Easy Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes
These Easy Eggless Red Velvet Cupcakes are tender, light, and moist and delicious all at once!! They are super easy to whip up for your next get-together. Perfect for crowded birthday parties and school celebrations.
Servings 16 cupcakes
Calories 437kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 1 ¾ cups (245 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk (you can substitute with any plant milk you like)
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) red food color (see notes)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz (226 g)cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 4 cups (480 g) confectioners' sugar, more if needed
Instructions
Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350º F (180º C). Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine milk and vinegar. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy and pale on medium-high speed, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed and pale, scraping down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Then add oil and vanilla; continue beating to combine, about 1 minute.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 30 – 45 seconds. Add the food coloring and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly among liners, about 3/4 full each.
- Bake for 18 - 22 minutes on the same shelf, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool pan on wire racks for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan, place back on the rack, and cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
Frosting:
- In a large bowl, beat with an electric mixer the softened cream cheese and butter on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until smooth and creamy.
- Stir in salt and vanilla; mix to incorporate. Then stir in confectioners' sugar; beat on low speed for 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 4 - 5 minutes until the frosting is smooth, fluffy, and spreadable, scraping down the bowl once or twice. If the frosting is too thick, add one tablespoon of milk. If it's too thin, you can add more confectioners' sugar.
Decorate:
- Spread or pipe frosting evenly on cupcakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Store: Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for three days. Frosted cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Let cupcakes cool COMPLETELY. Wrap cupcakes tightly in plastic wrap. Then, place individually wrapped cupcakes in a plastic double zipper quart freezer bag. To defrost, unwrap cupcakes and bring them to room temperature. Frost to your liking.
Make-Ahead: Cupcakes can be made one day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made one day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Mini Cupcakes: if you want to make these cupcakes in a mini cupcake tin instead of a regular tin, use mini paper liners and bake them for around 10-12 minutes. Check the cupcakes for about 10 minutes. You can test for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the center of a cupcake. If it comes out clean, they are done.
Flour: You can use self-rising flour if that is what you have handy. In that case, omit the baking powder and salt called in the recipe.
Food Color: Gel food coloring has a higher concentration of color than liquid coloring, meaning that you can use less to reach the color you want. This also means that you are not adding extra liquid to the recipe. I mostly use AmeriColor gel food coloring. The amount of color you need to add depends on the brand of food color you are using; add till your batter turns a nice red. I used around one teaspoon.
Gluten-Free: Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. This is my favorite brand.
Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based milk, dairy-free, or vegan butter. Make sure to use an unflavored, unsweetened variety of non-dairy milk. Soy and oat milk have the best consistency and very neutral flavors.
My favorite dairy-free butter brands for baking are:
Extra Tips:
- Measure the ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Preheat the oven at least 15 minutes before you get started to give it plenty of time to reach the ideal recipe temperature.
- Right temperature butter is KEY! Softened butter should easily bend without breaking and will give slightly when pressed. If your finger sinks into the butter and looks oily, it’s way too soft.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Instead, mix just until you’ve evenly distributed the ingredients throughout the batter.
- Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full. If you overfill the liners, they won't rise properly.
- Bake the cupcakes as soon as the batter is ready.
- Don't open the oven door until the cupcakes have set. Leave the oven closed until the minimum time stated in the recipe.
- Every oven is different, so baking times always have to be taken with a grain of salt. Oven thermostats can be wildly off, and that will all affect baking time, so keep an eye on yours. The cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 77mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 745IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.4mg