Few foods are more emblematic of 2005 than a red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles. When I was growing up in Los Angeles in the early 2000s, trekking to Sprinkles Cupcakes’s first location in Beverly Hills for a red velvet cupcake — a flavor I had never heard of before — was a rite of passage. Since it opened in 2005, Sprinkles has sold close to 20 million of the iconic, red-hued chocolate treats, becoming a leader and mainstay of the cupcake boom while other competitors have since petered out. The chain still operates 60 stores and cupcake ATMs (a revolutionary concept when it was introduced) and yes, red velvet is still a best-seller. But if you don’t have a Sprinkles near you, or just want to try your hand at baking its most recognizable cupcake, you can — and the recipe is a lot more approachable than you’d think.
Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup buttermilk, shaken
1½ teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon red food coloring
10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
Cream cheese frosting (see below)
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Step 3: In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and food coloring.
Step 4: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 5: Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Step 6: Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Step 7: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Step 8: Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, slightly softened
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Step 1: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until incorporated.
Step 3: Increase the speed to medium, add the vanilla, and beat until fully blended, 1 to 2 minutes, making sure not to incorporate too much air into the frosting.
Dina Ávila is a photographer living in Portland, Oregon.
Recipe tested by Ivy Manning
