Red Velvet Cupcakes are the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day! They have a moist fluffy crumb and are topped with luscious dark chocolate ganache and heavenly cream cheese frosting.
Take your Red Velvet Cupcakes up a notch with a layer of chocolate ganache! It’s beautiful, delicious, and easy to make! If your goal is to impress with a stunning delicious dessert, these will do the trick! For more fantastic cupcakes, try my Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, One Bowl Double Chocolate Cupcakes, and Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cupcakes.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Cupcakes aren’t just a vanilla cupcake dyed red. They are much more! They have a unique soft and velvety texture and a hint of chocolate… and of course they’re red which is just fun!
Ingredients for Red Velvet Cupcakes:
- Flour– All-purpose flour is used in this recipe. Alternatively, you can just use 2 cups of cake four instead of the all-purpose and cornstarch.
- Cornstarch– Using cornstarch helps create a lighter crumb. Using this in combination with all-purpose flour is the same as using cake flour.
- Cocoa Powder– The dye hides that there is cocoa powder, but you’ll taste it!
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda– Both these leavening agents are needed in this recipe to give the proper rise and create a domed top.
- Salt– As always, salt is even needed in sweets to help accentuate the other flavors in the recipe.
- Sugar– There is the perfect amount of sugar in these cupcakes so as to not be too sweet when topped with frosting.
- Eggs– These help to emulsify the ingredients, as moisture, and provide structure to the cake.
- Butter– Butter gives the best flavor and results in a tender moist crumb.
- Red Food Coloring– Yes, there is a lot of food coloring. If you don’t eat artificial dye, try these!
- Vanilla Extract– Pure extract is best!
- Buttermilk– Real whole fat buttermilk works best! This will give the cupcakes a tender and moist crumb.
How to make Red Velvet Cupcakes:
Time needed: 35 minutes
- Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Mix dry ingredients
In a bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- Beat it
In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add liquid
Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and food coloring. Beat until smooth.
- Combine
While mixing on low, in 3 parts, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed, mixing until smooth.
- Scoop
Scoop batter into cupcake liners (a 1/4 cup trigger scoop works great!).
- Bake
Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (or with only a few moist crumbs). Remove cupcakes from tin when cool enough to touch and place on a cooling rack.
- Make the Ganache
Microwave heavy whipping cream for 45 seconds and then add the chocolate chips and let sit covered for 2 minutes. Whisk together until smooth. Allow to sit and cool for ~3 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Assemble
Once cupcakes are completely cool, spoon about 1-2 teaspoons ganache onto the top of each cupcake. Let the ganache cool and set for 5 minutes before piping on frosting.
FAQs
Letting the eggs and milk get to room temperature helps them to blend into the batter easier. I recommend setting eggs and milk out 1-2 hours before baking. The butter needs to be room temperature so that it can incorporate air. I find that leaving butter out for 30 minutes works best so it doesn’t get too soft.
If you don’t have cornstarch, replace it with all-purpose flour. Alternatively, if you have cake flour you can just replace the all-purpose flour and cornstarch for 2 cups of cake flour.
I’m so glad you asked! Before scooping flour (or cornstarch and cocoa powder), mix it around in the canister/bag. As the flour sits, it become more compact and would result in a high volume if not fluffed first. When measuring, use a spoon or other small measuring cup to scoop the flour into your measuring cup until past the rim. Use the flat edge of a table knife to then push off the excess flour back into the canister.
If you have a kitchen scale, check to see how accurate your measuring is. 1 cup flour should weight 125 grams.
TOOLS USED TO MAKE THESE RED VELVET CUPCAKES:
- Muffin/Cupcake Tin– Every kitchen needs a muffin tin. This is my favorite. I use it for cupcakes, muffins, mini frittatas….
- Kitchen Aid Mixer– This is so handy to have in the kitchen. I use it for cookies, cakes, frosting, bread, whipped cream… LOVE IT!
- Stainless Steel Measuring Cups– I love these measuring cups! They’re sturdy, pretty and it has every size measuring cup and spoon! I can’t stand sets that don’t come with 2/3 and 3/4 cups.
LOOKING FOR MORE VALENTINE’S DAY DESSERTS? CHECK OUT THESE:
- Molten Lava Cake for Two
- Raspberry Chocolate Swiss Roll
- Red Velvet Woopie Pies
- Easy Chocolate Mousse
- Raspberry Brownie Cheesecake Trifles
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, fluffy, spooned, and leveled
- 1/4 cup corn starch, fluffy, spooned, and leveled
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
For the Ganache:
- 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate , (3 ounces)
- 6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
- In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and food coloring. Beat until smooth.
- While mixing on low, in 3 parts, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed, mixing until smooth.
- Scoop batter into cupcake liners (a 1/4 cup trigger scoop works great!).
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (or with just a few moist crumbs). Remove cupcakes from tin when cool enough to touch and place on a cooling rack.
For the Ganache:
- Microwave heavy whipping cream for 45 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and let it sit covered for 2 minutes and then whisk together until smooth.
- Allow ganache to cool and thicken for ~3 minutes and then spoon about 1-2 teaspoons onto the top of each completely cooled cupcake. Let the ganache cool and set for about 5 minutes before piping on frosting.
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