Print

Red Velvet Cupcakes

How to make red velvet cupcakes lizbushong.com
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

Home made moist tender red velvet cupcakes frosted with cream cheese buttercream frosting garnished with white chocolate molded hearts just in time for Valentines Day.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Cupcake Batter

2–1/4 cups all purpose flour

2–1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon super red food coloring gel

Chocolate Simple Syrup

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1–1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting

3/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter

2–1/4 cups confectioners sugar

3/4 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla or orange extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

White Chocolate Heart Candy Garnish

1/2 cup melted Ghirardelli White Chocolate wafers

1 small heart mold

Instructions

  1. Make white chocolate hearts if you plan to make your own. Melt white chocolate wafers in microwave safe bowl until smooth. Fill disposable piping bag with no tip with melted chocolate. Pipe into plastic heart mold.  Chill in refrigerator until set. Remove candies and reserve for finished frosted cupcakes for garnish.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2- 12- cup muffin pans with red cupcake liners.
  3. Make chocolate simple syrup. In medium saucepan over medium heat, add all ingredients, whisk constantly until it boils, boil three minutes.  Remove from heat, allow to cool. Set aside, this will be brushed over baked warm cupcakes before frosting.
  4. Combine eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, butter, vanilla and red food coloring in a medium mixing bowl, set aside.
  5. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in the bowl of your stand mixer with paddle attachment or beaters of hand mixer. Turn mixer on low and mix dry ingredients to blend.
  6. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture. Beating on medium speed for one minute or fully incorporated. Scrape down sides and bottom of mixing bowl, mix one more time to blend about 30 seconds.
  7. Using a spring loaded ice cream scoop or 3 tablespoons of batter to each cupcake liner filling 2/3 full. This will give you a rounded top with out overflowing in cupcake pan.
  8. Bake cupcakes 19 -20 minutes in center of preheated 350 degree oven. Remove from oven. Brush warm cupcakes with chocolate syrup allowing the syrup to soak into the cupcakes. Set aside to cool,  At this point you can chill cupcakes while you make the cream cheese buttercream frosting.
  9. In clean mixing bowl of stand mixer with paddle attachment, add room temperature butter and salt.  Beat until light and smooth. Add softened cream cheese, combine on low speed until smooth and creamy.
  10. Add confectioners sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low to avoid sugar shower out of the bowl.
  11. Add vanilla extract. Whip buttercream until smooth and creamy.  Consistency should be firm enough to pipe. Fill disposable piping bag fitted with tip # 1 M with frosting.
  12. Pipe rosettes or swirls on top of each cupcake.  Add a small white chocolate heart or crumbled red velvet cake crumbs as a garnish.

Notes

* cake batter will also make three 6″ x 2″ pans or two 8″ x 2″ cake pans.Make Ahead & Freeze Instructions:

Cupcakes can be made a day ahead, covered in container or zip lock bag for 24 hours before frosting.  If you want to freeze the cupcakes, and frost later, place the freezer bag full of cupcakes in freezer without frosting, freeze up to two months.  Thaw cupcakes in refrigerator frost  and serve.

Red food gel stains.. so be careful not to get it on your hands or things you don’t want stained. 🙂

Find it online: https://lizbushong.com/red-velvet-cupcakes/