Red Velvet Cupcakes without Buttermilk
Often, baking is all about the love you put in, and nothing says love like red velvet! Master the art of freshly baked romance with these decadent, delicious, and totally lovely Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!
Something about the color red has been proven to make our hearts flutter like we’re falling in love.
These red cakes will make your heart skip a beat! The fantastic flavor of rich, cocoa-infused cake topped with luscious cream cheese frosting is like a love letter to your senses!
You will adore how easy and elegant these Red Velvet Cupcakes look on any occasion, but the real romance happens when these delicious treats fly off the platter!
Make these crimson darlings for someone special to show them how scrumptious true love can be!
🥘 Ingredients
- Sugar: Granulated sugar gives sweetness and texture to these colorful cakes.
- Eggs: Fresh eggs make the cupcakes airy and rich.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is a perfect choice for this easy recipe!
- Canola or Sunflower Oil: To keep this cake batter lusciously smooth, liquid fat is needed. Use a neutral-flavored vegetable-based oil, like canola or sunflower.
- Milk: A little dairy in the cake batter makes it creamy and smooth. You can opt to use lactose-free or non-dairy milk as needed.
- Liquid Red Food Coloring: For the distinctive red that makes these cupcakes so eye-catching!
- Baking Powder: This will help your delicious sponge cakes rise with a nice fluffy chew.
- White Chocolate: You will need white chocolate to punch up the sweet, spongy cupcake batter and an extra helping of white chocolate (preferably couverture) to add flavor to the frosting.
- Butter: This makes the indulgent base of the easy cream cheese frosting. Choose unsalted butter, and remember to allow it to soften before using.
- Cream Cheese: This soft cheese gives the frosting an unbelievable texture and deliciously tangy yet sweet flavor. You can opt for low-fat cream cheese to make a lighter take.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar gives the frosting body and sweetness
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step One: Beat the room-temperature eggs with a mixer at maximum speed while slowly adding the sugar.
Step Two: Once fluffy, add the oil, red food coloring, milk, baking powder, and flour. Mix until well combined.
Step Three: Pour the batter into the cupcake cups, about ⅔ full. Chop the white chocolate and add a few chips to each cupcake.
Step Four: Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C / 375 F for about 20 minutes.
Step Five: Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
Step Six: To prepare the frosting, gently melt the white chocolate and allow it to cool to lukewarm. Remember to stir it so it doesn’t solidify.
Step Seven: Beat the butter until fluffy, then add the cream cheese and mix well. Stir in the cooled white chocolate.
Step Eight: Pour the cream into the pastry bag, pipe it on the cooled cupcakes, then enjoy your delicious handiwork!
🥛 Substitutions
To make a more decadent version of this cake, trade the canola oil for melted butter, or swap the milk for heavy cream. Both of these swaps add a little extra rich dairy flavor.
🍫 Variations
- Chocolate Paradise: If you love all kinds of chocolate, mix up the recipe by swapping the white chocolate in the batter for dark, milk, or a mixture of chocolate to make craveable cocoa cupcakes!
- Craveable Colors: If you want to make an even more vibrant version of these cakes, add a little food coloring to the tasty cream cheese frosting. Try adding blue for the Fourth of July or green for red and green Christmas treats!
🍽 Equipment
- Paper Cupcake Cups: Have fun with the cupcake liners and choose a color or print that suits the occasion!
- Cupcake Pan
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowl: A large mixing bowl is ideal.
- Double Boiler: You can alternatively melt the chocolate in the microwave, just be careful not to overheat it.
- Piping Bag With A Star Tip
💭 Top tips
Even when working with an electric mixer, remember to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time. This ensures that every important ingredient is fully incorporated.
🙋🏻 FAQ
These sweet cakes are light, spongy, and nicely tangy from frosting which makes them the ideal sweet snack or playful dessert. Try them with a nice hot coffee or hot chocolate. Sweeten the deal with some sparkling wine for the ultimate romantic dessert pairing!
Leftover red velvet cupcakes can be stored in a covered cupcake container or food storage container. For the freshest flavor, keep them in a cool spot on the counter for up to 2 days.
Yes! You can freeze these tiny, tasty cakes! Simply bake and cool the cupcakes, then wrap each cake in plastic. Place them in a freezer-safe bag, seal, label, and freeze for up to three months.
Thaw the frozen cupcakes in the fridge overnight and then frost them as directed.
Other Recipes for You to Try
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Loaf Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Sacher Cake
- Double Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Coconut Pound Cake
- Spelt Cake
- Old-fashioned Whipping Cream Bundt Cake
- 3 Ingredient Yogurt Cake
- 6 Egg White Chocolate Cake
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Red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting
Equipment
- Paper cupcake cups
- Cupcake/muffin rack
- Hand or stand mixer
- Double boiler
Ingredients
Ingredients Red Velvet Sponge
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 6 tbsp Canola or sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp Liquid red food coloring
- 4 tbsp Milk
- ½ tbsp Baking powder
- 6 tbsp Cake Flour
- 1.25 oz White chocolate
Ingredients Frosting
- ¾ cup White chocolate couverture
- ¼ tbsp Butter room temperature
- ¾ cup Cream cheese
Instructions
- Beat 1 Egg with a mixer on maximum speed while adding 5 tbsp Sugar (spoon-by-spoon) until it gets fluffy.1 Egg, 5 tbsp Sugar
- Then, add 6 tbsp Canola or sunflower oil1 tbsp Liquid red food coloring, 4 tbsp Milk, ½ tbsp Baking powder, and 6 tbsp Cake Flour. When everything is combined, pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 2/3 so they don’t spill when we bake them.6 tbsp Canola or sunflower oil, 1 tbsp Liquid red food coloring, 4 tbsp Milk, ½ tbsp Baking powder, 6 tbsp Cake Flour
- Chop 1.25 oz White chocolate and put a few chips on top of every muffin.1.25 oz White chocolate
- Put the filled muffin cups in a muffin rack or a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C / 375 F for about 20 minutes, depending on the oven.
- While the cupcakes are cooling down, start with the cream cheese frosting.
- Melt ¾ cup White chocolate couverture in a bain-marie, microwave, or using a tempering device, and let it cool until it is just lukewarm (about 68 °F / 20 °C). Stir again and again so that the chocolate does not become solid.¾ cup White chocolate couverture
- Meanwhile, beat ¼ tbsp Butter until fluffy, then add ¾ cup Cream cheese and mix well. Finally, add the lukewarm white chocolate and stir in.¼ tbsp Butter, ¾ cup Cream cheese
- Pour the cream into a pastry bag with a star-shaped nozzle and pipe it on the cupcakes.
Nutrition
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling – FDA.
My daughter always makes me Red Velvet Cake for my birthday. I will pass this recipe along to her. These cupcakes are perfect for celebrations.
These red velvet cupcakes are so inviting and decadent! It’s nice to finally find a red velvet recipe which doesn’t require me to run out and purchase buttermilk. Definitely whipping up a batch of these for my family’s Valentine’s day celebration.
I like that you made red velvet cupcakes without buttermilk. I have only seen the recipe with them. This is going to be in my valentine menu.
The red velvet cupcakes were moist and perfect in flavor. I loved the combination with the white chocolate frosting. So good. I just had to eat two….
So so good! Perfect for the upcoming holiday! Thanks for sharing!