Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Maybe it’s just me, but I think these Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and a Mini Cupcake Garnish are completely adorable.

Yet, the “adorable-ness” (is that actually a word?) is understated enough that you can get away with it.

We’ve decorated these for Valentine’s Day, but they are delicious anytime!

A red velvet cupcake iced with cream cheese frosting topped with sprinkles and a frosted mini peanut butter cup.

Red velvet cupcakes are irresistible

Red velvet cupcakes are a classic dessert and for good reason – they are irresistible!

This particular recipe is my personal favorite because it is simple to make, yet the end result is always impressive.

The ingredients are basic, but when combined create a flavor that is both unique and delicious.

Be sure to top your cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for the perfect finishing touch!

You can even add a “mini cupcake” that’s really a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup topped with frosting for fun and a delightful presentation!

What is red velvet anyway?

Red velvet cupcakes are a classic dessert that originated in the southern United States.

The unique flavor of red velvet cupcakes comes from a combination of cocoa powder and buttermilk.

These cupcakes are often topped with cream cheese frosting and decorated with chocolate sprinkles or shavings.

Red velvet cupcakes make great gifts

And these cupcakes are so delicious that even if your Valentine rolls his or her eyes a little, they will still smile happily when they get a mouthful of that sweet red velvet goodness.

Valentine’s Day is fun, but let’s face it – it can be a bit too much sometimes.

For one thing – people often spend way too much money on expensive dinners, flowers, and gifts.

It’s gotten to where people feel obligated to overdo it.

And hey, if that’s your thing – have fun.

But there’s a lot to be said for home-made gifts, too.

And as much as I love a fancy dinner, if my Valentine surprised me with a plate full of these cute cupcakes, I’d be completely blown away.

And I’d definitely smile after I tasted one.

These Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes with Mini Cupcakes look like a cupcake gift offering you another cupcake gift.

Best of all, those tiny “cupcakes” are actually mini peanut butter cups.

Moist, sweet, and delicious – these cupcakes are easy to put together – and even easier to eat!

Ingredients:

While these cupcakes are decorated for Valentine’s Day, you can easily choose a different type of sprinkles and a different color of gel food coloring  to serve them for another occasion.

For example, you can easily decorate these for the 4th of July or Christmas using seasonal colors and sprinkles.

They are also great for birthday parties too!

Ingredients to make the cupcakes:

  • 2½ cups flour
  • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup butter, soft, plus 4 tbsp.
  • ¼ cup softened shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 TBSP Red Velvet extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp. Red gel food color

What you need to make the cream cheese frosting:

  • 1 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4-6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • Pink gel food coloring

You will also need these to decorate the cupcakes:

  • 22 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, foil unwrapped
  • Pink and white heart sprinkles
  • 1 medium piping bag fitted with #17 tip
  • 1 large piping bag fitted with large star tip

How to make the Red Velvet Cupcakes from scratch:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together.

Using a standing mixer, beat together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.

Mix in the egg, vanilla, red velvet extract and red gel food coloring until combined.

Alternating between the dry ingredients and milk, gradually mix in the both ingredients into the mixture until combined.

Scoop batter into the cupcake pans, filling 3/4 of the way.

Bake in the oven for 21 minutes.

Allow to cool completely.

An unfrosted red velvet cupcake in a red cupcake wrapper.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream until smooth and stiff peaks form.

Measure 1 C of frosting into a bowl and mix in two drops of pink gel food coloring.

Scoop the pink frosting into the medium piping bag.

Scoop the remaining cream cheese frosting into the large piping bag.

How to decorate the cupcakes:

Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle some pink and white heart sprinkles.

In process shot of how to frost a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

Unwrap the foil from Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Frost the peanut butter cups with the pink frosting.

In process shot of how to frost a mini peanut butter cup with cream cheese frosting.

Sprinkle some pink and white hearts on the frosting.

Carefully place into the top center of the white frosting.

Enjoy!

Different ways to make red velvet cupcakes

Red Velvet cupcakes are a classic dessert that can be made in many different ways.

Why not put a unique spin on this classic treat? 

The first thing you can do is experiment with different colors of the food gel coloring.

You can make a gorgeous blue velvet cake, or an orange one for Halloween, or a green one for St. Patrick’s day.

You can make so many different colors.

The other thing you can do is add a filling.

Scoop out a bit of the cupcake and then fill the hole with either frosting, fruit compote, jam, or even something like Nutella! 

Speaking of Nutella, red velvet cakes and cupcakes taste delicious with Nutella frosting.

And of course, a white chocolate frosting tastes great too!

But my favorite will always be the homemade cream cheese frosting.

And I like it really thick. Decadent!

More cupcake and cake recipes to enjoy

Love cupcakes and cakes?

We have some more fun cupcakes and cake recipes for different occasions you may enjoy too!

Baby Shark Cupcakes

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

White Texas Sheet Cake

Russian Apple Sharlotka Cake

Black Forest Dump Cake made in the Instant Pot

Pumpkin Pudding Cake

The Dowager Countess’s Cherry and Peach Trifle (inspired by Downton Abbey)

Red Velvet Poke Cake

Slow Cooker Gingerbread Cake

try it and share!

Please let us know how you enjoy our Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes with Chocolate Mini Cupcakes recipe.

A frosted red velvet cupcake on a white plate with pink sprinkles and a frosted mini peanut butter cup.

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Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Jennifer Quisenberry
Making red velvet cupcakes from scratch is so easy with our step by step instructions. In fact, we’ve decorated these cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, but you can decorate them for any occasion. They are so moist, that everyone will ask you to make your Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes with Chocolate Mini Cupcakes an annual event.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Decorating 10 minutes
Total Time 41 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 22
Calories 371 kcal

Equipment

  • Cupcake Pans
  • 2 Mixing Bowl
  • Measuring Cup
  • Measuring Spoon
  • Whisk
  • Mixer We used a stand mixer, but a hand mixer will work fine.
  • Scoop
  • 1 medium piping bag fitted with #17 tip
  • 1 large piping bag fitted with large star tip

Ingredients
  

Ingredients to make the cupcakes:

  • cups flour
  • 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
  • tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ cup butter soft, plus 4 tbsp.
  • ¼ cup softened shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 TBSP Red Velvet extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp. Red gel food color

What you need to make the Cream cheese frosting:

  • 1 C unsalted sweet cream butter softened
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
  • 4 C powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 4-6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • Pink gel food coloring

Additional Ingredients to decorate the cupcakes:

  • 22 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups foil unwrapped
  • Pink and white heart sprinkles

Instructions
 

How to make the Red Velvet Cupcakes from scratch:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pan with liners.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together.
    2½ cups flour, 1 tbsp. cocoa powder, 1½ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. salt
  • Using a standing mixer, beat together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.
    ½ cup butter, ¼ cup softened shortening, 1 cup sugar
  • Mix in the egg, vanilla, red velvet extract and red gel food coloring until combined.
    1 egg, 1 TBSP Red Velvet extract, 1 tbsp. Red gel food color
  • Alternating between the dry ingredients and milk, Gradually mix in the both ingredients into the mixture until combined.
  • Scoop batter into the cupcake pans, filling 3/4 of the way.
  • Bake in the oven for 21 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • Using a stand mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy whipping cream until smooth and stiff peaks form.
    1 tsp. vanilla, 1 C unsalted sweet cream butter, 4 oz cream cheese, 4 C powdered sugar, 4-6 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • Measure 1 C of frosting into a bowl and mix in two drops of pink gel food coloring.
    Pink gel food coloring
  • Scoop the pink frosting into the medium piping bag.
  • Scoop the remaining cream cheese frosting into the large piping bag.

How to decorate the cupcakes:

  • Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle some pink and white heart sprinkles.
    Pink and white heart sprinkles
  • Unwrap the foil from Reese’s peanut butter cups.
    22 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
  • Frost the peanut butter cups with the pink frosting.
  • Sprinkle some pink and white hearts on the frosting.
    Pink and white heart sprinkles
  • Carefully place into the top center of the white frosting.

Notes

Making red velvet cupcakes from scratch is so easy with our step by step instructions. In fact, we’ve decorated these cupcakes for Valentine’s Day, but you can decorate them for any occasion. They are so moist, that everyone will ask you to make your Red Velvet Valentine Cupcakes with Chocolate Mini Cupcakes an annual event.

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal
Keyword Red Velvet Cupcake with Mini Cupcake, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Valentine Cupcakes
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