This recipe will show you how to make the best red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from scratch that melts in your mouth.

Three red velvet cupcakes on a round white plate with red embellishments in the photo.

Red velvet cupcakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day treats, Christmas parties, birthdays, or any time during the year to fill your red velvet cupcake craving! You won’t be able to stop with just one!

Red velvet is a popular cake flavor, and these classic red velvet cupcakes are to die for!

The cupcake is moist, has that hint of chocolate flavor, and is topped with luscious cream cheese frosting.

I seem to be known for my homemade red velvet cupcakes.

Not only did I bring them for each semester we completed of clinical in nursing school, but somehow, it also became a tradition that I bring them arranged in a basket to every memorial and funeral service I attend.

My in-laws also love red velvet cupcakes, so they get made several times a year, just because.

These are a few of the baskets I put together for memorial services or brought to the family, and I piped them to look like roses. I wish I had taken better photos at the time.

Needless to say, these cupcakes are a classic and they’re perfect for birthdays, baby or wedding showers, holidays, and pretty much all celebrations.

If you’re looking for more fall cupcake flavors, check out my 36 fun fall cupcake flavors!

What is Red Velvet?

Red velvet is a cake that has been mixed with cocoa, white vinegar, and buttermilk, among other cake ingredients.

Three red velvet cupcakes on a dark wood board.

What Makes Red Velvet Red?

Traditionally, the cake batter was mixed with beetroot. It gave a rich red color to enhance the darker maroon color from the cocoa being mixed.

These days, most have steered away from beets in their red velvet cake recipe, and instead opt for red food coloring to give the cake vibrancy.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Cupcakes

Butter, room temperature
Vegetable or Canola Oil
Granulated Sugar
Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extract
Buttermilk
White Vinegar
Cake Flour
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Salt
Red Food Coloring

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese
Butter
Confectioners’ Sugar
Pure Vanilla Extract
Shortening

A closeup of one red velvet cupcake on a red napkin.

How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes

Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Prepare a muffin pan by lining it with 24 cupcake paper liners.
Combine butter and sugar together until creamy in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a medium-sized bowl with a hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time to the mixing bowl and blend at low speed.
Add oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix well after each addition.
Add red food coloring to the cupcake batter and blend.
Spoon approximately 3 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner in the muffin pans.
Place muffin pans in the oven and bake for 14-16 minutes.
To check for doneness, the tops will spring back when lightly touched, or insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake and if it comes out clean they are done.
Remove from the oven and place on cooling racks. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, a tablespoon of milk, and vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar at a low speed. Mix until well blended.
If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk. If it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Baking Substitutes

White Vinegar Substitute: Use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. They are needed to help balance out the buttermilk in the recipe. They give a slightly tangy flavor to the recipe.

Buttermilk Substitute: Add 1 cup of milk to a measuring cup. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. It will slightly curdle and thicken. Once it has, mix it into the cupcake batter.

Cake Flour Substitute: Replace with all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for every cup of all-purpose flour.

Pro Tip: Oil & Butter

I have tried making red velvet cupcakes with only butter, and the cake turns out so much drier.

Oil adds noticeable moisture to the cupcakes, while butter adds its own buttery-rich flavor.

It’s best to use a mixture of both oil and butter for this cake batter.

What piping tip do you use for decorating red velvet cupcakes?

I used Wilton’s 2D tip for these cupcakes, but you can also use 1M, which is a slightly more open star.

How do you pipe a cupcake?

Check out my cupcake baking guide that answers all of your questions about baking, ingredient substitutes, and decorating the perfect cupcakes!

A red velvet cupcake on a red napkin. A piping bag is adding cream cheese frosting to the cupcake.

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