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Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

by Savoring Italy

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Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect Christmas dessert! The cream cheese frosting simply melts in your mouth while the crushed up candy canes give it a festive crunch!

Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting was a fun baking project I did with my daughter! These Double Chocolate Cupcakes were what we were thinking of baking. Instead we explored red velvet. Let’s talk a little about where the red velvet came from!!

Red Velvet Cake is a cake whose origins is full of mystery. I like a good mystery. I like a good cake! Was it invented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City? Was it invented in the South? Was it invented in Canada? (YES, maybe in Canada!No offense to my Canadian friend;) When was it invented?

The cake shows up in newspaper recipes from at least 1959. In 1961, one Canadian newspaper advertised the “new” Red Velvet Cake available at Eaton’s. Some have doubted that New York’s Waldorf-Astoria ever served the cake. The red cake was associated with the Waldorf in 1959. An urban myth (similar to the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe myth),  states that the Waldorf had charged hundreds of dollars for the recipe, so a customer took on her own revenge and distributed the recipe via chain mail.

The famous annual Pillsbury Bake-Off cooking contests were held at the Waldorf in the 1950s, and it’s possible that the Red Velvet Cake was popularized at one of these contests. Waldorf-Astoria Cake recipes appeared in newspapers in the early 1950s, but this cake was different from the Red Velvet Cake. All red velvet cakes have specific ingredients in common: white vinegar, buttermilk and baking soda. The reaction of the vinegar to the buttermilk is said to bring out the red in the cocoa powder.

The New York Times did an article on the cake titled, So Naughty, So Nice. This is how they describe the cake: “It’s a cake that can stop traffic. The layers are an improbable red that can vary from a fluorescent pink to a dark ruddy mahogany. The color, often enhanced by buckets of food coloring, becomes even more eye-catching set against clouds of snowy icing, like a slash of glossy lipstick framed by platinum blond curls. Even the name has a vampy allure: red velvet.”

A red velvet cake was featured in the 1989 film Steel Magnolias, which led to a great resurgence of Southerners recreating the recipe for themselves. The armadillo-shaped red velvet cake served as a groom’s cake for one of the film’s main character. In 2002, the Red Velvet cake became even more popular when Jessica Simpson served a towering hexagonal version at her wedding to Nick Lachey. I admit it…I cried when they broke up!! Did you?

The color is stunning! The deep red color of the cake contrasting with a fluffy, snowy white icing is a little naughty… and oh so nice!

I made these cupcakes this weekend with my daughter. We stained the kitchen. Just a little bit. We forgot to wear our cute French country chicken aprons again! Then we shared a few with my neighbors. They were REALLY excited. And those greedy neighbors asked for more! The crushed candy canes on top make it, “Taste like Christmas.” I agree with my daughter. These Red Velvet Cupcakes taste like Christmas. Make it without the crushed candy canes any time of the year! But for the holidays, the candy canes make them a little extra special!

 

**You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar to milk and letting it stand for about 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Saveur

 

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Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Christmas Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect Christmas dessert! The cream cheese frosting simply melts in your mouth while the crushed up candy canes give it a festive crunch!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time18 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cupcakes, red velvet
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Author: Lora

Ingredients

  • CUPCAKES
  • 1 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick of butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 2 1/3 cups of cake flour*
  • 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 cup of buttermilk**
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of red food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar
  • FROSTING
  • 1/2 cup of butter 1 stick, room temperature
  • 8 oz of Philly cream cheese 1 package, room temperature
  • 2 - 3 cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1-2 regular sized candy canes crushed
  • colored sprinkles optional

Instructions

  • CUPCAKES
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer for 3 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla extract, and red food coloring *(it will fizz!).
  • Add a fourth of the dry ingredients and mix, then add a third of the wet. Continue adding in a dry, wet, dry pattern, ending with the dry ingredients.
  • Scoop into cupcake papers (I use an ice-cream scoop), about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes of baking to ensure even baking.
  • Allow to cool for one minute in the pan then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cupcakes.
  • FROSTING
  • Cream the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
  • Add the vanilla extract and mix.
  • Add the powdered sugar, continually taste to get to desired sweetness. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Notes

To sift or not to sift the flour?  Rose Levy Beranbaum (author of The Cake Bible) says that the main reason for sifting is to separate and aerate the flour particles to make them absorb liquids better. Sometimes I sift. And sometimes I whisk with my handy-dandy whisk. It's up to you .
You should definitely be aware that it will be messy! I mean, messy red batter kind of messy! It may splatter. If you like your clothes you have on that day: wear an apron!  Be sure to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula while you mix. Since all ovens are different, make sure you check the cupcakes a little early.  Mine were ready in under 20 minutes. Yours may be done sooner, or a minute or two longer.
Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!

Enjoy the cupcakes with your sweetheart. Your neighbor. Your cute kid. By yourselfWinking smile!

 

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Comments

  3. veggietestkitchen says

    Oh, THAT's why I'm seeing so many red velvet cupcake postings. Good to know =) These look fantastic. What a nice way to enjoy the weekend with your daughter. What does sifting the cake flour do?

    Reply

  5. Roxan says

    Red velvet is mysterious indeed. I read somewhere that the cream cheese frosting that we see paired with it so often not is actually not the traditional frosting for red velvet! supposedly it's just regular good ol' vanilla buttercream.

    Reply

  7. Mardi @eatlivetravelwrite says

    THANK you for posting this. I just ate my first ever red velvet cake (it was part of a cheesecake) yesterday and my friends and I were debating the origin and the flavours etc.. Now I know 🙂 So easy there's no excuse to not make these myself!

    Reply

  9. Carolyn says

    Hey, we Canadians invented basketball, so it wouldn't surprise me if we were the driving force behind these treats too! We will take over the world someday! 😉
    They look gorgeous, my dear. Just gorgeous!

    Reply

  10. Pretend Chef says

    Maybe not the first blog I should have read this morning with wanting to get back on track with eating healthier to take off these couple of pounds I've put back on, haha! Your photos are amazing! Makes me want to reach out and grab one and punish myself on the treadmill!

    Reply

  13. Jamie says

    How gorgeous! Beautiful! Your pictures are romantic and festive and the cupcakes are perfect. I've only made one red velvet cake from the recipe my brother used and he used beet juice instead of red food coloring. Gotta try your recipe now.

    Reply

  14. Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels says

    I didn't know the whole story behind the origin of the red velvet cake recipe, thanks so much for sharing. (I only knew about the Waldorf-Astoria part) Lora, you're such a fantastic writer! The cupcakes look soooo good and I love the addition of the crushed candy canes on top! Definitely perfect for Christmas. I now I have a HUGE craving for red velvet cake. 🙂

    Reply

  17. sara @ CaffeIna says

    Lora, for me red velvet cake was invented last year, when I first discovered it 🙂 And for what matter red velvet cupcakes could be invented by you with this post because they look like the most beautiful cupcakes I've ever seen. I should put the on top of my to-make-soon list

    Reply

  19. Monet says

    I would love to enjoy one of these beauties with my sweetheart. Maybe we will make cupcakes tonight! Red Velvet is one of my favorite treats, and I loved learning a bit more about their history. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe. Have a wonderful Monday!

    Reply

  20. Stef at TooMuchToDoSoLittleTime.com says

    I fell in love with Red Velvet Cake the first time I tasted it. I only sampled it because I was told it had cocoa in it and I can't have chocolate, but when I read a recipe I learned that there is only 2 T and I was elated.

    I love your variation… I agree it sounds like Christmas… the thought of peppermint on the frosting is a wonderful seasonal idea!

    Stef at TooMuchToDoSoLittleTime.com

    Reply

  22. Rachel says

    Thanks for sharing your historical research! I love knowing about food origins and it seems like Red Velvet cake has quite a history!
    It looks Christmasy and, with candy canes, I'm sure it tastes that way too.

    Reply

  26. Ilke says

    I like to learn the background information, that is great! I never bought into that cookie story before!

    Glad you had a nice day baking with your daughter!

    Reply

  30. Trish says

    Wow, sounds like a great recipe. I love red velvet. Yet, I've never made it at home. Never knew it was made with buttermilk. Sounds delish!

    Reply

  34. Anonymous says

    These cupcakes look so festive and delicious. Thanks for the info about the background behind red velvet cake too!

    Reply

  37. Chef Dennis says

    Even though I am from the south, I have never made a red velvet cake…you did such a wonderful job with those gorgeous cupcakes, you make me want to go right into the kitchen and bake!
    but I would eat them all….sigh
    Dennis

    Reply

  38. Anonymous says

    Seriously beautiful photos of a classic cup cake! These look so moist and TOTALLY edible! Perhaps I will make these for my family's weekend Yankee Swap party! Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply

  45. Evan @swEEts says

    Oh red velvet cake.. my friends wanted red velvet for some of their wedding cupcakes and I tried 3 different recipes until I decided on one! It's a tricky little cake! Your cupcakes turned out beautifully 🙂 And I love all the little history you gave about the mystery behind the velvety cake!

    Reply

  46. Cristina - TeenieCakes says

    Thanks for sharing all those interesting tidbits about the mythis and stories around the red velvet cake. I luved Steel Magnolias and think of the movie everytime I see or hear mention of "red velvet cake"

    Your frosting turned out so fluffy and snowy looking. Beautiful, festive cupcakes with the crushed candy canes on top! Wish I was one of those neighbors that got a taste. 🙂

    Reply

  47. Aggie says

    Love the crushed candy canes on top! My husband is always asking for red velvet, and I will admit, not sure if I've ever even had it before! These look so good!

    Reply