Red Velvet Cupcakes are a well-known classic. This recipe produces super moist and tender cupcakes, topped with their original frosting - silky and smooth Ermine Vanilla Buttercream!
What is Ermine/Flour/Boiled Milk/Heritage Frosting?
Thus, we've come to the best frosting EVER. If you're searching for a beautiful, silky, smooth frosting that's not too sweet and pipes beautifully - then I must tell you that your quest has come to an end! Congratulations - you've found it! 🙂 Originally, Ermine Frosting was made by cooking a flour/milk pudding base and then whipping it with beaten butter and granulated sugar. Honestly, that didn't make sense to me because, in my experience, no amount of beating can really dissolve granulated sugar. And I for sure didn't want a grainy buttercream. Nobody wants to taste the sugar granules in their mouth, am I right? So, I thought, why can't I just dissolve the sugar by cooking it with milk and flour? Hence, I googled to see if anyone has done it that way before. That is when I came across The Tough Cookie. I was so happy when I saw Nila's detailed posts about buttercreams - so englightning and written with so much care. It was after reading all her comments and thoughts that I decided to make this frosting. And thank God I did.📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Ermine Vanilla Frosting
serves 12
Description
These Red Velvet Cupcakes are super moist and delicious, topped with their original frosting - silky ermine vanilla buttercream! Yummy!
ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 170 g granulated sugar
- 65 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon natural cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 120 g buttermilk (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon red gel food dye
Ermine Vanilla Frosting
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 250 g milk
- 225 g unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Preheat your fan oven to 160°C or 325°F. Line your cupcake pan with paper cases.
- In a medium bowl sift your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a measuring jug combine buttermilk and red food dye until everything is mixed well and there are no small bits of food colouring in buttermilk.
- Using a hand mixer beat the butter for a 1-2 minutes then add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the egg and beat until everything is pale and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the mixer on medium and add flour in three batches, alternating with the wet ingredients. It's important to begin and end with flour mixture. Mix only until combined, you don't want to overmix your batter and risk cupcakes being tough. At the very end, in a small jug combine white vinegar and baking soda and immediately stir in the cupcake batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the paper cases, filling them ⅔ of the way full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting them
Ermine Vanilla Buttercream
- In a small saucepan combine flour, sugar, salt and milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until it thickens. After it has boiled, cook for another 2 minutes.
- Once it's done, transfer it to a bowl, put a cling film over it touching the surface to prevent "skin" forming and let it cool to room temperature. This is your pudding base. You can do this in a fridge, but before using it let it come to room temperature.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 5 minutes until it's pale and fluffy. Then add spoonful by spoonful of previously made pudding. Mix until it's all nicely incorporated and with no lumps. Add the vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.
Notes
Please note: I don't feel comfortable converting my recipes to cup measurements because I've never used cups. They are not precise enough, so I definitely advise you to buy a kitchen scale. They are cheap and easy to use.
That being said, here is the link for an online converter that may help you convert this recipe to cups, if you prefer it that way. Bear in mind that I don't know if it will be converted the right way and how will the recipe turn out.
IMPORTANT
All the recipes are developed and tested using only metric measurements and a kitchen scale. The U.S. cup and spoon measurements are provided for your convenience, but I highly recommend getting a digital kitchen scale and measuring in metrics. It's easy and always guarantee the same results in baking!
The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.
Have you tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram @anasbakingchronicles or use the hashtag #anasbakingchronicles - I love seeing your creations!
Rosa says
Hi
Can you use this frosting under a
Fondant cake
Thanks
Ana says
Hi, Rosa! I don't ever use fondant, so I can't answer this question from my personal experience. But I assume that if you can use American Buttercream (ABC) or Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC) under a fondant cake, that you can use this one, too! It's stable and firm, especially if you chill the cake a bit in the fridge after crumb coating it!
Erica J Nagel says
Hi Ana, can I make the pudding a day or two before and then let come to room temp on the day I make the buttercream?
Ana Zelić says
Hi, Erica! I'm so sorry for my late reply. But yes - you can make the pudding in advance, but I wouldn't do it more than two days in advance. I usually make it before bed to come to room temperature overnight and then assemble the cake or cupcakes in the morning! 🙂