Description
These Red Velvet Cupcakes are soft, sturdy, and feature beautifully domed tops. Perfectly balanced with a subtle cocoa flavor and vibrant red color, they pair wonderfully with traditional Ermine frosting or your favorite frosting alternative.
Ingredients
Scale
Liquid Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon red gel food coloring
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup neutral cooking oil
- 1 large egg
- 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
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and line a 12-count cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- Mix milk, vinegar, and food coloring: In a large measuring cup, combine the whole milk, white vinegar, and red gel food coloring. Stir gently and set the mixture aside to curdle slightly, creating a buttermilk substitute with vibrant color.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined to ensure even distribution of ingredients.
- Add fats to dry mix: Pour in the melted unsalted butter and neutral cooking oil to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until the mixture becomes thick and evenly combined.
- Incorporate egg and vanilla: Add the large egg and vanilla extract to the batter and mix until fully incorporated, creating a smooth mixture.
- Add milk mixture: Gradually pour in the milk, vinegar, and food coloring mixture, stirring continuously until the batter is smooth and well blended without lumps.
- Fill cupcake liners: Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Avoid overfilling to prevent collapse during baking. Any leftover batter can be discarded or baked separately.
- Bake cupcakes: Place the cupcake tin in the preheated oven and bake for 17 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake; it should come out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Cool cupcakes: Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost cupcakes: Once completely cool, frost the cupcakes with a batch of Ermine frosting or your preferred frosting alternative.
Notes
- Ermine frosting is the classic frosting for red velvet cupcakes, providing a light and silky texture.
- You can substitute with cream cheese frosting, chocolate cream cheese frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, or American buttercream according to your taste preference.
- Use gel food coloring for a vibrant color without altering the batter’s consistency.
- Room temperature eggs help the batter mix more evenly.
- Filling the liners two-thirds full helps create domed cupcakes without collapse.
- Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting to avoid melting your frosting.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg
