Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes
Yield: 6 cupcakes
Total time: 50 min.
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With Valentine’s day right around the corner, I just knew I needed to add some red velvet to the blog! When you search cupcakes online, they always come up with a recipe that makes at least 12, which can be too much and can lead to feeling bad about wasting if you don’t eat them all. That’s exactly why my small batch series exists, and why I made these small batch red velvet cupcakes! These cupcakes are wonderfully moist and tender, and are topped with a vanilla cream cheese glaze. Make them for a loved one, or to treat yourself this Valentine’s day!
A couple of things to note:
1. Measuring the ingredients. It is important that you weigh the ingredients so that the recipe turns out correctly. When you use a kitchen scale, you can ensure that your baked goods turns out as closely to the written recipe as possible. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
2. Room temperature ingredients. It is important that the ingredients are at room temperature so that they incorporate properly with the rest of the batter. Make sure to take the egg, sour cream, cream cheese & butter out at least 20 minutes before starting to make these red velvet cupcakes.
3. Do not overmix! When adding the flour, you want to make sure to only mix until no flour streaks remain. Over-mixing the batter will lead to super tough and chewy cake due to too much gluten forming in the batter.
To make these small batch red velvet cupcakes, you will need:
For the red velvet batter:
All purpose flour: for structure in the cupcakes
Baking powder: for leavening
Salt: helps balance and bring out sweetness
Cocoa: I use and recommend dutch process cocoa as it has a deeper chocolate flavor. You can use regular cocoa, but note that it may alter the texture a little bit due to it being acidic, and that the red coloring will be more prominent
Vegetable oil: for keeping the cupcakes nice and tender. Oil stays ‘liquid’ at room temperature and in the fridge, which helps with the cupcakes staying soft after frosting them
Granulated sugar: sweetens the cupcakes, helps lock in moisture, and tenderizes them
Egg: adds moisture and helps bind the batter together
Sour cream: for adding moisture and keeping the cupcakes tender. I recommend full fat sour cream for the best tenderness
Red food coloring: use gel food coloring for the best color
For the cream cheese frosting:
Cream cheese: the base of the frosting, provides a nice tangy contrast to the sweet cupcakes
Unsalted butter: a little bit of unsalted butter helps stabilize the frosting
Powdered sugar: for sweetening and thickening the frosting
Vanilla: for flavoring
Salt: just a touch of salt helps balance and bring out the sweetness of the frosting
Can I double this recipe?
Yes! You can double all of the ingredients in this recipe to get a standard, 12 batch of cupcakes.
How to store red velvet cupcakes
Because the frosting is made using cream cheese, these cupcakes do need to be refrigerated after being frosted. I highly recommend waiting as long as you can and to frost these cupcakes right before serving. Once frosted, they can be at room temperature safely for up to 2 hours, after that they must be stored in the fridge. You can keep the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature and store the cream cheese frosting in the fridge until ready to frost.
How to make red velvet cupcakes
Tools and ingredients helpful for making this recipe:
For more product recommendations, check out this page here!
I hope you enjoy these small batch red velvet cupcakes, happy baking! x
Small Batch Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 70 g all purpose flour
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- ½ tbsp. dutch process cocoa powder
- 55 g vegetable oil
- 85 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ tbsp. red food coloring
- 70 g sour cream room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 60 g cream cheese room temperature
- 25 g unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- 140 g powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a muffin tin with 5 parchment liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil.
- Whisk in the egg and red food coloring until well combined.
- Add in half of the flour mixture, whisking just until no flour streaks remain. Whisk in the sour cream until combined, followed by the rest of the flour mixture.
- Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin liners. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and salt until smooth. (~2 min.)
- While beating, slowly add in the powdered sugar until it has all been used. Add in the vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely and you are ready to serve them, frost them. Transfer the frosting to a piping back fitted with the Wilton #1M or any tip of choice. Frost, serve, and enjoy!
Bill Cleave says
These are awesome! Thanks 😊
Erin says
Thank you so much, i’m so glad you liked them!
Afif says
Can I use butter milk instead of sour cream
Erin says
Hi! I have not tested with buttermilk but it should be completely fine to use in place of the sour cream.
Afif says
Thank you