Strawberry Cheesecake Red Velvet Cupcakes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla extract and red food coloring.
4. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stir in vinegar. Mix until smooth.
5. For the cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy and smooth.
6. Fill each cupcake liner about ⅓ full with red velvet batter. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cheesecake filling into the center of each cupcake, then top with more red velvet batter to cover the cheesecake.
7. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the cheesecake center) comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack.
8. For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, then vanilla and milk as needed to reach piping consistency.
9. Frost cooled cupcakes with a generous swirl of cream cheese frosting and top each with fresh strawberry slices or halves.

Recipe Details

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cooling/Decorating Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Difficulty: Medium

Variations & Substitutions

• Use raspberries instead of strawberries for a tart contrast.
• Add a few drops of natural beet juice for red coloring instead of food coloring.
• Substitute cream cheese frosting with whipped cream frosting for a lighter option.
• Add white chocolate chips to the cheesecake filling for extra indulgence.

Serving Suggestions