you’ve asked, & i’m answering. making home-made, practically from-scratch, red velvet cupcakes is easier than you ever could have imagined. my particular recipe was found stashed away in a recipe book, scribbled on a scrap of paper… almost like the recipe had been waiting there for me to discover it. sometimes i wonder who was this brilliant, ahead-of-her-times woman? using a cake mix, instead of baking from scratch?! do you think she told her friends, or was it “her dirty little secret?” whatever the case, it is now “our dirty little secret.”
red velvet cupcakes
1 package of german chocolate cake mix
1 small package (3.4 oz) of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1, 1-oz bottle of red food coloring
3 large eggs
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. mix cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, food coloring & eggs in a large mixing bowl until well mixed.
3. using a spoon, fold in the mini chocolate chips.
4. fill your cupcake pan, or cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full.
5. place pans in the oven & bake approximately 18+ minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, or the cupcakes “springs back” when lightly pressed.
6. cool for approximately 15 minutes before frosting.
* more concerned with how red your cupcakes are, as opposed to the chocolate-ness of the cake? start with a white or yellow cake mix instead.
cream cheese frosting
1, 8-oz package cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4+ cups of powdered sugar
1. mix cream cheese, butter & vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth & well combined.
2. slowly add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until desired taste achieved. be sure to scrape down the side of bowl with a spatula.
3. once well combined, beat for an additional minute or so, until everything is creamy & fluffy.
4. using a pastry bag or ziplock bag, smother your cupcakes in mounds of yummy & delicious frosting.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Love your site! And LOVE these cupcakes! The recipe for the red velvet looks so do-able, not like the one I have that seems to be a day-long investment. But I don’t think I have ever seen a box of german chocolate cake. Can you just use a regular chocolate cake mix?
Thanks for stopping by my site. And I look forward to meeting you at Bloggy Boot Camp this weekend!
Twitter: according2kelly
August 19, 2010 at 7:57 am
i use the betty crocker german chocolate cake mix. don’t be fooled by all the german chocolatey-ness frosting on the picture, you just want the cake mix. look closely, it’s probably in your grocery aisle, you’ve just never noticed it. but, if your grocery store doesn’t carry it, i’m sure any chocolate cake mix would work fine – devil’s food, or even plain chocolate!
Twitter: linnysvault
August 19, 2010 at 6:52 am
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I know what I’ll be making for our next family get together
Lin´s last [type] ..OC Fair Fun
Is it the devils food cake that you would use to make german chocolate cake? Sounds easy and I LOVE red velvet cake!
Twitter: according2kelly
August 19, 2010 at 9:09 am
i’m sure a devil’s food cake mix would work fine too. but i’ve always used the betty crocker german chocolate cake mix. look for it, i’m guessing it’s in your baking aisle too!
Sounds yummy and simple. Can’t wait to try them out.
Super cute blog.
-Taylor
Taylor-Ann´s last [type] ..Goin to the Chapel
Twitter: mommyneedsvaca
August 19, 2010 at 9:21 pm
Oh my!! Those look delish!!
Rachel {at} Mommy Needs a Vacation´s last [type] ..Dear Mommy- A Letter from Sadie to Yours Truly
you bake, I’ll eat. Capish?
Kelly! These were so delish!!! I made them for my daughter’s birthday and they were a huge hit with everyone! Thank you for giving me another “favorite”!
Wow! I made these cupcakes this afternoon and they were so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Love your blog!
I am making these. I think the reason for the German Chocolate cake mix is because it is a lighter chocolate and the red food coloring will be easier to come through, whereas the devil’s food is darker. Can’t wait to try them! Thanks Kelly
Yes, they sell German Chocolate because I use it for other enhanced recipes…………
I will be trying these for sure! The reason for the chocolate is that it makes it easier to be red. In cake decorating class they suggest putting browns in to make your reds red.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am going to make these cupcakes again this weekend for a super bowel party. They were a hit at Christmas!!
I made these for Valentine’s Day and they were awesome!!
I just read the comments and I have to admit, I am almost crying from laughing at “super bowel” party. I love hilarious typos!
That said, these cupcakes are amazing. I was about to embark on an all-day from scratch recipe when I found this, and I thank you, thank you, thank you. I had the cake mix on hand and threw some chunks of semi-sweet chocolate in the food processor since I didn’t have chocolate chips, and I also used a white chocolate pudding mix. I used my own icing recipe and they were a hit!
Thank you so much for sharing! These were delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve made these cupcakes several times and everybody loves them! These are my daughter’s absolute favorite cupcake. Thanks for posting this! I’ve referred many people to this site for the recipe…