Red Velvet Cupcakes (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on April 18, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Makes 12 cupcakes
Sugar
9 grams (down from 20)
Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5⅔ ounces/161 grams) all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder ¾ teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon salt ½ cup whole milk 1 large egg 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon red food coloring 1½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar 7 tablespoons (2½ ounces/71 grams) Sucanat 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softenedHoney Cream Cheese Frosting
12 ounces (340 grams) cream cheese, softened8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened2 teaspoons vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons honeyBefore You Begin
You will only use half of the frosting for this recipe. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. Our favorite natural cocoa powder is Hershey’s Natural Cocoa Unsweetened; do not use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting on these cupcakes; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1; however, the cupcakes will have a speckled appearance. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. In separate bowl, whisk milk, egg, vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar together. Working in 2 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat ground Sucanat and butter together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.r.
- Portion batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
- Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. (Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread half of frosting evenly over cupcakes and serve. (Remaining frosting can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
for the cupcakes
for the honey cream cheese frosting
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Makes 12 cupcakesSugar
9 grams (down from 20)Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Cupcakes
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The cupcakes themselves are extra tender, light, and moist, which is typically achieved through the use of vinegar, baking soda, and natural cocoa powder. The acidity of the cocoa powder and vinegar reacts with the baking soda to create a fine and tender crumb; this reaction also contributes to the red color. Unfortunately, cutting out half of the sugar left our cupcakes bland. To remedy this, we upped the amount of cocoa powder for some extra chocolate kick, and used Sucanat for its deep flavor. Increasing the amount of vanilla extract gave our cupcakes more backbone. To add some extra richness to our cupcakes, we replaced the classic buttermilk (which is low in fat) with regular whole milk; happily, our cupcakes still got just enough tang from the vinegar.
Before You Begin
You will only use half of the frosting for this recipe. Do not substitute low-fat cream cheese here or the frosting will have a soupy consistency. If the frosting becomes too soft to work with, refrigerate it until firm. Our favorite natural cocoa powder is Hershey’s Natural Cocoa Unsweetened; do not use Dutch-processed cocoa powder in this recipe. We prefer the flavor of Honey Cream Cheese Frosting on these cupcakes; however, Easy Vanilla Frosting will also work well. You can skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1; however, the cupcakes will have a speckled appearance. You can learn more about Sucanat in this article.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. In separate bowl, whisk milk, egg, vanilla, food coloring, and vinegar together. Working in 2 batches, grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat ground Sucanat and butter together on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, scraping down bowl as needed. Using rubber spatula, give batter final stir.r.
- Portion batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Bake cupcakes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with few crumbs attached, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking.
- Let cupcakes cool in tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. (Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
- Meanwhile, using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce mixer speed to medium-low, add honey, and whip until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and whip frosting until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread half of frosting evenly over cupcakes and serve. (Remaining frosting can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
for the cupcakes
for the honey cream cheese frosting
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments