Valentine’s Day and classic red velvet cupcakes – a match made in heaven? There’s something about the red and the white that is perfect for celebrating this most loving of occasions. If you’re not into Valentine’s Day, why not celebrate Galentine’s Day by whipping up a batch of these easy red velvet cupcakes? They’re rich, soft, and just a little bit decadent, with a hint of cocoa that pairs perfectly with the tangy cream cheese frosting. And the best part? They’re easier to make than you’d think, but they taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. Perfect for impressing without the stress!
This recipe makes 15 deep-filled cupcakes but you can make 18 if you fill the cases slightly less full. I like to make a big cupcake!
Red Velvet Cupcakes Without Buttermilk
A classic red velvet cupcake recipe calls for buttermilk, but you can make these red velvet cupcakes without buttermilk – simply use milk with some lemon juice added to it! I never have buttermilk in and this substitute works really well.
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How to Make Classic Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes are so easy to make! Here’s how to make them:
- Preheat the oven to 170 ºC (325ºF).
- Prepare your cupcake wrappers in the baking tin(s).
- Make your buttermilk (if required). Add the milk to a jug and then add half a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Allow it to stand for at least 5 minutes before using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy. If you don’t have a stand mixer you could use a handheld mixer.
- Crack the eggs into a separate cup or jug and add them to the bowl, one at a time. Make sure the eggs are well mixed in.
- Add the vanilla extract, food colouring and cocoa powder.
- Add half of the flour to the bowl and incorporate well, and then half of the buttermilk and mix well. Add the vinegar.
- Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk and make sure it’s all mixed in, but take care not to overmix or your cupcakes will become tough.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture into the cupcake cases. This recipe will give you 15 deep-filled red velvet cupcakes but you could get up to 18 if you filled the cases a little bit less.
- Put the cupcake tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Our cupcakes needed 25 minutes as they were quite deep.
- When firm to the touch and you can insert a toothpick into the cupcakes and it comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. Allow to cool in the tin slightly, before taking them out and putting them on a wire rack to cool completely before you decorate (or the frosting will melt into the cupcakes and make a right mess).
- In the bowl of a freestanding mixer, sift the icing sugar and add the butter. Beat until well combined. You might want to cover your mixer with a tea towel if it doesn’t have a lid to stop it throwing icing sugar all over!
- Stir in the cream cheese. Beat for about 5 minutes on medium-high speed until the frosting is nice, light and smooth. Be careful not to overmix or the frosting could split and go runny.
- Put the Jem 2D piping nozzle in a piping bag, and snip off the end. Fill the piping bag with cream cheese frosting.
- Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. I like to imagine the cupcake is a clock face. Starting in the middle, I pipe from the centre down to 6 o’clock and then round anticlockwise, working my way into the centre of the cupcake with a spiral.
- Add sprinkles, and voila! The easiest Valentine’s Day cupcakes ever are finished.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the red velvet cupcakes
- 120 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 300 grams caster sugar
- 15 millilitres red food colouring (Rainbow Dust Pro Gel)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 millilitres buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice added)
- 300 grams self raising flour
- 1.5 teaspoons white wine vinegar
For the cream cheese frosting
- 600 grams icing sugar sifted
- 100 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 250 grams full fat cream cheese (Philadelphia is great)
- heart sprinkles
Instructions
For the red velvet cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 170 ºC (325ºF).
- Prepare your cupcake wrappers in the baking tin.
- Make your buttermilk (if required). Add the milk to a jug and then add half a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. Allow it to stand for at least 5 minutes before using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugar and mix until light and fluffy. If you don't have a stand mixer you could use a handheld mixer.
- Crack the eggs into a separate cup or jug and add them to the bowl, one at a time. Make sure the eggs are well mixed in.
- Add the vanilla extract, food colouring and cocoa powder.
- Add half of the flour to the bowl and incorporate well, and then half of the buttermilk and mix well. Add the vinegar.
- Add the rest of the flour and buttermilk and make sure it's all mixed in, but take care not to overmix or your cupcakes will become tough.
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture into the cupcake cases. This recipe will give you 15 deep-filled red velvet cupcakes but you could get up to 18 if you filled the cases a little bit less.
- Put the cupcake tray in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Our cupcakes needed 25 minutes as they were quite deep.
- When firm to the touch and you can insert a toothpick into the cupcakes and it comes out clean, the cupcakes are ready. Allow to cool in the tin slightly, before taking them out and putting them on a wire rack to cool completely before you decorate (or the frosting will melt into the cupcakes and make a right mess).
For the cream cheese frosting
- In the bowl of a freestanding mixer, sift the icing sugar and add the butter. Beat until well combined. You might want to cover your mixer with a tea towel if it doesn't have a lid to stop it throwing icing sugar all over!
- Stir in the cream cheese. Beat for about 5 minutes on medium-high speed until the frosting is nice, light and smooth. Be careful not to overmix or the frosting could split and go runny.
To decorate
- Put the Jem 2D piping nozzle in a piping bag, and snip off the end. Fill the piping bag with cream cheese frosting.
- Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cupcake. I like to imagine the cupcake is a clock face. Starting in the middle, I pipe from the centre down to 6 o'clock and then round anticlockwise, working my way into the centre of the cupcake with a spiral.
- Add sprinkles, and voila! The easiest Valentine's Day cupcakes ever are finished.
How to Store Red Velvet Cupcakes
As these cupcakes have cream cheese frosting on they need to be stored in the fridge, and should keep in an airtight container for 3 days. They don’t last that long in our house because they’re delicious!
Alternative Frosting Ideas
If you didn’t want to store these cupcakes in a fridge you could make a simple vanilla buttercream. Buttercream is fine left out at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also buy cream cheese flavouring to add to buttercream so you can get more of the taste, although it won’t be quite the same as the real thing.
For more red velvet recipes you might like:
