Gosha Slavin-Rudakov Personal Index
BARCELONA

[RECIPE]

Red Velvet Cupcakes (Classic + Healthier)

Velvety, boldly red, and ridiculously delicious — especially topped with rich cream cheese frosting, strawberries, edible flowers, and a tiny golden thingy (with a “healthier” option for the responsible among us).

PREP
20 min
COOK
20 min
SERVES
24
Red Velvet Cupcakes (Classic + Healthier)

INGREDIENTS

  • Flour — 320 g
  • Granulated sugar — 300 g
  • Baking soda — 1 tsp (5 g)
  • Fine sea salt — 1 tsp (6 g)
  • Cocoa powder — 1 tsp (3 g)
  • Vegetable oil — 360 ml
  • Kefir / greek yogurt — 240 ml, room temperature
  • Eggs — 3 large, room temperature
  • Red food coloring — 2 tbsp (30 ml)
  • Vinegar — 1 tsp (5 ml)
  • Vanilla extract — 1 tsp (5 ml)

METHOD

    1. Heat oven to 175°C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
    1. Dry: In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa until evenly mixed (no cocoa lumps).
    1. Wet: In another bowl, whisk oil, kefir / yogurt, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth and fully emulsified.
    2. Pour wet into dry and mix with a spatula until just combined and no dry flour remains.
    3. Divide batter between liners, filling each about 3/4 full (an ice-cream scoop makes this easy).
    4. Bake 18–22 min, rotating the tray once if your oven has hot spots, until a toothpick comes out clean.
    5. Cool in the tin 5–10 min, then move to a rack and cool completely before frosting.

    Frosting (quick steps)

    1. Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.
    2. Add sifted sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
    3. Beat in vanilla.

NOTES

  • Do not overmix once wet meets dry, or the crumb gets tough.
  • Cupcakes must be fully cool before frosting.

Healthier Red Velvet Cupcakes

What to buy

Wet

  • Greek yogurt — 240 g
  • Milk — 80 ml
  • Neutral oil or applesauce — 60 ml
  • Eggs — 2
  • Sugar — 100 g (or 65 g for less sweet)
  • Vanilla — 1 tsp (5 ml)
  • White vinegar or lemon juice — 1 tsp (5 ml) Dry
  • All-purpose flour — 125 g
  • Whole wheat flour — 60 g (or use all white)
  • Cocoa powder — 10 g (2 tbsp)
  • Baking soda — 1 tsp (5 g)
  • Salt — 1/2 tsp (3 g) Red color
  • Beet powder — 20–30 g (2–3 tbsp)
    • or beet purée — 80 g (about 1/3 cup), from cooked beet blended smooth

Steps

  1. Heat oven to 175°C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
  2. Wet: In a bowl, whisk yogurt, milk, oil (or applesauce), eggs, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar until smooth.
  3. Add beet powder or beet purée and mix well, scraping the bowl, until the color is even.
  4. Dry: In a separate bowl, whisk flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt so the raising agent is evenly distributed.
  5. Fold dry into wet gently until just combined; stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour.
  6. Portion into liners, filling each about 3/4 full.
  7. Bake 16–20 min until the tops spring back lightly and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
  8. Cool in the tin 5–10 min, then cool completely on a rack before frosting.

Notes

  • Beet powder gives the cleanest color with the least extra moisture.
  • If using beet purée, the batter can be slightly thicker or looser depending on the beet. If it looks too loose, add 1–2 tbsp extra flour.
  • For a lighter frosting, you can use less frosting per cupcake and pipe a smaller swirl (same recipe).