Description
These Red Velvet Cupcakes are soft, sturdy, and perfectly domed, featuring a classic red color and a rich, balanced cocoa flavor. They are baked to perfection and topped with traditional Ermine frosting or your choice of other delicious frostings.
Ingredients
Scale
Liquid Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon red gel food coloring (Americolor “red red” or “super red”)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup neutral cooking oil (avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Frosting
- 1 batch Ermine frosting (traditional red velvet frosting) or alternative frostings like cream cheese frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, or American buttercream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Make Milk Mixture: In a large measuring cup, combine whole milk, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring. Stir together and set aside to let the vinegar slightly curdle the milk.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Add Fats: Pour in the melted unsalted butter and neutral cooking oil to the dry ingredients and stir well until the mixture is thick and evenly combined.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the mixture, stirring until fully incorporated.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Gradually add the milk mixture into the batter, stirring continuously until all ingredients are combined into a smooth batter.
- Fill Cupcake Liners: Fill each cupcake liner about two-thirds full with the batter. Do not overfill to prevent cupcakes from collapsing. Bake any leftover batter separately or discard.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs but not wet batter.
- Cool: Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost: Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost with Ermine frosting or your preferred frosting choice.
Notes
- Ermine frosting is the traditional frosting for red velvet and provides a classic texture and flavor.
- Other frosting options include cream cheese frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, and American buttercream for varied flavors and textures.
- Do not substitute all-purpose flour with cake flour to maintain the cupcake’s structure and texture.
- Avoid overfilling cupcake liners to prevent collapsing during baking.
- Use room temperature egg to help with batter consistency and rise.
- If you don’t have avocado oil, canola or vegetable oil are suitable alternatives.
- Ensure the cupcakes cool completely before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
