Red Velvet Cupcakes

What is red velvet cake?

Traditionally red velvet cake is a cocoa powder cake that has been dyed red to give it it's name. I always asked myself what was the difference between red velvet and chocolate cake. They are both spongy, soft, and taste like chocolate. Well, the difference is that red velvet has to be made with buttermilk and white vinegar.  It should have some vinegar to give it that slight tang that red velvet cakes have and it helps with the rising when you bake them.

Like any other recipe, there are so many variations out there. I feel like it is very important to use cake flour. For those who do not know, my dad is a baker and has been for over 30 years now. I asked him why are there different types of flours and how do I know which one to use? His answer was so simple and it stuck with me. "There are different types of flours and cakes. Think of all purpose flour as a glue. It is best used when you make a cake like carrot cake. A carrot cake has pieces of carrots, raisins, and nuts. All those need to come together and the all-purpose flour brings them together. Now, if you are making a chocolate cake, there is nothing to hold together. The best chocolate cakes are the ones that you bite into and it's spongy and soft. In order to achieve that, you need cake flour." There you go, you now have the wise words of Don Cipriano. 😁Another key ingredient is oil. I do use butter to have that amazing butter taste, but oil makes a cake moist.

Another thing to remember is not over baking. Over baking dries out a cake. If you are using this recipe to make cupcakes cook them for about 15-18 minutes. If making a cake leave it in for a bit longer, 25-27 minutes. As soon as it is cooked, take them out of the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes and remove them from the pan. Remember that if you leave them in the pan, they continue to cook and it will leave you with a dry cake.

Ingredients for cake:
2 2/3 cups cake flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 tsp red food coloring
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp white vinegar

Step 1: Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

Step 2: In a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

*It is ok if the sugar does not really mix with the butter because there is more sugar than butter.

Step 3: Add one egg at a time. Mix on a low speed until incorporated. Then add oil and vanilla.

Step 4: In a bowl mix the buttermilk and food coloring.

Step 5: Alternating add the sifted dry ingredients and the buttermilk mix until the batter is well mixed.

Step 6: In a cup mix the vinegar and baking soda together. 

Add this mixture to the batter and mix until everything is well incorporated. 

*I even like to use a spatula and scrape the side of the bowl to make sure I mixed everything well.

Step 7: Pour the batter into 24 paper lined muffin cups.

*I like to fill them about 2/3 of the way. I use a measuring cup to make it easier to pour. An ice-cream scoop works just as fine.

Step 8: Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17minutes. (Mine took about 16 minutes)

*Let them cool off for about 5 minutes and then remove from the tray.

*Let them cool off completely before frosting.

Step 9: Frost your cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting.

Click here for my full recipe of  cream cheese frosting .