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Rebecca Blackwell
Red Velvet Muffins With A Creamy Cream Cheese Center
1 day ago
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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 f*ck."
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.
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.
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: ⅓ of the flour, ⅓ of the buttermilk, ⅓ of the flour, ⅓ 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.
+ Check out Let's Get Lost, my Substack newsletter for more new and exclusive recipes in your in-box every month! As a full time traveler, living, working, cooking, and baking from a 5th wheel RV, it's also where I share our experiences of life on the road.
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