Red Velvet Muffins

Amethyst · December 1, 2025, 12:00am

Red Velvet Muffins

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

For the red velvet muffins:

240 g (1¼ cups) Granulated sugar
180 g (¾ cups) Unsalted butter, room temperature
2 Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
240 g (2 cups) All-purpose flour
16 g (⅕ cups) Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Salt
240 g (1 cup) Whole milk, room temperature
Red food coloring, preferably gel, eg, Americolor
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1 teaspoon White vinegar

For the cream cheese frosting:

113 g (½ cups) Cream cheese full fat (33%+), eg, Philadelphia
55 g (¼ cups) Mascarpone, very cold! 36% heavy cream
30 g (¼ cup) Powdered sugar sifted

US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (grams). Baking is an art but also a science which requires precision and accuracy.

Directions:

Make the red velvet muffins:

Prepare your muffin tin with muffin liners and preheat the oven to 175°C / 347°F (no fan).

In a large bowl, cream the room temperature butter and sugar with an Electric hand mixer for a few minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Then slowly whip in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Mix the red food coloring into the room-temperature milk. Then slowly pour it into the batter while continuing to whip it.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into the batter. Then use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar together with the baking soda. It will be super bubbly. Then immediately fold the vinegar mixture into the muffin batter just until combined.

Fill the muffin cavities about ¾ full with batter using a piping bag or spoon. Distribute the batter for evenly among the cavities.

Bake the muffins for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake the muffins as they can dry out.

Let the muffins come to room temperature before frosting.

Prepare the cream cheese frosting:

Whip all the ingredients together with an electric hand mixer for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Do not overbeat, or it can become runny.

Spoon or pipe frosting on top of the muffins.

Serve the muffins fresh or store them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

Notes:

INGREDIENT NOTES:

All the ingredients must be at room temperature to properly emulsify: eggs, butter, and milk.
The baking soda and vinegar mixture is my signature baking hack to make muffins and cupcakes super moist and fluffy; do not skip it.
You might be able to make more or fewer mini muffins with this recipe,e depending on the size of your mini muffin cases.
The cream cheese, mascarpone, and heavy cream/whipping cream all need to be high in fat. Using the low-fat version may result in a thinner frosting because it contains more water.
Use high-quality gel food coloring, eg, Americolor, that has a vibrant red color to prevent breaking the batter.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

A digital scale is required for a consistent, happy baking experience:)
Do not overwork the muffin batter. After the wet ingredients are whipped together, switch to a rubber spatula to incorporate the dry ingredients.
Always preheat your oven and consider using a digital oven thermometer for the best results.
When whipping in the eggs, butter, and milk, make sure they are all at room temperature; otherwise, the batter will break.
Also, make sure that you whip in the eggs and milk slowly. Do not pour the wet ingredients all at once, as that can also break the muffin batter and cause it to curdle.
Baking these muffins takes 22 minutes in my oven. However, focus on the texture, not the time. Do the toothpick test (it should come out clean) to avoid underbaked muffins. Yet, do not overbake them either as that would result in a dry texture.
Cream cheese frosting is very easy to overwhip. When whipping the frosting, stop as soon as the mixture has reached a fluffy consistency (this will take 2-3 minutes). It won’t get stiffer after this point. In fact, if you overbeat it, it will only get funnier, and then it will break

Don’t mix the baking soda and vinegar ahead of time. If it sits for too long, the chemical reaction that produces the bubbly carbon dioxide gas will start to diminish, and the muffins will not rise as well.

Avoid opening the oven door during baking. It can impact the rise of your muffins or even cause them to sink in the middle.

Don’t whip the cream cheese mixture for more than 2 to 3 minutes, or the frosting will break and become runny!

Expert tips:

For proper emulsification, your milk, eggs, and butter must be at room temperature. You can use one of my tricks to soften butter quickly.
Do not omit the vinegar. For the lightest and airy muffins, you must mix the baking soda and white vinegar separately and then immediately add the mixture to the batter.
It’s important to use high-fat cream cheese and mascarpone. The low-fat versions contain too much water.
Use high-quality gel food coloring for the most vibrant red. Cheap liquid food coloring will not work.
You must let the muffins completely cool to room temperature before decorating them. Warm muffins will just melt the frosting.

Nutritional Facts:

Recipe courtesy of Spatula Desserts.com