Summary

Preparation Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 10 min for each batch of cupcakes
Servings: 36 cupcakes
Meal type: Dessert
Grocery Cost: $ 6.00 ($0.20 per cupcake)

Recipe Rating:  

Ingredients

• 3 ⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened ~ $2.00
• 2 ¼ cups sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature ~ $0.62
• 6 tablespoons (2-28mL bottles) red food coloring ~ $4.38
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa ~ $0.15
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract ~ $0.15
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk ~ $0.75
• 1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar $0.10
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place cupcake papers in the tins.
3. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
5. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.
6. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

7. Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake liners.

8. Bake each tray of cupcakes for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for 1 hour.

9. Ice each cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Quick Notes

I’ve noticed that this cupcake batter comes out a bit thicker when compared to cooking with box cake mixes, such as Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker, so don’t worry if the consistency seems a bit thick. Sometimes I half this recipe because I find 36 cupcakes too much, but this recipe seems to turn out better if I make the full batch instead of a half batch. If you do need to half the recipe, and need 1.5 eggs instead of 3, try cracking an egg into a bowl, mixing it, and using only half of the mixed egg.

Another tip that I always use is to bring out the butter, eggs and buttermilk beforehand to get it to room temperature before using it. This is a baker’s trick that works well.

Variations

I don’t really deviate too much from this recipe. I will use normal flour instead of cake flour, but I do sift it to make sure it’s fine.

Results

As usual, the red velvet cupcake is a crowd pleaser. How could you go wrong with chocolate cupcake and cream cheese icing, especially when it looks this pretty? I used red sparkles to decorate the tops of the cupcakes to make it look more festive. Get creative with the decorating – it adds a lot to the cupcake!