These red velvet dessert cups are small glasses layered with crumbled red velvet cake, a vanilla mascarpone mousse and a cap of whipped cream. The recipe bakes one 8×8 inch cake, fills 6 to 8 glasses and takes about an hour of work, plus cooling time for the cake.
Some people call them red velvet mousse cups, some call them red velvet parfaits. Either way, the red velvet is the cake and the mousse is plain vanilla, so the two layers taste different from each other. Bake the cake a day early and the rest comes together in about 30 minutes.
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- Bottom and middle: red velvet cake crumbs from an oil-based 8×8 inch cake, baked at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes
- Creamy layer: ½ cup mascarpone, 1 cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Top: ½ cup cream whipped with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus a pinch of crumbs
- Glasses: 6 to 8 small glasses or jars of about 6 to 8 ounces each
- Make ahead: cake 1 day early; assembled cups keep in the fridge for up to 1 day
A Small Red Velvet Cake Made for Crumbling
The cake in the card below is a one-bowl, oil-based red velvet: flour, sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa, buttermilk, vinegar, one egg and 1 tablespoon red food coloring. Oil instead of butter matters here. Butter firms up in the fridge, so a butter cake tastes dry once it sits under cold mousse. An oil crumb stays soft straight from the fridge.
The cocoa and the buttermilk with vinegar give the cake its slight tang and keep it from tasting like a tinted vanilla sponge. Mix the wet into the dry only until combined, then bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan before you touch it. Warm cake smears into paste. Once it is cool, break it with your fingers or a fork into pea-sized crumbs, not dust. Small pieces keep their shape against the mousse and still soak up a little moisture from it.
Boxed Mix or Scratch Cake?
Both work, and I have used a box for last-minute cups. The scratch cake is sized for this recipe, so nothing is left over, and its crumb holds together better once crumbled. The color comes out a deeper red too.
A box of mix bakes a much larger cake than 6 to 8 glasses need. Bake it as the package says, use part of it, and freeze the rest of the crumbs in a bag for the next batch. Leftover red velvet layers from a red velvet cake work the same way; trim off any frosting first so the layers stay clean.
Mascarpone Vanilla Mousse That Holds a Layer
This mousse has no gelatin. It holds its shape because the mascarpone is thick and the cream is whipped and folded in, not stirred. Cream cheese works in place of the mascarpone, with a tangier result.
Beat the cold mascarpone with the powdered sugar and vanilla only until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mascarpone that is beaten too long, or warm, turns grainy and can weep. In a second bowl, whip the cold cream to soft peaks that just hold when you lift the beaters. Fold it into the mascarpone in two additions with a spatula until no streaks remain.
The mousse firms as it chills but stays spoonable. If it looks too soft to pipe, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes first. Whip the topping cream separately; it is lighter and sweeter than the mousse and gives the cups a clean white top.
Layering Red Velvet Parfait Cups
Start with cake crumbs in the bottom of each glass. Cake first means the mousse sits on something that can absorb a little of its moisture, and the bottom bite has structure. Spoon or pipe a layer of mousse over the crumbs, then repeat once if your glasses are deep. Two rounds of each keeps the proportions even.
For wide jars, a spoon gives you more control. For narrow parfait glasses, a piping bag keeps the mousse off the sides. Wipe the inside of each glass with a damp paper towel after each layer and the lines stay sharp.
Finish with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of crumbs. There is no frosting here on purpose: the mousse is the creamy part, and the crumbs on top are the only garnish the cups need.
Making Them a Day Ahead
Bake the cake the day before and keep it wrapped at room temperature, or freeze the crumbs for up to a month. The mousse is best made on the day you assemble.
Assembled cups, without the whipped cream top, keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 day. The crumbs soften a little overnight, which most people like. Add the whipped cream and the crumb garnish within a few hours of serving. Crumbs left on the cream too long soften and bleed red into it.
For a party, clear glasses show the layers best. Small plastic dessert cups work for a big crowd; keep them all the same size so the layers line up when they sit together on a tray.
When the Layers Go Wrong
- Mousse is runny: the cream was under-whipped or stirred in instead of folded. Chill the mousse for 30 minutes, or whip it a few seconds more with a whisk.
- Mousse looks grainy: the mascarpone was overbeaten or warm. Use it cold and stop as soon as it is smooth.
- Red streaks on the glass: the crumbs were dropped against the side. Spoon them into the center and wipe the glass.
- Cake crumbs are pasty: the cake was crumbled warm. Let it cool fully first.
More Red Velvet Dessert Ideas
If you like the cups, red velvet tiramisu cups use the same color base with a coffee-soaked layer. For a bake sale, red velvet crinkle cookies and red velvet cheesecake brownies travel better than anything in a glass. A red velvet dump cake is the fastest of all, and the red velvet snowball cake is the one for the middle of the Christmas table.
Red Velvet Mousse Questions
Is the mousse itself red velvet flavored?
No. The mousse is vanilla mascarpone, and the red velvet flavor comes from the cake layers. That contrast is what makes the cups taste like red velvet cake with cream.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?
Yes, use the same ½ cup. Let it soften a little first so it beats smooth, and expect a tangier, slightly denser mousse.
How many cups does this recipe make?
6 to 8, depending on the glasses. Glasses of about 6 ounces give you 8 cups; larger 8 ounce jars give you 6.
Pin these red velvet dessert cups to your Christmas dessert board, and tell me in the comments whether you went with a box or the scratch cake.
Red Velvet Mousse Cups Recipe
These red velvet dessert cups are individual parfaits made with crumbled red velvet cake, a vanilla mascarpone mousse and whipped cream. One small 8x8 inch red velvet cake, baked for 22 to 25 minutes, fills 6 to 8 glasses in about an hour plus cooling. The mousse holds a layer without gelatin because cold mascarpone is beaten only until smooth and soft-peak cream is folded in. Serve these red velvet mousse cups as a Christmas dessert, a Valentine dessert or on a party dessert table; they also work as red velvet parfait cups with leftover cake or a boxed mix. Bake the cake a day ahead, keep assembled cups in the fridge for up to 1 day and add the topping last.
Ingredients
- FOR THE RED VELVET CAKE
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp red food coloring
- FOR THE VANILLA MOUSSE
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- Red velvet cake crumbs (for garnish)
Instructions
- PREPARE THE CAKE BATTER: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease and line an 8x8-inch square pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, vegetable oil, buttermilk, vanilla extract, white vinegar, and red food coloring until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined without overmixing.
- BAKE THE CAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, crumble the cake into small pieces using your fingers or a fork and set aside.
- MAKE THE VANILLA MOUSSE: In a medium bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture using a spatula until the mousse is smooth and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- PREPARE THE WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING: In a clean mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar together until soft peaks form. Keep refrigerated until assembling.
- ASSEMBLE THE MOUSSE CUPS: In small dessert glasses or jars, layer red velvet cake crumbs on the bottom. Add a layer of vanilla mousse using a spoon or piping bag. Repeat with another layer of cake crumbs and mousse if the cups are deep enough. Top each cup with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of red velvet cake crumbs for garnish.
Notes
Crumble the cake only after it has cooled completely, into pea-sized pieces. Beat the mascarpone cold and only until smooth; overbeating makes it grainy. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it in two additions. If the mousse is too soft to pipe, chill it for 20 to 30 minutes. A boxed red velvet cake mix can replace the scratch cake: bake according to package instructions, use part of it and freeze the extra crumbs. The cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Assembled cups keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day; add the whipped cream and crumb garnish shortly before serving.
