High Altitude Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red velvet cake is something I love to bake for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The striking contrast of the red cake with the creamy white buttercream is just so gorgeous. My high altitude recipe for red velvet cupcakes makes the most delicious, soft and moist cupcakes that hint at a subtle cocoa flavor. With a swirl of cream cheese buttercream, they’re simply irresistible.

Looking for more cupcake recipes? You’ll love these spiced peach vanilla cupcakes, chocolate coconut cupcakes, and cookies and cream cupcakes.

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What is Red Velvet?

Red velvet cupcakes are buttermilk-based cupcakes that have a moist, fine “velvety” crumb and a flavor that subtly hints at chocolate, but not overwhelmingly so. And the sweet and tangy cream cheese buttercream is perfectly complementary to the soft cake.

Traditionally, red velvet cake and cupcakes didn’t contain any food coloring. Natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) reacted with the acid in the buttermilk and vinegar to create a red hue and velvety texture. These days, most people help the color along with a few drops of red gel food coloring.

Red velvet isn’t meant to taste like chocolate, so it contains very little cocoa powder. I’ve found that I prefer a bit more cocoa powder in mine, and while many recipes only use two tablespoons of cocoa in the cake, I use four tablespoons.  This little difference adds a really beautiful depth of flavor to the cake, as well as masks the flavor of the food coloring, without transforming it into a chocolate cake.

Baking at High Altitude

I test all of my recipes at Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. When baking red velvet cupcakes for high altitude, it’s important to understand what happens during the baking process. And since most recipes are written for sea-level bakers, high altitude bakers need to make a few adjustments for perfect results.

As elevation rises, air pressure falls. And the lower air pressure has two main effects on baked goods:

Problem #1: Baked Goods Rise More Quickly

When baked goods rise too quickly, the pressure on the cell walls of batters will collapse, causing fallen, sunken cakes and overflowing batters. And since the leavening is occurring faster, the gas bubbles can create irregular air pockets in the batter, resulting in a coarse texture.

Problem #2: Baked Goods Lose Moisture Faster

Liquids evaporate more quickly since water boils at lower temperatures at high altitude. The quicker evaporation can also make cakes and baked goods more prone to sticking. Sugar becomes more concentrated, making a gummy cake. Cakes become dry and crumbly.

The Solution

If you’re trying to convert a recipe from sea level to high altitude (or vice versa), it can sometimes take a few tries to get it right. I like this chart by King Arthur Baking, as it has some helpful guidelines on how to make specific adjustments for each ingredient. In general, though, these are the adjustments you’ll need to make.

• Increase the Flour. Increasing the flour strengthens the cell walls of the batter.
• Increase the Liquid. Since moisture loss occurs more quickly, additional liquid is needed to ensure the cake is moist.
• Decrease the Sugar. Decreasing the sugar reduces excessive spreading of cookies and gummy texture in cakes and baked goods.
• Decrease the Leavening. Decreasing the baking powder or baking soda relieves the pressure on the cell walls of the batter, allowing it to rise more evenly and slowly.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Cake Flour. Cake flour makes for a more tender red velvet cupcake than all-purpose flour.
• Granulated Sugar. Sweetness and moisture.
• Cocoa Powder. A little unsweetened, Dutch-processed cocoa powder adds a hint of chocolate flavor. Traditionally, the acid in the cocoa powder is what turned red velvet cupcakes red.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Baking Soda. Leavens the cupcakes, making them rise.
• Buttermilk. Moisture and acidity.
• Vinegar. A little extra acidity from the vinegar makes these cupcakes even more tender and light.
• Vegetable Oil. Moisture. Oil-based cupcakes tend to be lighter and fluffier than butter-based cakes and cupcakes.
• Eggs. Adds structure to the cake batter.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Red Food Coloring. Use a “super red” gel food coloring for concentrated color.

TIP: Be careful not to overfill the cupcake liners with too much batter. We’re not making muffins here, and muffin tops are never welcome on pretty little cupcakes.

Instructions

If you’re looking for an easy cupcake to make, it doesn’t get quicker or simpler than these red velvet cupcakes. There’s nothing more required than just sifting together the dry ingredients and whisking them together with the liquid ingredients. Then the batter is ready to be baked into cupcakes!

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line your muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda to remove any lumps. Whisk until well combined.
• Separately, whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add 3-4 drops of red gel food coloring. The red color will darken once you mix it with the dry ingredients.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and whisk for about 15-20 seconds until mostly smooth. The batter will be thin.
• Measure a scant 1/4 cup of batter into each of the cupcake liners, being careful not to overfill them – they should be about 2/3 full.
• Bake the cupcakes on the center oven rack for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when gently touched.
• Cool the cupcakes in the pans for several minutes, then use a spoon to gently lift them out. Set the cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

Making the Buttercream

Cream cheese frosting is a favorite on red velvet cupcakes. Cream cheese is very soft, and notoriously difficult for cake decorating. But the trick to making a cream cheese buttercream that’s thick enough to hold its shape for piping onto cupcakes, is to use half cream cheese and half butter. In addition, I add more powdered sugar to cream cheese buttercream than I do to my standard buttercream recipe, which helps thicken and stabilize the frosting.

You’ll need a stand mixer for the buttercream, since you’ll need to first beat the butter with the cream cheese until combined. Then add powdered sugar, meringue powder (for stability), and salt (balances the sweetness). Lastly, a touch of vanilla bean paste. Then whip the buttercream for several minutes until light and fluffy. You may need to add a little milk if it’s too thick, or you may not need any.

Use a small icing spatula or a piping bag to frost the cupcakes. You won’t be able to resist sampling one as soon as they’re frosted!

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use the red food coloring?

You don’t have to, but your cupcakes won’t be a vivid red without some food coloring. There are many natural food dyes available, though, made from plants and beet powder.

Why is there cocoa powder in red velvet?

The reaction between the cocoa powder and the acidity in the buttermilk contributes to the red color of these cupcakes. The amount of cocoa powder is very little, though, and does not make these taste like chocolate cupcakes.

How many cupcakes does this recipe make?

About 30 cupcakes. It’s easy to cut this recipe in half, as well, if you only need 15 cupcakes.

Can I bake this recipe as a layer cake or a sheet cake?

Yes, the recipe works perfectly for both.

What piping tip did you use for the buttercream?

2D.

Do these cupcakes need to be refrigerated?

Yes, since there’s cream cheese frosting, you should store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator, in an airtight container. Let come to room temperature for about 1 hour before serving.

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