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Red Velvet & White Chocolate Cupcakes
A soft, cocoa-red cupcake with pockets of sweet white chocolate running through it, finished with a simple cream cheese frosting. A little fancier-looking than it is to make.
Prep25 min
Cook20 min
Total1h 10m
YieldMakes 12 cupcakes
DifficultyA little fiddly
Ingredients
- 115g butter, softened
- 200g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp red gel food colouring
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 190g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 125ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 100g white chocolate chips
- For the frosting
- 125g cream cheese, softened
- 60g butter, softened
- 250g icing sugar, sifted
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Mix the cocoa powder, red food colouring and vanilla into a smooth paste, then beat into the butter mixture.
- Fold in the flour and bicarbonate of soda alternately with the buttermilk, in two batches.
- Stir in the vinegar, then fold through the white chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then gradually add the icing sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Pipe or spread the frosting once the cupcakes are fully cool.
Bella's tip: Don't skip the vinegar — it reacts with the bicarb to keep the crumb soft, and you won't taste it at all in the finished cupcake.
These are one of my most-requested custom flavours — worth the extra step for the frosting.