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I know, I know, I’ve said it a gazillion times, I don’t really do the girly pink thing for Valentine’s Day. Having two 8-year old girls in the house over Valentine’s Day weekend quickly changed things. My friend’s daughter, Lexi, and her friend were with us this weekend which compelled me to get in touch with my girly, glittery, and pink loving side.
For breakfast I indulged them in pink, heart-shaped pancakes which evoked little 8-year-old squeals and lots of photos on their iPods. We did the whole shopping, lunch, and picking out Valentines thing and I decided that I couldn’t let the weekend pass by without making them a sweet and yes, girly Valentine’s Day dessert. At first I thought I might do something delicious and simple like my No Bake Cookies, but then I decided to really go with the holiday theme.
I have made this recipe for Red Velvet Cake countless times. It’s adapted from the New York Times, and in my opinion, is one of the best Red Velvet recipes out there. Instead of making a traditional cake or cupcakes, I thought I’d jazz up this sweet treat by layering slices of cupcake with cream cheese frosting in my favorite Weck Tulip Jars. Finishing them off with a sprinkling of pink and red heart-shaped candies gave them a swoon-worthy finish.
Whether you’re baking for 8-year olds or your sweetheart, I’m fairly certain that just about anyone will fall head over heels for Red Velvet Cupcakes in a Jar.
Red Velvet Cupcakes In A Jar
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 cup cake flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons red food coloring
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon white vinegar
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar about 3 ¾ cups, sifted
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract*
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 cupcake wells with paper liners or spray pan with spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Sift together cake flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine oil and sugar until well-blended. Add egg and mix until combined.
- Turn your mixer down to the lowest speed and add vanilla, then slowly add in the food coloring. Note: If you are using liquid food coloring, it will take about 2 tablespoons of coloring to get a dark red shade. I used about 1 tablespoon of gel dye to achieve the shade in the photographs. Add the dye slowly and color according to your preference.
- Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk in two batches; scrape down the side of the bowl. Continue mixing until just combined, taking care not to over mix.
- Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with the machine running. Beat for about 10 seconds.
- Using a medium scoop (about 3 tablespoons), divide batter between the 12 wells, filling each well about 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Be careful not to over bake.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese and butter until well combined.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Add vanilla and mix to combine.
To Assemble in Jars
- Slice cupcakes horizontally to create layers. Each cupcake will yield 2-3 layers depending on how thick you want your layers to be.
- Place one cupcake layer into the bottom of your jar, pipe a layer of cream cheese frosting directly onto the cake layer. Repeat the layering process until you reach the top of your jar. If desired, garnish with festive sprinkles or red velvet cake crumbs.
Notes
- Clear vanilla extract was used in the cream cheese frosting recipe to maintain a bright white color. Feel free to substitute pure vanilla extract in its place.
- I used a Wilton 1A tip to pipe the frosting into the jars.
- The sprinkles are made by Wilton.
- Jars seen in photos are Weck Tulip Jelly Jars.
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Hi Jamie :) can i store this in norm room temp, with the jar sealed? How long can this be kept fresh in fridge?
Fiz-
I would store them covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. They should be fine for 2 to 3 days. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
Oh my goodness. Please pass the milk! I invite you to share at my blog hop ( you can link up until Sat night) Hugs!
I really love the idea of using jars and the straws are very nice. cant wait to try the cup cakes. they look delicious.
Mosa-
Jars do make a fun presentation for desserts. Thanks for visiting.
-Jamie
This is such a cute idea and I really want to do it. I really love the glass milk bottle; if you could just tell me where you got those. Thanks so much!
Hi Eliana,
If I remember correctly, I got that at Pier One Imports. Thanks for stopping by!
– Jamie
Hi again! I was wondering if I can use all purpose four instead of cake flour?
Audrey –
You can make cake flour by removing 2 tablespoons from 1 cup of all purpose flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture together five or six times. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
Thanks a lot. Helped a lot for my school project. :D
Audrey-
I’m so glad to help. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
How many servings does this recipe make?
Audrey-
This will make about 12 servings. I hope this helps and I appreciate you stopping by.
-Jamie
Thank you :)
Its looks very dilicious … yummy .. i’ll try at my kitchen!
I simply loooove RV!!
I am thinking of baking it as a cake instead. What size pan & what would the temperature & baking time be?
Thanks in advance!!
Hi Liz,
This would make an 8×8 square cake, or perhaps a thick 8″ cake. The temperature would stay the same, but the baking time would increase to 45-55 minutes. Start checking the cake after 45 minutes with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, the cake is done.
– Jamie
Will this ship well?
Staci-
I think they would be fine shipped during the cooler months of the year. I would would probably use an express or overnight shipping option. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
plz i want the recipie of vanilla cake