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Red velvet cupcakes

One red velvet cupcake with buttercream icing piped on the top

Red velvet cupcakes

Name: Red velvet cupcakes
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients: 150g/5oz plain flour; 1 tbsp cocoa powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 50g/2oz butter softened; 150g/5oz caster sugar; 1 large egg beaten; 1 tsp vanilla paste; 100ml/3½fl oz buttermilk or kefir; 50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil; 1 tsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp red gel food colouring; 100g/4oz slightly salted butter softened; 225g/8oz icing sugar; 100g/4oz full fat cream cheese stirred to loosen

Liberty Mendez

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Serves 12

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 15 mins

A star rating of 4 out of 5.82 ratingsRate

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Bake a batch of red velvet cupcakes as a treat. With chocolate sponge and a cream cheese topping, they're perfect for elevenses served with a cuppa

Nut-free

Vegetarian

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Liberty's tips for the perfect red velvet cupcakes:

For a twist, I sometimes add a handful of white chocolate chips to the batter before baking – they melt into little pockets of sweetness that pair beautifully with the tangy frosting
For an extra-smooth cream cheese icing, I always make sure the butter is really soft before beating it with the icing sugar. This helps create a light, fluffy texture and makes it much easier to pipe or spread.
I often bake the cupcakes a day ahead and store them in an airtight container, then frost them just before serving. Any leftovers should be kept in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting, but I bring them back to room temperature before eating for the best flavour and texture.
If you don’t have buttermilk to hand, I’ve found that kefir or even a mixture of milk with a splash of lemon juice works well as a substitute, helping to keep the cupcakes lovely and moist.
For the best red colour, I use a good-quality red food colouring gel rather than liquid colouring. It gives a more vibrant finish without affecting the flavour of the batter.

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

150g/5oz plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g/2oz butter

softened
150g/5oz caster sugar
1 large egg

beaten
1 tsp vanilla paste
100ml/3½fl oz buttermilk

or kefir
50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp red gel food colouring

For the cream cheese icing

100g/4oz slightly salted butter

softened
225g/8oz icing sugar
100g/4oz full fat cream cheese

stirred to loosen

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal339
fat17g
saturates8g
carbs42g
sugars32g
fibre1g
protein3g
salt0.59g

Method

step 1

Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases and set aside. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Sieve the flour, cocoa, bicarb and a pinch of fine salt into a medium bowl and mix to combine.
step 2

Using a stand mixer or an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg, vanilla, buttermilk, oil and vinegar until combined. Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dried. Once combined, mix in the red food colouring until you have a deep red mix – the colour may vary depending on what brand you use.
step 3

Divide the batter between the cupcake cases and bake for 15 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean.
step 4

While the cakes are cooling, make the icing. Beat together the butter and icing sugar using an electric whisk or by hand until pale and fluffy, about 3 mins, then beat in the cream cheese for a further 1-2 mins until well combined.
step 5

Once the cakes are cool, use a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle to cover the cakes with the cream cheese icing, or dollop the icing on top using a spoon.

Liberty Mendez

Liberty trained as a pastry chef at Westminster Kingsway College as well as working in five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants and the House of Commons. She later joined BBC Good Food as a Recipe Developer and Food Content Creator, writing recipes, food styling and presenting videos. She has also worked with Channel 4, Sorted Food, Olive magazine and The Great British Bake Off. See more recipes by Liberty

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A star rating of 4 out of 5.82 ratings

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