These buttery red velvet muffins are light, soft, and springy with a rich cream cheese center that tastes like the center of a cheese danish and a smattering of butter crumbs that gives each bite just the right amount of crunch.
These muffins are impossibly soft, creamy, and buttery with that smooth vanilla and cocoa flavor and subtle tang that is red velvet. They are filled with cream cheese and topped with butter crumbs that offer a delicious little crunch before promptly melting in your mouth.
After making successive batches of these I had to immediately put the muffins from these photos into the freezer just to save us from ourselves because they apparently have the power to annihilate our self control especially when they are freshly baked and still slightly warm from the oven so that cream cheese center is soft and creamy and just a little bit gooey. Ahhhh...
Honestly, I think my husband said it best, "These muffins are dangerous as fuck."
They are actually. Also, worth it.
These babies are similar to my favorite red velvet cake recipe but that buttery crumb topping and custardy cream cheese filling places them firmly in the category of breakfast pastry. And oh, what a delicious way to start the day.
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Ingredients needed to prepare this recipe
- Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. These can be used interchangeably but vanilla bean paste has a slightly more assertive vanilla flavor than vanilla extract. In general, it's good to avoid imitation vanilla flavor because it can give baked goods a slight bitter flavor.
- Red velvet emulsion. I discovered red velvet emulsion while working on the recipe for this red velvet cake. It gives these muffins a gorgeous lush red color but more importantly, it boosts the red velvet flavor of these muffins.
- Vegetable or canola oil and butter. This is one of those recipes that capitalizes on the benefits of both butter and oil by using them both. You'll find butter in the crumb topping for these muffins because buttery, crunchy-yet-tender crumbs are where it's at. In the muffins, butter adds flavor and oil keep them fresh, moist, and tender.
- Cake flour. I tested these muffins with both all-purpose flour and cake flour, and cake flour was the hands-down winner. The lower protein content of cake flour gives these muffins an exceptionally soft and tender crumb that very nearly melts in your mouth. If you don't have any cake flour, see below for a good substitution.
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk is essential to the flavor and texture of all things red velvet. Buttermilk interacts with the baking soda in the batter to help the muffins rise and give them a soft and tender crumb. It also adds that delicious tang that's essential to the flavor of red velvet. If you don't have any buttermilk, here are several ways to make a good buttermilk substitute.
- Cream cheese. These red velvet muffins have a cream cheese filing that tastes like the center of a cream cheese danish. As I've already mentioned, it is really difficult to stop eating these muffins and I think that cream cheese center is mostly to blame.
- Heavy cream. Folding some whipped cream into cake batter is a genius baking trick I learned from Bake Wise by Shirley O. Corriher. When folded gently into the batter right before baking, whipped cream adds additional fat and air - both of which contribute to the soft, silky texture of these muffins.
- Brown sugar, granulated sugar, and powdered (confectioners) sugar. Yes, there are three different kinds of sugar in these muffins and they are all essential. The cream cheese filling includes a bit of powdered sugar which sweetens the filling while keeping it soft and creamy. Granulated sugar is used in the butter crumb topping because it gives the crumbs a tender yet slightly crunchy texture that's just gorgeous against the soft crumb of the muffins. And brown sugar in the muffin batter adds flavor and helps keep the muffins extra moist.
- Eggs. Use one yolk in the cream cheese filling and three egg whites for the red velvet muffin batter. Using only egg whites in the muffin batter gives these muffins a light and springy texture that I just love, especially when combined with the rich cream cheese filling. (Save those extra egg yolks for chocolate marble cake.) If you're a new baker, here's how to separate eggs.
- Cocoa powder. This recipe includes just enough cocoa powder to give these muffins that classic red velvet flavor but not so much that you would mistake them for chocolate muffins.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Baking powder and baking soda for leavening and salt for flavor.
No cake flour? No problem! Here's how to make a good substitute:
Make a great substitute for cake flour by measuring out one cup of all-purpose flour and then removing two tablespoons. Add two tablespoons of cornstarch and stir to mix. This recipe calls for 2 cups plus one tablespoon of cake flour, so measure out two cups of flour and replace 4 tablespoons with corn starch. Use all-purpose flour for the extra tablespoon in the crumb topping.
Step-by-step photos and instructions
Beat cream cheese, an egg yolk, some powdered sugar, until it's smooth and creamy.
Use a spoon to add 12 tablespoon-size dollops of the cream cheese filling to a plate and pop the plate in the freezer while you prepare the crumb topping and muffin batter.
Add all the butter crumb ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix. I usually use my fingers to ensure that all the flour is completely coated with butter. Cover the bowl and set it aside while you mix up the muffin batter.
Beat the butter, oil, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and creamy.
Add the egg whites in three additions while the mixer is running. Beat at medium high speed after each addition until the egg whites are completely incorporated and the batter is smooth. Then beat in the vanilla extract and red velvet emulsion.
Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder to a separate bowl and use a wire whisk to blend.
Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter in alternating additions. Beat on low speed while adding these ingredients, mixing just long enough for the ingredients to be partially blended before adding the next addition.
Add the heavy cream to a small bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it until it's soft but thick enough to hold a shape. When you lift the beater from the cream, it should form a peak that gently folds over itself.
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the muffin batter. Mix just long enough to barely incorporate. If there are still some white streaks in the batter, that is ok.
Grease the top of a muffin pan with vegetable shortening or butter and line it with paper liners. Fill each cup about halfway with batter. Remove the cream cheese dollops from the freezer and place one in the center of each muffin. Top with the remaining batter. The batter will come almost all the way up to the top of the paper liners.
Use your fingers to top the muffins with the crumb topping, squeezing it together with your fingers as you add it to create some larger crumbs. Bake the muffins at 425 degrees for 6 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 18-22 minutes.
Muffin baking tips and tricks
#1. How to get the muffins to rise above the muffin tin.
A trick I learned a while back to encourage muffins to rise up above the muffin tin is to bake them at a relatively high temperature for the first 5 or 6 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to finish them up. That initial burst of heat causes them to spring up in the oven quickly, which is essential to baking muffins with that classic muffin top.
One thing to note is that the butter crumb topping on these muffins will prevent their tops from puffing up into the classic domed shape we tend to associate with muffins. The only way around this is to create a sturdier muffin and lighter (less buttery) crumb.
I didn't want to do either of those things because the super soft, light texture of the muffins with the buttery, crunchy crumb topping is devastatingly delicious. And sacrificing flavor for shape did not seem like a worthwhile trade. I hope you will agree.
#2. Add batter all the way to the top of the paper liners.
As you are adding batter to the muffin tin you will think you are doing something wrong because the batter will come all the way up to the top of the paper liners. As long as you've greased the top of your muffin tin with a bit of vegetable shortening or butter, this will not be a problem. The muffins will rise up and over the muffin tin and create the perfect little platform for all that buttery crumb topping.
#3. How to know when the muffins are done baking.
To test that the muffins are done baking, poke a toothpick in the center of one of the muffins and remove it. If you do not see any raw batter on the toothpick, the muffins are done.
This is a very moist batter, so there will probably be some crumbs clinging to your toothpick and that's to be expected. What you're looking for is evidence of raw batter. If you only see crumbs, the muffins are done and can be removed from the oven.
#4. Allow the muffins time to cool in the muffin tin.
The soft and tender texture of these muffins makes them extremely difficult to remove from the muffin tin while they are still very warm. Not to worry. Just leave them to cool down inside the tin until they feel sturdy enough to be removed.
Useful equipment
One of the unsung heroes in my kitchen is this simple immersion hand blender. The immersion attachment is useful from time to time, but I use the electric hand whisk attachment all the time.
This recipe is a great example of why I love this simple appliance. I used my KitchenAid stand mixer to mix the batter for these muffins. But at the end, you need to whip some heavy cream and fold that into the batter. Rather than removing the batter from the bowl of my stand mixer so I could whip the cream, I just used my electric hand mixer.
For all its simplicity, it really is one of the most useful and inexpensive appliances in my kitchen.
More decadent morning treats
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If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram. Happy Baking!
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
These buttery red velvet muffins are soft and springy with a rich cream cheese center and the perfect amount of butter crumb crunch.
Ingredients
For the cream cheese filling:
- 4 ounces (114 grams) cream cheese
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
For the butter crumb topping:
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (68 grams) cake flour
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
For the red velvet muffins:
- ¼ cup (57 grams) salted or unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 grams) vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup (213 grams) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 large egg whites (use one of the yolks for the cream cheese filling)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons red velvet emulsion
- 1 ½ cups (180 grams) cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon table salt, OR ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup (21 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch process
- ¾ cup (170 grams) buttermilk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (57 grams) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Make the cream cheese filling:
- Add the cream cheese, egg yolk, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a small bowl and mix with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Use a spoon to add 12 tablespoon-size dollops of this cream cheese filling to a plate. Place the plate in the freezer while you prepare the crumb topping and muffin batter.
Make the crumb topping:
- Add the cake flour, sugar, softened butter, and salt to a small bowl and use a spoon or your fingers to mix until all the flour is completely coated with butter. Cover the bowl to keep the crumbs from drying out and set aside.
Make the muffin batter:
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C). Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lightly greasing the top of the pan with vegetable shortening or butter and lining the cups with paper liners.
- Add the butter, oil, and brown sugar, to a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed just until combined than turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is lighter in color and looks aerated and creamy.
- Add the egg whites in three additions while the mixer is running. Beat at medium high speed after each addition until the egg whites are completely incorporated and the batter is smooth. Add the vanilla extract and red velvet emulsion and beat until completely incorporated.
- Add the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder to a separate bowl and use a wire whisk to blend. Reduce the mixer's speed to low and add the flour and buttermilk in 3 additions: â…“ of the flour, â…“ of the buttermilk, â…“ of the flour, â…“ of the buttermilk, the remaining flour, and the remaining buttermilk. After each addition, mix just long enough for the ingredients to be partially blended before adding the next addition. Stop mixing when the last addition is not quite mixed in.
- Add the heavy cream to a small bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it until it's thick enough to hold its shape. When you lift the beater from the cream, it should form a peak that gently folds over itself.
- Add the cream to the muffin batter and use a spoon or a rubber spatula to getntly fold it into the batter, mixing just long enough to incorporate it into the batter.
- Add enough batter to each muffin cup to fill halfway. Remove the plate of cream cheese filling from the freezer and place one dollop of cream cheese in the center of each muffin cup. Add the rest of the batter to the muffin cups to completely enclose the the cream cheese filling. The batter should reach almost all the way to the top of the paper liners.
- Use your fingers to top the muffins with the crumb topping, squeezing it together with your fingers as you add it to create some larger crumbs.
- Bake the muffins in the center of the oven for 6 minutes. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) and bake for an additional 18 - 22 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door when you reduce the oven temperature. To test that the muffins are done baking, poke a toothpick in the center of one of the muffins and remove it. If you do not see any raw batter on the toothpick, the muffins are done.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 10 or 15 minutes before removing. These are tender muffins and it's difficult to remove them from the pan when they are too warm.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before placing in a covered container. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to wrap them individually with plastic wrap and then place them in a zip-top freezer bag.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Immersion Hand Blender, UTALENT 3-in-1 8-Speed Stick Blender with Milk Frother, Egg Whisk for Coffee Milk Foam, Puree Baby Food, Smoothies, Sauces and Soups - Green
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TRUSBER Baking Cups, 100 pieces Paper Muffin Wrappers (Pink)
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Joho Baking Nonstick Muffin Pan, Mini Cupcake Pan Set, 2 Pack, 12-Cup and 24-Cup, Gold
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Vanilla Bean Paste - Native Vanilla - All Natural Pure Vanilla Bean Paste - Made with Organic Agave Syrup, 4 oz
-
LorAnn Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion, 4 ounce bottle
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g
Mimi says
I just wanted to leave you a comment about these muffins. I've been on a red velvet kick lately, trying recipes. I have never seen a recipe for red velvet muffins and had to make them for dessert. I loved the cream cheese filling and the topping made them like a muffin. The family loved them. I actually had the LorAnns emulsion believe it or not. Our Amish food store sells all the flavors, so I buy a variety.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe Mimi! How lucky that you already had the red velvet emulsion! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it!