Gluten Free Red Velvet & Cheesecake Swirl Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tender cake, creamy cheesecake swirls, and the best cream cheese frosting make these the perfect Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes.
The Best Red Velvet Cupcakes
Pop quiz! What’s better than red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? Answer: red velvet cupcakes with a chocolate chip cheesecake swirl and cream cheese frosting. That’s right friends, I combined three of my favorite things into one dessert. And it is damn good.
Want to know the best part? No one, and I mean no one will be able to tell these cupcakes are gluten free. The cake is soft and moist (yes, I used “that” word), the cream cheese frosting is rich and tangy, and the chocolate chip cheesecake swirl takes these cupcakes to a whole other level. Let’s just say these gluten free red velvet cupcakes didn’t last too long in my house.
And while I think these cupcakes are the perfect thing to make for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s Day!), they are delicious enough to make year round.
What’s In Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes?
The secret that makes these cupcakes really stand out from the crowd is the chocolate chip cheesecake swirl. It adds such a nice layer of creaminess inside the cupcake and plays off the cream cheese frosting without making it seem like too much cream cheese. Plus, more chocolate in a cupcake is never a bad thing.
But what makes the cake part of these gluten free red velvet cupcakes different than just a regular chocolate cake? Hint: it’s not just red food coloring. Traditionally it was beet juice that added the red color and some flavor. Now, just a little splash of white vinegar and a cup of buttermilk is enough to change the flavor and texture of the cupcakes.
When vinegar and baking soda are combined, they act the same as eggs when added to a cake recipe, adding structure, leavening, and flavor. Combining the vinegar and baking soda with an egg in the batter yields an even more tender crumb, along with a slightly different flavor than just a chocolate cake.
Adding buttermilk to the batter as well increases the soft, tender crumb of the cake and adds a pleasant tang that you wouldn’t get from the vinegar alone. Taking what would be a regular chocolate cupcake to a tender, tangy gluten free red velvet cupcake.
Free PDf download
The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide
Just because you’re gluten free doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods! Grab my free guide that has dozens of delicious gluten free brands and products that are ALL available at major groceries or online for at-home delivery (even better!).
Tips for Making Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
- As with all baking, make sure your ingredients (eggs, cream cheese, buttermilk, etc.) are all room temperature. This is especially important for the frosting and cheesecake filling! Cold cream cheese means lumpy batter and frosting. And nobody wants that!
- Since there’s no butter in this recipe, and therefore nothing to cream with the sugar, I used the reverse creaming method for the batter. Combining the all of the dry ingredients with the sugar and then adding the wet ingredients.
- I recommend using Saco Buttermilk Blend powder instead of actual buttermilk. I find that it adds more volume and flavor than regular buttermilk. Plus it stores for much, much longer in the fridge so you get more bang for your buck!
- Make sure you don’t fill the cupcake wells too full when you portion out the batter. Fill only 1/3 full, then top with the cheesecake filling, then remaining batter. You can swirl the batter and cheesecake together with a toothpick, but sometimes I just leave it as is and bake. Both ways taste delicious!
- You will most likely have a little bit of the cheesecake filling left over once all the cupcakes have been filled. Don’t worry! This is normal as you don’t want to overfill the cupcakes. Overfilling will create a longer baking time and much drier cake.
- I like to use an ice cream scoop when portioning out the frosting for the cupcakes. I place a scoop on each cupcake and make sure they’re all fairly even before I smooth out the frosting.
Let’s Eat!
I hope you’ll add these cupcakes to your baking repertoire. They’re tender, tangy, creamy, chocolatey, not too sweet, and are topped with the best cream cheese frosting. In short, they’re the perfect cupcake.
If you make these Gluten Free Red Velvet & Cheesecake Swirl Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, be sure to leave a comment and/or rate the recipe! I love hearing from you and feedback is always welcome. And be sure to tag me on social if you make it. Seeing photos of recipes you’ve made is my favorite!
Cheers to you, friend!
Gluten Free Red Velvet & Cheesecake Swirl Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1½ cups King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk or 4 tablespoons Saco Buttermilk Blend powder and 1 cup water room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg room temperature
- red sprinkles if desired
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
Frosting
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar sifted
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 375°. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine dry ingredients, sugar, and buttermilk powder, if using. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed to incorporate dry and wet ingredients. Increase the speed to medium and mix until just combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar and mix using a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Pour in mini chocolate chips and fold in using a rubber spatula.
- Fill lined muffin wells with ⅓ cup of the batter. Add 2 teaspoons of cheesecake batter and then top with remaining cupcake batter.
- Bake cupcakes in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.
- Let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove and cool to room temperate on a wire rack.
For the Frosting
- While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extracts in a large bowl until mixture is smooth.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar ¼ cup at a time and mix until smooth after each addition.
- Using an ice cream scoop, place about 1 scoop of frosting on each cupcake. Smooth with a knife or offset spatula. Top with red sprinkles, if desired. Cupcakes can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly for about 5-7 days.
Notes
- I recommend using Saco Buttermilk Blend powder instead of actual buttermilk. I find that it adds more volume and flavor than regular buttermilk. Plus it stores for much, much longer in the fridge so you get more bang for your buck!
- Make sure you don’t fill the cupcake wells too full when you portion out the batter. Fill only 1/3 full, then top with the cheesecake filling, then remaining batter. You can swirl the batter and cheesecake together with a toothpick, but sometimes I just leave it as is and bake. Both ways taste delicious!
- You will most likely have a little bit of the cheesecake filling left over once all the cupcakes have been filled. Don’t worry! This is normal as you don’t want to overfill the cupcakes. Overfilling will create a longer baking time and much drier cake.
Free PDf download
The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide
Just because you’re gluten free doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite foods! Grab my free guide that has dozens of delicious gluten free brands and products that are ALL available at major groceries or online for at-home delivery (even better!).
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