Fluffy Red, white and blue sweetness

I love red velvet cake. It was in fact one of my first posts that I published on “Mareike’s Cozy Corner”. This is why it is quite astonishing to me that it took me almost 3.5 years to publish a recipe for the tiny equivalent – red velvet cupcakes. What makes this even more shocking is the fact that I looove all things tiny anyways (like mini veggie quiche or these Bailey’s cake pops). It’s my personal obsession.

While cupcakes are always rich and certainly not what you would consider a light snack, there is also quite a lot of variety in terms of how compact the cake base turns out. I generally prefer fluffy and airy textures as I don’t want to feel like I just ate a fist sized rock. Enjoyment is not only created by taste, but also by the way it makes you feel afterwards. This is what I love about this recipe. Both the red velvet cupcake and the frosting feel relatively light when you eat them.

At a glance

Category: Dessert
Servings: 12
Preparation time: 25 min
Oven time: 15-18 min
Chill time: 30 min
Time from start to finish: 1 hr 10 min

Ingredients for the red velvet cupcakes

1 and 1/3 cups (145 grams) flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 grams) unsalted, room temperature butter
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 large room temperature egg
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk room temperature

Ingredients for the buttercream frosting

1 cup (8 ounces/225 grams) of room temperature butter
3 cups (360 grams) of powdered sugar
1/4 cup (2 ounces/55 ml) of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Blue food coloring

How to prepare red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Step 1: Start with the red velvet cupcakes by first combining all the dry ingredients a.k.a. the flour, cacao, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Then combine all the wet ingredients (butter, vegetable oil, egg, food coloring, vanilla, vingar and buttermilk) in a seperate bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix them until you have a smooth batter. Pour the cupcake dough into the cupcake molds (make sure to either butter the molds or fill them with little cupcake paper cups).

Step 2: Bake the red velvet cupcakes in the pre-heated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) for about 15-18 minutes (depending on whether you use smaller or larger cupcake molds). The baking time depends on the size of your cupcake molds. Afterwards let them sit and cool down for 30 minutes before applying the frosting.

Step 3: For the frosting, start by beating the butter in a large-ish bowl until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar by sifting it into the bowl to avoid lumbs. Combine butter and sugar with a mixer, afterwards add heavy cream, vanilla and salt. When everything is combined nicely, place the buttercream frosting in the fridge until the red velvet cupcakes are ready for piping.

Step 4: After applying the frosting on the red velvet cupcakes, drizzle a bit of blue food coloring on top and spread it out with a teaspoon.

The great news about the buttercream frosting is its versatility. It works as a base recipe for any other flavor you like to add to your sweet treat. Simply ditch the vanilla aroma and exchange it with a 1/2 cup of melted chocolate or a tablespoon cacao powder for instance or add a bit of fruit mouse or berries.