These Red Velvet Cupcakes are easily transformed into a Hi-Hat cupcake with just a few simple steps!
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Seven Minute Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- 3 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 4-6 tablespoons red food coloring
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Seven Minute Frosting
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large egg whites room temperature
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and the salt and set aside.
- In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the red coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
- Add the buttermilk to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat on medium-low until the ingredients are incorporated.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
- Divide the batter among the prepared cupcake pans. I like to use an ice cream scoop.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes. Cupcake is done when the top springs back after touching with your finger (be careful!) or an inserted toothpick is removed with a few crumbs.
- Cool cupcakes in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely before icing.
Seven Minute Frosting
- Put a sauce pan on stove with a couple inches of water and bring to a slow boil.
- In a large heat safe bowl (I used a glass bowl) mix together room temperature egg whites, sugar, water, and cream of tartar. Whisk ingredients together by hand until nice and frothy.
- Set bowl over pan with barely boiling water and whisk until sugar is dissolved, about five minutes.
- Transfer liquid to your big electric mixer and beat on HIGH for about ten minutes. Add vanilla and whisk on HIGH for another five minutes.
- Use immediately. (If piping, place frosting in pastry bag and pipe onto the cupcake.)
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
I love red velvet all year long, but I also love that in winter everyone else seems to as well. This has been my go-to recipe for almost a decade now, and there is a reason why. It’s delicious! Over the years I have messed around with the recipe a bit, adding the vinegar and food color at different times and even adding the food color and vinegar right to the buttermilk and I have to tell you, this recipe never disappoints. I love how versatile it is and that it’s no-fail!
Red Velvet Hi-Hat Cupcakes
I posted the recipe for the cupcakes and the frosting below, but then there is that other amazing part… the DIP. I used Cherry morsels to create the hi-hat portion of this decadent treat. I just LOVE the flavor not to mention how glorious they look! Can you imagine them with a piped little white dollop on top and made into Santa’s hat? So many possibilities!
Ok, here is the greatest trick you will ever learn when it comes to making Hi-Hat cupcakes.
FREEZE THE CUPCAKE BEFORE DIPPING! (only for about 15-20 minutes)
This is important for a couple big reasons:
- You want the frosting to hold its shape, and heated chocolate (or magic shell) will immediately start to melt frosting.
- You want the frosting to stick to the cupcake. When you dunk the cupcake into the chocolate you are holding the cupcake upside down and if you didn’t freeze, that frosting COULD fall off.
To Make the Candy Coating:
- 11 oz or 12 ounces of cherry morsels
- 3 -4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small container with high sides (like a drinking glass, just make sure its wide enough to fit cupcake), and let cool about 15 minutes.
Holding the piped and chilled red velvet cupcake by its base, gently dip it into cherry chocolate and then remove.
Let as much excess chocolate drip off as possible, then set aside and let harden. (about 10 minutes)
Allow cupcakes to “set”, or harden. If you want to use any sprinkles though, be sure to do that when the chocolate is still wet.
do you simply melt the cherry chips over hot water and then dip the cupcakes? or do you have to add something else to them?
Hi Diana! I did add some canola oil to them. I used 6 tablespoons for 12 ounces of chocolate. That is not Martha’s recipe… at least, not the recipe I linked to in my post.
These look FANTASTIC!! Totally making them.
I love red velvet – and these look amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have had Martha’s hi-hat cupcakes sitting in my “to make” pile for so long…and now I really want them so badly. Yours are gorgeous. I love red velvet. And I love DQ’s cherry dip, was my favorite ice cream cone as a kid. I don’t even want to try to guess how much cherry dip I ate when I worked at our little home town ice cream shop when I was in high school!!
Besides the fact that these LOOK so pretty, I bet they taste delish too! (Also a huge fan of cherry dip here!) Another recipe added to my list… Thanks 🙂
These are SO cute!! They remind me of a gnome hat…
This is pure art cupcakes! I would like to showcase this recipe on my cupcake recipes & ideas blog if you agree. Best regards
This looks absolutely adorable! I’m looking at this images almost 5 minute! I hope I will learn to bake cupcakes like these one day.
WOW! This red velvet cupcake caught my attention, especially the super red cherry dip. Will try this recipe one day. Thanks for sharing here.
These look AWESOME!!! I am going to try to make them for my birthday party next month. May I ask what size tip you used with the frosting to decorate the cupcake? Many thanks!