Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're making a red velvet cupcake recipe that can serve just two people or twelve people! The small-batch recipe makes just 4 cupcakes, while the large batch recipe makes one dozen. You might want to make a full-size batch of the cream cheese frosting, though, because it's incredible!

I've been making this red velvet cupcake recipe quite a bite lately. They are even on the menu for a sweet friend's wedding in a few months! This leads me to believe that my red velvet cupcake recipe is worthy of an update on this site.
Make no mistake: the recipe from 2017 is flawless, if I do say so myself. The little redo I'm referring to is the photos. A cupcake as sweet as this one deserves a photo that makes them look as delicious as they taste.
Can I count the reasons my red velvet cupcake recipe needs to make it into your repertoire? For one, I'm Southern, and I think I know what I'm doing with red velvet. Red velvet contains a touch of cocoa powder and buttermilk, and if you see a recipe without either one of those ingredients, slowly back away.
How to Make this Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe:
The recipe only makes 4 cupcakes, so you won't have to face the extra calories of the leftovers. Not only can you decorate with mini chocolate chips, but you can stir ¼ cup into the batter if you want an extra chocolate kick. My friend from St. Louis taught me this trick, and I love the pop of chocolate!
The Ingredients
- Oil. Any type of neutral oil without flavor works here: vegetable oil, canola oil, grappled oil, or avocado oil. Do not use coconut oil.
- Sugar. White granulated sugar.
- Buttermilk. It's essential to buy low fat buttermilk from the store for this recipe. I don't recommend making homemade buttermilk with milk and a splash of lemon juice or vinegar, because the recipe already calls for vinegar.
- Egg White. Just one egg white for 4 cupcakes. If you're tripling the recipe to make 1 dozen, use one whole egg plus one egg white. You can also use three egg whites.
- Red Food Coloring. Use the full amount of red food coloring, or half the amount if you're using gel food coloring, which is much more concentrated and intense.
- Vanilla Extract.
- White Vinegar. A small splash of vinegar is essential in making this red velvet cupcake recipe rise and become fluffy in the oven.
- Flour.
- Cocoa Powder. Yes, just 2 teaspoons for 4 cupcakes! Red velvet only has a hint of cocoa powder.
- Baking Soda.
- Salt.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Cream Cheese. Be sure to open your cream cheese and let it sit out at room temperature to fully soften before attempting to beat.
- Butter. The butter should also be softened to room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar. Also called confectioner's sugar or 10x sugar.
- Vanilla.
- Buttermilk. Use leftover from making the cupcakes to bring together the cream cheese frosting, just a splash is usually all you need.
The Instructions
- In a cupcake tin, place 4 cupcake liners on the outside edge of a muffin pan. Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, buttermilk, egg white, red food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 1 minute, until very well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, while mixing on low speed with the electric mixer.
- Divide the batter between the four cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Instructions: Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ensure all of the frosting ingredients (cream cheese and butter) are at room temperature. Beat together all of the frosting ingredients using an electric mixer, adding a splash of buttermilk, if needed to make it fluffy and spreadable. Frost cupcakes when cool.
Frequently Asked Questions:
As a Texan, I always feel the need to educate a bit on what red velvet cake is and what it is not. Red velvet cake is a buttermilk-based vanilla cake with a small amount of cocoa powder added. If a red velvet recipe does not have buttermilk in it, please, run in the other direction.
I also want to say that red velvet is not a plain white cake with food coloring added. Are we clear on that? I don’t know why that bothers me so much, but it does! I don’t want you to miss the true red velvet flavor and magic that is tangy buttermilk meets soft, tender cake with a slight touch of cocoa.
Red velvet cake recipes use an unusual chemical reaction to make the cake rise: vinegar and baking soda! As it turns out, the acidity in the vinegar allows the red food coloring to become even more vibrant while baking. The acidity of the cocoa powder comes into the reaction, too, and produces a soft and tender cake that has the texture of velvet!
For those of you that ask, YES, you may double and triple this recipe, but only under one condition: you must share.
If you double this recipe, bake it in a 6" round cake pan for a single layer red velvet cake cake. I learned this from my mom, who upon me posting this red velvet cupcake recipe, immediately doubled it to bake in a 6" cake pan. If you're doing this, I would also double the cupcake frosting recipe, and you will have enough for a single-layer cake.
Other Red Velvet Recipes:
Speaking of cake, I have a double layer red velvet cake recipe for two on this site for Valentine's Day.
Also, if you double this recipe and bake it in a single 6" cake pan, you will have enough red velvet cake to make my red velvet cake truffles! I make those several times a year--for Valentine's Day, with green food coloring for St Patricks' Day, and at Christmas!
If you're needing other red velvet recipes to use up the bottle, try my red velvet sugar cookies, too!
I think I've properly inundated you with red velvet recipes, so I'll leave you the recipe below. If you bake these red velvet cupcakes, let me know in the comments below.
Storage Tips: Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
If you wish to make this recipe ahead of time, you can! Bake the cupcakes one day ahead of time, and store at room temperature in an air-tight container. Make the frosting the day you plan to serve it, but please keep in mind that because the frosting contains dairy, it needs to be kept at food safe temperature, which is cold/ in the fridge. If you want to make and frost the cupcakes ahead of time, refrigerate them, but remove them from the fridge about 20 minutes before serving so the cupcakes soften slightly.
You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months in air-tight freezer storage containers. Cream cheese frosting can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I recommend storing it separately from the cupcakes. Thaw the frosting overnight in the fridge, and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Then, frosting the cupcakes just before serving.
Store leftover frosted cupcakes in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Red velvet cupcakes recipe that makes just 4 cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon red food coloring
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon white vinegar
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon buttermilk
Instructions
- In a cupcake tin, place 4 cupcake liners on the outside edge. Preheat the oven to 350.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the canola oil, sugar, buttermilk, egg white, red dye, vinegar, and vanilla using an electric mixer.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, while mixing.
- Divide the batter between the four cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Beat together all icing ingredients using an electric mixer. Frost cupcakes when cool.
Notes
To make more: To make 12 cupcakes, use the recipe in the card with the following amounts. For the cupcakes, ¾ cup oil, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons buttermilk, 1 whole egg PLUS 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon red food coloring (or 2 teaspoon red food gel), ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon vinegar, 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon PLUS ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt. For the frosting, 8 ounces cream cheese, ¾ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 2 teaspoons buttermilk (if needed).
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 357Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 245mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 3g
Gracie says
Hi Christina,
I started baking during quarantine and was so happy when I came across your website the other day!
I wanted to bake in small batches so I don't end up eating a whole batch of anything I bake lol!
I just wanted to ask what type of buttermilk you used for this recipe and where you bought it if possible. I've went to stores only to find buttermilk powder and wasn't sure if that's what we have to use in this recipe. This is my first time making red velvet cupcakes and I want to get the flavor right and not mess up the whole thing. I'm not the type of person to blame the recipe or the author if my baking experiment doesn't turn out right so I just wanted to ask you to make sure. If there is a substitute for the buttermilk that you can tell me about, I would greatly appreciate that too! :)
Thanks in advance!
Ps: Sorry for the long comment haha.
Christina Lane says
Hi Gracie :) Nice to meet you! I'm glad you're here.
Buttermilk is in the dairy section, next to the heavy cream and half and half. It can be hard to spot because there is only 1 or 2 brands of it. If you're out, you can use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for a scant cup of milk. Mix and let rest for 5 minutes before using.
Maine says
Hi! When making 12 cupcakes, how much butter is needed though for the frosting? Cant wait to try this recipe out!
Christina Lane says
Triple the amount called for, since the recipe makes 4 cupcakes :)
Jenny says
In the notes for the 12 cupcakes you forgot to list butter in the ingredients for frosting
Mons says
OH and is it ok to bake them straight on the muffin tin without cupcake lining?
Christina Lane says
Um...yes, but please grease the muffin tins very very well! I haven't tried this, but I don't want the cupcakes to stick to the pan for you!
chibuye sitali says
what can I use as a substitute for canola oil
Christina Lane says
vegetable oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, anything without flavor. Not coconut :)
kathryn piper says
MMM...scrumptious! These were so good!
Eunice says
Hi, thank you very much for this recipe. I made it and its by far the best Red Velvet recipe I have ever come accross, I had given up on red velvet but now I'm starting to love it. One thing I would like to ask, is it ok to add more red colour because may cake had a deep burgandy colour and I think its the type of red food colour we have in South Africa, I have never made a deep red, red velvet cake...always brownish on the edges and the interior burgandy. Please let me know if its ok to add more red. Thank you
Christina Lane says
Yes, go ahead and add an extra 1/2 teaspoon. Are you using gel or liquid dye? Gel is more vibrant.
Jenn says
Can you bake this in a 9 inch cake pan? If so, do you triple the recipe. Thanks so much :)
Christina Lane says
Yes, I believe so. I double the recipe and bake it in an 8" cake pan all the time.
Bev says
Hi Christina I love all your recipes and use them all the time. I was just wondering why you use only egg white , seeing as this is not a white cake? Can I use a whole egg in this recipe?
Christina Lane says
I recommend following the recipe as-written. I cannot guarantee results when the recipe ingredients are changed.
Patty says
I made these Red Velvet cupcakes today and these were the easiest and most delicious cupcakes and perfect for celebrating my son's birthday. His favorite cake is Red Velvet, but as adults, four of us, a cake is a lot to eat. With these cupcakes, we got the same deliciousness in a small quantity. I piped some icing inside the cupcake as well as on top of the cupcake to be more layer cake like. Yum! I glad I found your website. Thank you.