The moist tender, moist, stunningly red cupcakes with gooey, cream cheese frosting and chocolate covered strawberries on top.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cupcakes for a crowd, red velvet cupcakes, red velvet with cream cheese frosting
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 21 minutesminutes
Assemble 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour6 minutesminutes
Servings 24cupcakes
Calories 354kcal
Author Lauren
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
½cupplus 1 tablespoon shortening
1 ½cupsugar
2eggs
1fluid ouncered food coloring
2heaping tablespoons cocoa
1cupbuttermilk
2 ¼cupcake flour
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonvinegar
Cream Cheese Frosting
28-ounce packagescream cheesesoftened but still cool
1stickunsalted buttersoftened but still cool, see notes
1teaspoonvanilla bean paste
4cupconfectioner's sugar
Strawberries
1pintfresh strawberries
1cupGhiradelli white chocolate melts
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare cupcake tins with paper liners.
In a standing mixer or mixing bowl with handheld electric mixer, cream shortening, sugar and eggs.
In a small bowl, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of buttermilk to cocoa powder.** Stir to make a paste and add to the mixer on low speed.
Add half the buttermilk, then half the flour to the mixing bowl on low speed. Add salt, then remaining buttercream, then remaining flour.
Increase speed to medium-low. Add vanilla and mix to incorporate, scraping down sides if needed.
In a small bowl, add soda to vinegar. Add to the mixer and incorporate.
Bake for 18-21 minutes. (If using the toothpick method to check doneness, it's ok if there are a few crumbs clinging to the toothpick).
For the Frosting:
In a standing mixer, beat together cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined. Scrape down sides and bowl of the bowl half way through.
Add vanilla bean paste and mix on medium-low to incorporate.
On low speed, add confectioner's sugar one cup at a time. After the addition of the last cup, raise speed to medium for 20-30 seconds.
Transfer frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
For the Strawberries:
Wash and dry strawberries. Line up on parchment paper, baking sheet or cutting board.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate on low stirring every 15 seconds until smooth and melted.
Transfer to a small piping bag or plastic bag and cut a small tip off.
Drizzle strawberries with melted chocolate. Let cool before topping the frosted cupcakes.
Notes
For thicker, sweeter frosting leave out the butter. If traveling with the cupcakes, refrigerate to stiffen frosting before your journey!
In a standard red velvet cake recipe, a paste is made from the food coloring and cocoa. Because this recipe calls for a reduced amount of food coloring, make a paste using buttermilk.