How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes

Vibrant, tangy, and delicious - red velvet cupcakes are always a winner at bake sales, birthday parties, or just as a weekend treat!

How to make red velvet cupcakes is a question we are commonly asked, and our all-time favorite recipe can be found here. Although cream cheese frosting is traditional for red velvet, we know it's not everyone’s cup of tea. So you'll be glad to hear this recipe has alternate options, including vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting. 

In fact, one of our latest favorite frosting recipes for red velvet cupcakes is marshmallow buttercream! Not only is this option fabulously quick to whip up, but it's also deliciously sweet. 

How to Make Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

1 jar marshmallow crème (7oz)

1 cup butter, softened 

2 cups powdered sugar 

To make your frosting, simply soften the marshmallow crème in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Beat the crème with butter until smooth, followed by the sugar.

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes, Red (Naturally!)

In addition to asking how to make red velvet cupcakes, lots people ask how to naturally make their cupcakes red without using red food coloring.

One of the best ways to create your own natural red food colouring is to use beets!

Don’t worry, your cupcakes will still taste divine, but they will be free of any toxins that can be found in artificial food colorings. Of course, you can buy natural food colorings in most supermarkets these days, but if you want to truly know what goes into your food, then making it yourself is the way to go!

All you need to do is trim your beets and roughly chop them. Fill a saucepan with cold water and place the beets into them. Over a medium heat gently simmer the beets until only about ¼ cup of liquid remains. Remove the chunks of beet and use the remaining liquid in place of equal amounts of food coloring. 

The Buttermilk is Key

The tanginess that you generally find in red velvet cupcakes is a result of the buttermilk used; the key here is to ensure that you use true buttermilk.

There are some recipes for buttermilk substitutes that call for sour cream to be used, but the additional fat in the sour cream will cause your cupcakes to sink in the middle and create a soggy bottom, which - quite frankly - is not what we want! 

Tips for Perfect Cupcakes Every Time

Baking can be quite a precise skill and while following a recipe may lead you to believe you will end up with a perfect product, you may be disappointed to discover it can still be far from that!

Of course, following the recipe is important, especially when it comes to baking, but there are some other key considerations you will want to bear in mind for truly perfect cupcakes:

• Ensure you use room temperature ingredients if the recipe calls for them. Red velvet cupcake recipes call for you to use both eggs and buttermilk at room temperature. The reason for this is it allows you to create a smoother batter, as the ingredients blend better and won’t be as clumpy.
• Avoid over-mixing or under-mixing! Over-mixed baked goods are typically dense and dreadful - exactly the opposite of how you want your red velvet cupcakes to be!
• While this isn’t a baking tip as such, we recommend using grease proof cupcake liners as they help you easily remove the liner once baked, giving a beautiful finish 
• You may be in a rush to get your cupcakes frosted without cooling them properly so you can tuck in, but in doing so the frosting will melt. You can actually pop your cupcakes into the freezer (once removed from the pan) for about 20 minutes to quickly cool them.