“Red is the ultimate cure for sadness. “- Bill Blass.
Red velvet cupcakes. Wonder what’s the allure in them ? Maybe it’s the name that makes it sound all exotic and mysterious , or maybe it’s the colour, because let’s face it.. all of us can use some more colour in our lives ! Or maybe it is just that it’s a delicious cupcake !
For the non believers… No, red velvet is not just a chocolate cake dyed red ! It’s a moist and light cake that has to be made a certain way. The batter turns red by the reaction between the buttermilk , acidic vinegar and the small amount of cocoa that is in the batter. Ofcourse , it’s customary now to add food colouring to the batter for a brighter pop of the red. But even sans the colouring , you’ll get a deeper albeit understated , gorgeous hue of a burgundy-ish red.
I have already shared my go to recipe for red velvet cake (note to self to take better pictures of it !) , So it was about time I tried an eggless variant. I tweaked a recipe by Loving it vegan a tad , and it worked like a charm ! If you don’t mind the eggs in your bakes , then you will adore my go to red velvet cupcakes ! And if you want to make these vegan , look at the notes below the recipe !
I paired it with a rich white chocolate frosting which is as easy to make , as it is smooth on the tongue ! And it is perfect for piping. For anyone who likes their white chocolate , this is a must try. If you aren’t one of those people , feel free to make some cream cheese frosting or flour frosting .
Or just make the cupcakes. These don’t need no frosting yo !
Eggless red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 250 grams or 2 cups all purpose flour
- 200 grams or 1 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 240 ml or 1 cups buttermilk* at room temperature
- 80 ml or 1/3 cups vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3 - 4 drops red gel food colour
For the frosting
- 180 grams white chocolate
- 115 grams or 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
- 50 grams or 1/2 cups icing sugar sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 160 C / 325 F . Line your muffin tray with paper liners or grease and flour well.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa , baking soda and salt.
- Add the buttermilk , oil , vanilla , vinegar and food colour . Whisk until smooth.
- Fill the cavities of the muffin tray / paper liners about 2/3 rd full.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
For the frosting
- Chop up the chocolate and melt in a double boiler/ microwave until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
- Beat the butter using a whisk or electric mixer until light and smooth.
- Add the chocolate and beat until mixed.
- Add the vanilla and sifted icing sugar , beat until light and fluffy.
Notes
Cupcake recipe can be halved for 8 cupcakes .
The frosting makes enough to minimally frost 15 cupcakes. increase the amount if you want to pipe elaborately. It can be refrigerated for upto 10 days . Get to room temperature and beat again to desired consistency.
Frosting recipe can be doubled.
*To make the buttermilk, either mix 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk. Let stand for 5 minutes and use. Or mix 1/2 cup curd with 1/2 cup water.
I used 3 drops of Americolour super red.You can add more for a brighter red colour.
To make these cupcakes vegan , skip the buttermilk. Add one tablespoon vinegar to a scant cup soy milk or almond milk. Mix and let stand for 10 minutes. Use this instead of the buttermilk. And use vegan food colouring. The rest of the recipe remains the same .
My measuring cup is 240 ml.
I even cut off the top of one to show you the crumb ! So red, so good!
Speaking of crumbs, if in the unlikely circumstance , you have left over cake (unlikely !) – make these red velvet truffles that are to die for !
I wanted to check if you can use melted butter or ghee as a replacement for oil. I used groundnut oil and it gave a very prominent groundnut flavour to the cake.. please do suggest if any other oil can be used or has to be refined oil alone.
Hi Sakshi.. I would suggest melted butter . The ghee may also alter the taste and consistency of ghee used may differ … let me know how they turn out !
Hi ,which nozzle tip did you use for icing ? Thanks
Hi… Its an open star tip or 1M tip
If I use milk and vinegar instead of buttermilk, is it is important to add 1 tbsp vinegar again separately?
Hi
Will simple vanilla frosting go well with this?
Thankyou so much for the delicious frosting recipe. I used the White chocolate frosting recipe to decorate a vanilla sponge cake. It turned out divine. I used compound white chocolate. I just had a few doubts. Please can you guide me with the following queries : 1. my compound chocolate would’nt melt completely. There were few small chunks. 2. Once somewhat melted I waited for the chocolate to cool but it started to solidify. Please tell me where am I going wrong.
But the end product was absolutely amazing and delicious. I piped swirls on the cake. I loved the frosting, not overly sweet at all. Thanks again!
Thanks Rose for trying the frosting… really happy you liked it ! White chocolate is very tricky to melt. Chop it small and keep it on very gentle heat . Take off when some of it is melted and stir gently. And depending on the weather, it will set again as it cools… so you got to work quick 🙂
Hi, I made some.cupcakes using this recipe and let me tell you they’ve turned out amazing. Very moist, spongy and soft. Thanks a lot for the recipe.!
Also, they were a bit on the brown side which I figured was maybe because the color that I added was liquid color and it was a bit less for the quantity. The only query I have now is that in spite of the cupcakes being soft, spongy and moist, they were sort of gooey too. I baked them for 22 minutes at 160°C. They were cooked properly but were tasting a bit gooey. Is that normal or do I need to bake them for some more time?
Thanks in advance..
Hi Mrigaya… thanks for taking the time to drop a message. Glad you liked them. About the gooey bit, its a matter of taste . Some people like it super moist and fudgy, some like it lighter. You can experiment with making them at 180 c for 18 to 20 mins . I think you d like them better!
Can we follow the same receipe to bake the cake in tin.Will it be soft or spongy?Do we need to add more water or oil for softness as cake size will be larger..Sorry for asking this Solly questions as I am new to baking and would like to try most of your receipes
No questions are silly Monali ! Bake the recipe as it is in a tin.. It will be soft and moist – no changes needed!
Hi… My hubby S birthday coming up in this week… My query S which brand of red Colour should I use.. As earlier once I tried but cake colour turned to brownish.. I really don’t want to go wrong… Plz help n guide… Thanks
Hi Jyotsna , i use super red or christmas red in Americolor brand. You can use any good gel colour like Wilton or Sugarflair
Hi i had a doubt can we a microwave with convection mode
Yes you can Kyra.. in the convection mode… the bakes come out very well, there s just a limitation of size and sometimes browning is less… otherwise no issues at all!
Hi should the frosting be refrigerated and then beaten again and how long ie the timing the frosting should be beaten
Hi Saranya. Let the frosting come to room temperature and then beating for 4-5 minutes is sufficient. If you don’t intend to pipe it , you could just slather it on once it reaches room temperature.
Thanku☺️ It turned out great☺️
Good to know Saranya !!
Hi, can I halve the recipe and make a cake instead??
yes you can Monisha !
Hii…I m baking the red velvet cake and it sits in a oven now….I wanted to know if it’s ok to have cracks on top…it has also become like dome shape….another thing is that middle portion of the clean is not baked and the rest already got baked….I have covered it with foil paper and put it back for 10 mins..hope it comes out nice….it’s my anniversary Tomorrow…making to surprise hubby…
Hi Chandini… It seems like either ur cake pan is too small for all the batter or the oven is too hot.. baking at 20 c lesser will lessen the dome and give u a flat cake. Also , the cake will bake evenly.. as for this, if the cake bakes inside, u can just slice off the dome if u are planning to frost it…
Thanks for the reply…it got baked in 10 mins after putting foil paper….also I froatwd it with cream cheese frosting…and it was heavenly…thanks for the recipe
Made a red velvet cake using this recipe for an order … Got a fabulous feedback… Thank u so much for another keeper recipe
Thats great to know Nidhi !! Thanks for trying and sharing your experience!
Hi … If i halve the recipe,which size cake tin is preferable..
hey Raji… one 7 inch or 6 inch round tin will do!
Hi.. planning to make this recipe today . Can I use pink gel colour instead of red.. would that work? Or a mix of pink and black. I know it’s silly question but just checking if anyone has tried it before.
Thanks
Hi Priyanka ..I would suggest using pink colour .. the colour of ur cake would be mild though.. I have never used pink n black together. Nor has any one told me they have used that combo. I suspect ur cake would turn black ! Do let me know the result !
Could not send d pic but texture of it soggy
Hi yesterday I tried this recipe but I couldn’t found it well what happened with it see d pic below I am sending if any mistake pls let me know
Hi Sunita… sorry that the cupcakes didn’t turn out as expected. the comments here don’t allow you to post pictures. Did you follow the recipe as such or make any changes and did you take them out of the oven after checking the doneness by inserting a toothpick ? Do let me know so we can try to figure out what went wrong
Thank you for what looks like an amazing recipe! I am about to try it out :-). Please tell me, can I double the ingredients for 32 cupcakes? Thanks in advance for the reply.
Hi Shamina… Yes , u can ☺ happy baking!
Hey! Looks like a fabulous recipe! Just ine small query! Here in India, buttermilk could mean curd with water too. Your recipe calls for curdled milk or the indian butter milk?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi! I tried this recipe and it came out well. But the color was brownish. Does that mean the food coloring wasnt enough or something else?
Hi Soumya.. yes , it means the amount of food colour was not enough for the cocoa that you use. Strength of food colour and it’s reaction with the type of cocoa results in different hues of red. Try adding more next time ☺
Hey..loved ur recipe nd i do plan to make it today. Just a query though..Can we use apple cider vinegar in place of the regular white one?
Thanks so much Prachi… Yes , you can use apple cider vinegar ! Do let me know how it turns out…
U r wc 🙂 one more thing..in case of liquid food coloring what should be the qty added?
You could add up to a tablespoon Prachi..Depends on the strength of your colouring though. Add a teaspoon , mix in and see the colour of your batter. Keep adding quarter or half teaspoon as required!
Does this frosting holds shape ?
Yes it does Jyoti!
Hi .. I love your recipes especially the butterscotch praline cake, that’s my all time favorite! I wanted to know, if I want to just make vanilla eggless cupcakes, can I just use this recipe without the red food colour? Thanks in advance:)
Thanks so much for the appreciation Shikha! As for these cupcakes , there is some cocoa in the recipe so you wouldnt get plain vanilla cupcakes even without the red colour. I would suggest the eggfree vanilla cupcakes I have on the blog. Or the coffee cupcakes i just shared today . Replace the coffee with an equal amount of extra milk. Let me know how they turn out ! Happy baking !
Hi i’m in so love with all your recipes, they come out really well. Thankyouu soo much.. ❤ my doubt is can i half this recipe?? If so will that come moist?
Thanks Maha for such a lovely comment.. You can half the recipe , use 3 tablespoons of oil and the rest of the ingredients are easily divided by 2 ! Hope you like them !
Sure thing… im gonna try now..thankyouu again
Hi Akshtha, excellent recepi..thanks a lot. Hv few queries..
1. Can we grind the sugar at home and use it or we need to buy granulated sugar?
2. Don’t you need to use baking powder as well? Generally both are present in all types of baking so I was just wondering
3. Is there anymore large brand of vinegar to be used?
hi… a silly query thou! but I always get confused. The recipe calls for 250 gms or 2 cups APF and 200 gms or 1 cup of sugar. Literally if 250 gm is 2 cup then 125 gm should be 1 cup ,right?
Hi Indu… ! No query is silly! The density of sugar is more than flour. As in, the sugar that will fit in one cup will weigh a lot more than the flour that will fill in that same cup. Like one kg of gold or iron would be really small amount visually, but one kg of cotton would take up a lot of space . So , if you are measuring using cups , it would be 2 cups of flour and one of sugar , but the actual weight of the flour in each cup would be 125 grams and sugar would be 200 grams . I hope I am making sense?
Ok I kept in the oven for 10 more minutes to 160 C.. it came out perfectly baked! Thanks a lot fot the super easy recipe. Only observation is, I feel 1 cup of sugar is too sweet. My Betty Crocker measuring cup holds 235 ml. I then realised your recipe also mentions 200 gm. Next time I’d use less sugar.
Oh.. I m surprised to know that Shifa.. a lot of people wrote back to me after trying it in an 8 inch pan.must be a difference in oven temp.. do use the toothpick test before removing from oven. If top looks done and insides still uncooked , cover the top with aluminium foil and continue baking..
Hi Shiffy ! Yes u can… Bake in two 8 inch tins for 25 to 28 minutes at 180 C or in one 8 inch for 38 to 40 minutes at 160 C … Happy baking !
Can i use this recipe for an 8 inch cake?