Softest Red Velvet Cupcakes

These cupcakes are so moist, bursting with flavour, and are topped with the most incredible cream cheese frosting. Start by preheating your oven to 160 degrees Celsius and prepare a cupcake pan by lining it with the cupcake liners. Set that aside and move on to the cupcakes. Start off by sifting together your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

One and a quarter cups of all-purpose flour, one and a half tablespoons of cornflour/ cornstarch, one and a half tablespoons of cocoa powder, a quarter teaspoon of baking soda, half a teaspoon of baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Use a whisk to combine the dry ingredients together and set it aside for later. In another bowl add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, a third of a cup of unflavoured vegetable oil and one cup of white granulated sugar.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream that together on medium speed for about 2 minutes or so or until it’s light and creamy. Add two eggs one at a time mixing well in between each addition to make sure the egg is well incorporated. Next, add half a tablespoon of vanilla extract, three-quarters of a teaspoon of white vinegar and one and three-quarters of a tablespoon of red liquid food colouring.

Mix it all together until it’s well combined. The next step is folding the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and gently fold in with a spatula until it’s almost combined. Once that is in add a third of a cup of buttermilk and fold it until just combined then add the remaining dry ingredients and fold it through until just combined.

Distribute the batter evenly into the cupcake liners about half the way up then bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. Once baked, remove them from the pan and place them onto a wire rack to completely cool. For the frosting, add half a cup of butter in a mixing bowl and cream it until very smooth and light this should take about 4 minutes.

Add two and a quarter cups of icing sugar in three batches, add a third first and mix then add your next third and mix until it’s combined then add the rest. Lastly, add three-quarters of a cup of cold cream cheese and three-quarters of a tablespoon of vanilla and three-quarters of a cup of fresh lemon juice and just mix that together until it’s nice and smooth.

Add the cream buttercream in a piping bag then make holes at the centre of each cupcake and fill them with the cream. These cupcakes come out soft and delicious and the cream cheese frosting just goes perfectly well with the red velvet.

Ingredients;

Red Velvet Cupcakes;

1¼ cups (150 g/ 5.3Oz) flour – regular, all-purpose
1½ tbsp (9 g) cornflour – also known as cornstarch
1½ tbsp (7 g) cocoa powder – unsweetened
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt – omit if using salted butter
3 tbsp (43 g/ 1.5Oz) unsalted butter – room temperature
⅓ cup (70 g/ 2.5Oz) unflavoured vegetable oil
1 cup (200 g/ 7Oz) white sugar
2 large eggs – room temperature
½ tbsp vanilla essence/extract
¾ tsp white vinegar
1¾ tbsp red liquid food colour
⅓ cup buttermilk – room temperature

Bake at 160 °C (320°F) with the fan on. If your oven doesn’t have a fan option, then you will need to increase the baking temperature to 175°C (347°F).

Cream Cheese Buttercream;