Red velvet Easter cupcakes

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Anne's Easter cupcake recipe is the perfect springtime bake. A delicious red velvet sponge is topped with cream cheese frosting and, of course, a crowning glory mini egg to keep things special. For other bakes, check out our Easter baking recipe collection.

First published in 2015

If you ask me, Easter baking calls for fresh, springtime colours! While I tend to keep my Easter colour palette in soft pastel tones, I like to make these red velvet cupcakes to add a dash red to the mix.

I don’t add too much red colouring to my cupcakes, so if you prefer a brighter coloured cupcake, just add more to the batter.

On that note, just a word of warning regarding the red food colouring: make sure the colouring is “bake stable”, as I've used some before that is not - and they turned out brown instead!

These red velvet cupcakes are made with a super moist cake base – the trick is to use warm coffee in the batter, which keeps it nice and moist while baking. I’ve topped the cupcakes with a classic cream cheese frosting and decorated them with a mini chocolate egg – to make them the perfect Easter treat.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cupcakes

  • 130g of plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
  • 10g of vanilla sugar
  • 90g of caster sugar
  • 120ml of sunflower oil
  • 1 egg
  • 120g of buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 60ml of coffee, hot
  • 3 1/2 tsp red food colouring, bake-safe

Frosting

  • 15g of butter
  • 30g of cream cheese
  • 120g of icing sugar
  • mini chocolate eggs, for decorating

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
2
In a bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder
3
In another bowl, mix the sugar with the oil. Add the egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract, white wine vinegar and coffee and whisk until smooth
4
Add the flour mix in batches and whisk until smooth. Add the food colouring and mix. Add more if you want it a brighter red
5
Pour the batter into 10 lined cupcake cases and bake for 18 minutes. Transfer onto a wire rack to cool
6
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Cut the butter into little cubes, and then using an electric whisk, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the icing sugar in 3 parts, but hand beat the mixture at first (otherwise you end up covered in icing sugar dust). Once that is all in and mixed, carry on using the electric whist until any lumps have gone from the icing. Put in the fridge to set for 30 minutes
7
Fill the icing into a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Top with mini chocolate eggs
First published in 2015

Originally from Luxembourg, Anne is a food journalist, photographer and broadcaster. She has worked as a restaurant critic for TimeOut London and now presents her her own cookery TV show.

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