Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes
Let’s make red velvet cupcakes even more fun and delicious by adding Oreo cookies to the cream cheese frosting. These Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes are perfect for Valentine’s day, Christmas or really any party. The Oreo frosting really brings these cupcakes to the next level.
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.
- Salted Butter – I only bake with salted butter. You’ve probably heard to use unsalted butter because there can be discrepancies in how much salt is in different brands but I have yet to come across a brand of butter that is too salty. I find that when I use unsalted butter I have to add a lot of salt to balance out the sweetness of most of my recipes. For this recipe we want to use room temperature or softened butter. You can leave it out at room temperature about an hour before you need to use it, or microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften.
- Vinegar – A classic red velvet cake gets its slightly tangy flavor from buttermilk and vinegar which is balanced out by just a slight amount of cocoa. I use white vinegar in this recipe but you can also use apple cider vinegar.
- Red food coloring – To get a rich red color use liquid food coloring. This recipe will use 1/2 oz, which is half of the standard 1oz bottles you will find at the grocery store.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is key to any red velvet cake. If you don’t have store-bought buttermilk you can easily substitute with milk and lemon juice. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice to a measuring cup and then add enough milk until you have 1/2 cup total. Let sit for about five minutes before adding to your batter.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
The red velvet recipe I am sharing is a slightly modified version of my grandmother’s layer cake. This is a small batch recipe making just 10 cupcakes. You can easily double or even triple the recipe for a party portion.
Preheat the oven to 350 and line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or stand mixer. Beat 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix to combine.
In a small measuring cup combine the food coloring, water and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture along with the vanilla extract and mix on low speed to combine. Add your dry ingredients in two parts, alternating with the buttermilk. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Fold in the vinegar.
Divide the cake batter between the muffin liners, filling about 3/4 of the way full. I love to use an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter – it’s the perfect amount! Bake 16-18 minutes.
Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting
The next step is to make the frosting. For the cream cheese icing recipe I am using slightly more powdered sugar than I would in a normal buttercream. This makes it more stable and easier to pipe. I use 500g or about 4.5 cups. I pipe a decent amount of frosting onto each cupcake and still have a bit leftover. If you are spreading the frosting with a knife or just want to use less you can make half the recipe.
To start, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar gradually until it’s all incorporated. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt to taste. If the frosting is too stiff to pipe or spread add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
I like to save a few tablespoons of Oreo crumbs for decoration and then gently fold the rest of the crushed Oreos into the frosting with a rubber spatula. You can use a food processor to get nice fine crumbs.
To decorate I use a disposable piping bag and an Ateco 867 piping tip. You can also use a ziploc bag with the corner cut in place of a piping bag and tip. Top with additional Oreo crumbs or Oreo cookies and enjoy! If you like this cupcake recipe leave a review below:)
Looking for more cupcake recipes? Try my Biscoff Cupcakes or my Cookie Dough Cupcakes.
Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened (1/2 stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp red food coloring (½ oz)
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp cocoa
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp white vinegar
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup salted butter, softened (1 stick)
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1-2 tsp milk or cream, if needed
- 7 Oreos, finely crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners.
- In a larger bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and continue to beat until incorporated.
- In a small measuring cup mix together the food coloring, water and cocoa. Add to the butter mixture along with the vanilla extract and mix on low to combine.
- Add the buttermilk to the same measuring cup that you used to mix the cocoa and food coloring. Add the baking soda and stir to get all the color that was left behind.
- In another bowl combine the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two parts alternating with the buttermilk. Beat well.
- Fold in the vinegar.
- Divide the batter among the 10 cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick entered in the center comes out clean or they spring back with lightly touched.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar until it's all incorporated.
- Add the vanilla and pinch of salt to taste.
- If your frosting is too stiff to pipe or spread add milk 1 tsp at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Set aside a couple tablespoons of Oreo crumbs for topping. Add the rest to the frosting and gently fold in with a rubber spatula.
- Pipe or spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and top with additional Oreo crumbs or Oreo Cookies.
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