These Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting have a gorgeous red color and a luscious white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Made with just a little red food coloring, cocoa powder, and buttermilk, this Red Velvet Cupcake recipe produces the fluffiest, moistest, most vibrant red cupcakes you’ve ever had.
Festive Red Velvet Cupcakes With White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Although red velvet may not have originated in the South, the addition of buttermilk made it a Southern. The term red velvet refers to the color of the batter and its velvety texture, which is a result of the white vinegar and buttermilk reacting with the cocoa powder.
While some red velvet recipes call for 1/4 cup of food coloring, these have a beautiful color with only 1 tablespoon.
What’s unique about red velvet cupcakes other than the color, is how moist the cupcake itself is. It’s the buttermilk that makes it moist. The cake is not overly sweet so adding a sweet white chocolate frosting works great with the chocolate flavor.
Most red velvet cupcakes are topped with a classic tangy cream cheese frosting, but since the cake is simple, I like to add a little more flavor with melted white chocolate.
The addition of white chocolate to the frosting makes it thicker than just a cream cheese frosting which makes it great for decorating with piping tips.
This sweet treat is simple enough to make for a treat during the week and elegant enough for serving during the holidays or at birthday parties, and don’t forget Valentines day!
I didn’t realize that red velvet desserts were a Southern thing, I thought everyone had grown up with them, but I was informed by my friends throughout the country that these are truly Southern. It’s probably because we always have buttermilk in the fridge just in case we want to make biscuits!
If you want a more chocolaty cupcake, than go with a chocolate cream cheese cupcake or top your red velvet cupcake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Why You’ll Love These Cupcakes With Buttermilk
- Packed with flavor: The cocoa powder gives these cupcakes that classic red velvet flavor.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can make the cupcakes and frosting ahead of time and assemble them whenever those pesky cravings strike.
- The best texture: The buttermilk gives these cupcakes the moistest texture, while the cake flour produces a light and fluffy crumb.
- Easy to decorate: White chocolate makes a thicker frosting that’s easier to pipe.
Key Ingredients
- Butter: Adds richness to the cake and frosting. Use unsalted butter for this recipe.
- Pantry staples: You’ll need large eggs, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Cake flour: This is finer and has less gluten content than all-purpose flour, lending to a lighter crumb.
- Cocoa Powder: Stick with unsweetened, natural cocoa powder here. Dutched cocoa is alkalized, which changes its acidity, so it won’t work the same in this recipe.
- Vinegar: A splash of white vinegar reacts with the buttermilk, enhancing the red tones in the cocoa. If needed, you can substitute apple cider vinegar for a similar effect.
- Buttermilk: This slightly tangy, acidic ingredient is essential to red velvet batter, helping to activate the baking soda and give the cake its soft, fluffy texture. If you don’t have buttermilk you can learn how to make your own buttermilk.
- Red gel food coloring: This gives the cupcakes their beautiful red color. Gel is more concentrated, so you’ll need less, but you can use liquid food coloring if you like.
- Cream cheese: This is the base for the cream cheese frosting. Make sure to grab the full-fat brick kind and not the kind that comes in a tub.
- Powdered sugar: This finely ground sugar helps sweeten and thicken the cream cheese frosting.
- White chocolate: You’ll need 5 ounces of a white chocolate block. Do not use white chocolate melting wafers it will not melt or taste the same. You can use white chocolate chips if needed.
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes With White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Step One: Prep and Mix the Batter
Preheat your oven and line your muffin tins with paper cupcake liners. Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer until fluffy, then add in the eggs one by one.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Combine the buttermilk, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in another bowl.
Step Two: Combine Everything and Bake
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk mixture to the butter mix, blending just until smooth. Scoop the batter into the muffin pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
Step Three: Make the Frosting
Melt the white chocolate gently in the microwave, stirring occasionally, then set aside to cool. Use an electric mixer to blend the butter and cream cheese until smooth, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Add in the melted white chocolate and vanilla, and beat until the frosting is creamy and spreadable.
Step Four: Frost and Serve
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, generously frost each one with the white chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Room temperature: Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature before incorporating them into the batter and frosting. Learn how to soften cream cheese and soften butter quickly if you forget.
- Scrape: Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Spread: Spread the frosting using an offset spatula or spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a tip.
- Mixer: You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe.
- Double batch: Make a double batch of the cupcakes and frosting and freeze for later so you have an unlimited supply of cupcakes!
- Yield: This recipe makes enough for a batch of 18 cupcakes.
- Cool: Let the white chocolate cool a little before adding to the frosting. If it is too soft to spread, place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Top: Top with sprinkles for a decorative twist.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Store: You can store unfrosted cupcakes on the counter for up to 2 days or frosted cupcakes in the fridge for up to one week.
- Freeze: Store cupcakes for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze them on a baking sheet before adding them to an airtight container.zA
- Make-ahead: You can make the cream cheese frosting one week ahead of time and store it in the fridge before using it. Make sure to whip it with a mixer to fluff it back up again.
Don’t Forget!
Like and review this post – it helps our website grow so we can give you more delicious Southern recipes!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter room temp
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs room temp
- 2 ¼ cup cake flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk room temp
- 1 tablespoon red food coloring gel
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup butter room temp
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 5 ounces white chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Place paper liners in 18 muffin tins.
- Add butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until well combined, 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In a large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the flour mixture in three additions.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide into the paper lined muffin tins. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cook on a wire rack
Frosting:
- Break up white chocolate into pieces in a measuring cup and microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. Let it cool while you prepare the frosting.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter and cream cheese and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Put the mixer on low and add salt and gradually add the powdered sugar, once incorporated, add the cooled white chocolate and vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 more minutes. It will be very thick. If it is too thick to spread, add a little milk.
Notes
- When working with red food coloring, wear gloves to protect your hands.
- You can make a double batch and freeze them until needed, you can also freeze the frosting.
- If you don’t have cake flour, you can use all-purpose flour.
