttermilk reacts with the cocoa powder to supply a pink tint to the batter. But buttermilk also tenderizes the cake since the acid also inhibits gluten formation making for a softer texture!

You Would possibly presumably presumably perchance goal Also Be pleased:

Listed below are about a extra tasty cupcake and pink velvet recipes.

Vanilla Buttercream Topped Cocoa Cupcakes,
Cocoa Cupcakes with Ganache Filling
Holly Topped White Cupcakes.
Crimson Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting
Crimson Velvet Checkerboard Cake
Crimson Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Plus, which that you simply can perchance ought to take a look at out all my Only Dessert Recipes

End concerned by social media @ Instagram, Fb, and Pinterest. Don’t disregard to tag me ought to you are trying one in all my recipes! And ought to you enjoy the results, please give it a 5-well-known person rating in the recipe card.

Substances

Cupcakes:

3 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (not Dutch processed)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups canola oil
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 oz. pink meals coloring
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

Frosting:

16 oz. cream cheese, chilly
12 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º. Assign paper liners in three 12-rely muffin tins.
High-tail flour, cocoa, and salt together in a bowl. Location aside.
Beat oil and sugar in an electric mixer on medium till successfully blended.
Beat in eggs, one after the other. Lower the mixer speed to low (you fabricate not desire any splashing!), and fastidiously add the pink meals coloring.
Add vanilla, then alternate flour with buttermilk, starting with half of the flour, then half of the buttermilk, the comfort of the flour, then ending with buttermilk.
Predicament down the bowl, then mix real in quick till blended.
Situation baking soda and vinegar in a dish and streak to mix. This may maybe maybe perchance bubble and affect bigger. Add to batter with mixer working. Beat for real 10 seconds.
Absorb cupcake liners ⅔ burly and bake for 25-Half-hour or unless a toothpick comes out natty. Let cool a miniature bit, then recall from the pans. Frigid entirely sooner than frosting.
For the frosting, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla real till blended. Add powdered sugar slowly (2 cups at a time) and beat till the frosting is gentle and on the true consistency. You may maybe perchance presumably presumably also gain you recall extra or much less powdered sugar than called for.
Pipe frosting on cupcakes with a 1M tip if desired. Makes 4 cups.

Notes

Recipe tailored from Confetti Cakes.

Nutrition Recordsdata:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cupcake

Quantity Per Serving:

Energy: 368Total Stout: 21gSaturated Stout: 6gTrans Stout: 0gUnsaturated Stout: 14gLdl cholesterol: 39mgSodium: 251mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 0gSugar: 31gProtein: 3g

Display: This put up may maybe maybe perchance possess affiliate links; understanding my Disclosure Protection for little print. I construct a little percentage from any gather you affect by clicking on these links at no extra cost to you.