Manageability – Thumbs up!
Tell me one thing you like more than red velvet cake. You can’t, you liar. Don’t even try. Nothing is better than red velvet cake, and you know it. Plus, with Valentine’s Day coming up, you know I had to make these Red Velvet Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting from Life, Love, and Sugar. Cute, tasty, and easy.
Fist off, cards on the table. I did not create the chocolate cream cheese frosting from this recipe. I personally think red velvet cake is best when it’s combined with regular cream cheese frosting, and it doesn’t need to be all tart-ed up with chocolate like some stupid unpronounceable French pastry. But, like all cream cheese frosting, you should be careful with it. My frosting melted a little too much, so it was kinda hard to stick sprinkles around it, and didn’t keep it’s shape as well as the recipe’s pictures. As for the candy-melt hearts, here’s a tip from Martha: use a pencil and trace cookie cutters out on wax paper, then follow the tracings when you squeeze out the candy melt. It’s way easier than trying to do it free hand.
“Ok, Martha, but were they good?” Of course they were good, fool! They’re red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting! They’re fluffy and sweet and oh so perfect. Make them, and leave me alone!
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcake
- 1 1/4 cup (163g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (207g) sugar
- 1 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp natural unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp red food coloring
- 1/2 cup hot water
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 6 tbsp (86g) salted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (57g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, room temperature
- Sprinkles, room temperature
- 3 oz red candy melts, room temperature (for now)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking powder, cocoa and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, eggs, vinegar and red food coloring to a medium sized bowl and combine. Set aside.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Set aside.
5. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Then set aside.
6. Fill the cupcake liners about half way and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Set toothpicks aside.
7. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Set aside.
8. To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter with a mixer until smooth. Set aside.
9. Add about half of the powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla extract and mix until smooth and well combined. Set aside.
10. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Set aside.
11. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. I used Ateco tip 808 to create the swirl. But then I set it aside.
12. Press some sprinkles onto the sides of the frosting. I used a small bowl for the sprinkles and lightly pressed the cupcake into the sprinkles. Then I set the bowl aside.
13. To create the cupcake toppers, add the red candy melts to a small sized bowl and melt according to package instructions. Set aside.
14. Using a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 4 tip, pipe the melted candy into hearts of varying sizes. I mostly went with two sizes – one a little bigger than the other. Allow them to dry and harden, then add a couple hearts to the top of each cupcake. Set aside.
15. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve. Cupcakes are best when kept in an air tight container for 3-4 days. And then, guess what – set aside.