Pink velvet cupcakes are delightfully fluffy and subtly tangy, featuring a vibrant pink color and crowned with a lusciously creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting.
These beautiful pink velvet cupcakes are perfect for a Mother's Day celebration, Valentine's Day, or birthday!
These Valentine's Snickerdoodle Cookies are another dessert perfect for Valentine's Day. This Vintage Heart Cake is another perfect treat to share with loved ones - it's easy to make, too!
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Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese is often put on cakes because it's usually a creamy and spreadable consistency. Cream cheese tastes wonderful with red velvet flavors.
This cream cheese frosting is made to be pipable and it's made with just 4 ingredients.
When making this recipe and it's not stiff enough for piping by any chance, simply add additional confectioner's sugar. If you don't want the frosting any sweeter, just cornstarch in its place to make it stiffer but not sweeter.
The frosting can be easily adjusted for these Pink Velvet Cupcakes!
TIP: Using room temperature ingredients when making frosting helps incorporate the ingredients together better and makes the frosting easier to pipe.
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
Much like Red Velvet Cupcakes, these Pink Velvet Cupcakes are light, fluffy, and have a velvety smooth texture. The beautiful pink color that's added to these cupcakes is perfect for Valentine's Day or for birthday parties.
These cupcakes are frosted with homemade cream cheese and garnished with pink sanding sugar.
These cupcakes can easily be topped with fresh strawberries or raspberries to complete these cupcakes with a fresh and fruity flavor.
Cream cheese frosting is the perfect icing for these velvet cupcakes as it's the traditional flavoring pair! You can swap these frosting out for any type that you like if you prefer. Cream cheese is the ultimate match to these cupcakes, however!
RELATED: Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients in Pink Velvet Cupcakes
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter - room temperature
- Eggs - room temperature
- Pink Food Coloring - red food coloring can be used in place of pink. Add a couple of drops at a time to get the desired results.
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla extract
- Pink sanding sugar
Buttermilk Substitute
If you don't happen to have buttermilk on hand, no worries, it can be easily substituted for these Pink Velvet Cupcakes!
To substitute the buttermilk, use 1 cup of milk and add 1 tablespoon of EITHER white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to the other ingredients.
The buttermilk is used in red velvet cakes because it produces a tangy flavor and it makes cupcakes and cakes very moist. It also helps activate the baking soda to help give your baked goods a lift!
How to Make Red Velvet Cupcakes
The buttermilk is what makes red velvet cake so soft and delicious. If you don't have buttermilk be sure to substitute it for either then milk and wine vinegar or the milk and lemon juice.
It's best to work with room temperature ingredients so that you don't overbeat the cupcake batter.
Start by creaming together the granulated sugar and the unsalted butter. Once that is creamy, it's time to beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Once the batter is fluffy, add in the vanilla extract as well as the food coloring.
When adding the food coloring, add just a drop or two at at time, give the batter a mix, and add more as desired.
At this time, either the buttermilk or the prepared buttermilk substitute is added to the wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder is stirred together.
Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet, being careful not to overbeat the mixture.
The batter is now ready to be scooped and added to cupcake liners by filling them ¾ of the way full.
Once they are done baking, check with a toothpick to check for doneness in the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick is clean, remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
📖 Recipe
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
Pink Velvet Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick butter - unsalted
- 3 eggs
- 3 drops pink food coloring - or more
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup buttermilk - *
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese - softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter - softened
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pink sanding sugar
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350° and line tins with 18 liners.
- Cream together the sugar and butter in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs in one at a time. Beat to incorporate.
- Add food coloring and vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder well.
- Add the buttermilk* to the wet ingredients.
- Slowly beat in the flour mixture and mix well.
- Fill the liners ¾ of the way full and bake in the preheated oven for about 17 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if they are baked.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese until it is smooth and broken down.
- Add in the softened butter and beat until it is blended well.
- Add in the vanilla and confectioner's sugar.
- Beat until smooth and creamy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
Liz says
These are so cute! Will be perfect for a daycare Valentine's Day treat! Thanks for the reminder to use room temperature ingredients - I always decide last minute to make something and don't take the time to get the ingredients to room temperature.
Ann says
These are the cutest little things! I love a good homemade cream cheese frosting! I could eat it by the spoonfuls!
Jamie says
These Pink Velvet cupcakes look incredibly so delicious and kinda cute! A perfect treat for everyone especially kids!
amy liu dong says
This velvet cake is so pretty, and delicious. Aside, from that it is so easy to make!
Kathy C says
I made these for Valentines Day. The crumb was tender and the frosting was a perfect balance of sweetness. I will say, though, that the color was not as pink as picture. Just needed a few more drops of food coloring to achieve.