Red velvet cupcakes are a delightful treat that perfectly combines the rich flavors of cocoa with a vibrant red hue. This shortcut recipe makes it easy to whip up these indulgent desserts topped with luscious chocolate cream cheese frosting and a white chocolate ganache inside.
Start Red Velvet Cupcakes With a Boxed Cake Mix
Did you know that you can get a pretty red color if you use a boxed mix as a starter for red velvet cupcakes? It is probably the easiest way to make red velvet cupcakes because there is no guessing and re-adding red food dye. Some dyes turn brown after they sit, and some turn pink instead of red. A cake mix will turn red and stay that way after the cupcakes are baked.
Double Chocolate Frosting
The frosting on these cupcakes is double-chocolate cream cheese. It has dark cocoa powder mixed in with melted white chocolate. The result is a delicious dark chocolate cream cheese frosting balanced by white chocolate.
White Chocolate Ganache
In addition to the yummy frosting, these cupcakes have a center of white chocolate ganache. The ganache is made by heating together white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Each cupcake has a small amount of ganache inserted into the center, so the ganache doesn’t compete with the delicious chocolate frosting on top. Use a small piping tip and insert it into the center of each cupcake. Then, squeeze a small amount of ganache into the cupcake.
If you skip the ganache step, the cupcakes will still be delicious!
Freezing Red Velvet Cupcakes
These cupcakes freeze well. Ensure they are in an airtight container, and then thaw them before serving them. They will keep for three months or more in the freezer.
Decorating Red Velvet Cupcakes
Use a star tip to get a ruffled topping. Add a little cream if the frosting is too thick to pipe onto the cupcakes. If the frosting is too thin, it will not hold its shape. Add a little powdered sugar and beat well to thicken.
Tall vs Short Frosting Swirls
Tall Cupcakes
Whether your cupcake has a lot of frosting or a little depends on how you pipe it. If you like a lot of frosting on a cupcake (as shown in the photo below), follow these steps:
- Start from the outside of the cupcake.
- Pipe frosting in a circle from the outside to the middle of the cupcake.
Piping from the outside to the inside makes a tall cupcake.
Short Cupcakes
If you don’t like a lot of frosting, follow these steps to frost cupcakes with less frosting:
- Start from the middle of the cupcake.
- Pipe frosting in a circle from the inside to the outside of the cupcake.
This makes a flat frosted cupcake with a lot less frosting and will resemble a rosette.
Star Tip
Use a star tip to make the pretty frosting ruffles (as shown) in the photo below. However, if you don’t have a star tip or piping bag, use a reclosable gallon bag instead. Fill it with frosting and squeeze all the frosting into one corner. Snip off the corner and squeeze the frosting onto the cupcakes in a circular motion. Finally, you can use an old-fashioned spatula and “butter” the cupcakes with frosting. Keep adding frosting until you get the desired amount on each cupcake. Enjoy!
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Red Velvet Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2 piping bags
- medium star tip
- 2 12-count muffin pans
- 24 cupcake liners
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature and shaken
- ⅔ cup sour cream, room temperature
- ⅓ cup oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 box red velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines used)
White Chocolate Ganache
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
Frosting
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¾ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to muffin pans.
- Shake the buttermilk well. Add it to a large mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth.
- Sift in the cake mix. Stir until combined but do not overmix. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, dividing evenly. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with crumbs. Cool.
White Chocolate Ganache
- Add the white chocolate chips and heavy cream to a small microwave-safe bowl. Melt for 30 seconds on high in the microwave. Stir until the chips are melted. If necessary, add a few more seconds in the microwave to melt the chocolate.
- Place the star tip and then the ganache into a piping bag. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze a small amount of ganache into each cooled cupcake.
Frosting
- Beat the butter and cream cheese with a mixer until creamy. Add the salt, vanilla, butter flavoring, and cream. Beat to mix.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, beating between each cup. Be sure not to pack sugar into the measuring cup. Instead, use a spoon to fluff the sugar before measuring it.
- Add the cocoa powder and beat well until well combined and fluffy.
- In a microwave, melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container for 30 seconds. Stir. If necessary, melt for another 30 seconds. Stir again until all the chips are melted.
- Turn on the mixer and slowly add the melted chocolate to the frosting. Then beat for a couple of minutes. Frost the cooled cupcakes with a tip and piping bag.