Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe
These easy Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes are vibrant, red-coloured chocolate and vanilla flavoured cakes with an easy cream cheese frosting. Perfect for celebrations! If you make these and love them, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 60 g butter (softened)
- 150 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp red food colouring
- 150 g plain gluten free flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.25 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour contains this already)
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 150 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the frosting:
- 85 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 350 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 165 g full fat cream cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cake cases and set to one side.
- Add the butter and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix again until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix the red food colouring and vanilla extract together – this will help it mix evenly into the cake batter a bit more. Pour the colouring/vanilla mix into the cake batter and beat again with the mixer until it is an even. vibrant crimson colour.
- Mix the gluten free flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and cocoa powder in a separate bowl and then sift into the mixture. It's important to use a sieve here to ensure you don't get any lumps!
- Pour in the buttermilk and then beat with the mixture again until you have a smooth batter with no lumps of flour.
- Add the vinegar to a small bowl, pour in the bicarbonate of soda, stir briefly to mix (it should fizz and bubble a little!) and then pour into the cake mixture. Beat with the electric mixer until combined.
- Pour the cake batter evenly between the cupcake cases and then place in the oven for 22-25 minutes. Do not open the oven door until at least 20 minutes! The cupcakes should have risen nicely. Once done, remove from the oven and cool on a rack before decorating.
- Add the butter (it's very important this is at room temperature!) to a large mixing bowl and beat with the electric mixer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract to the mix and beat again until fully combined.
- Add the cream cheese and beat the mixture for several minutes until it is thick, light and fluffy with no lumps of cream cheese.
- Spoon the frosting into a piping bag – I used one with a star nozzle – and pipe swirls onto the cupcakes.
Notes
- Top Tip: Cut a tiny bit off the top of each cupcake before frosting, then crumble the offcuts to make a red velvet crumb for decorating them with.
- Storage: This cupcakes will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You can also make the cake part of the recipe ahead of time and freeze them - simple defrost when you're ready to decorate them.
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 408kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g
