Red Velvet Mini Cakes
Pretty, red velvet mini cakes filled with a sinfully delicious cream cheese vanilla frosting. These small cakes are super easy to make and are a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.
- Prep time
- 40 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 50 g unsalted butter (3 ½ tablespoons/ 1.8 oz, soft)
- 150 g fine sugar ( ¾ cup/ 5.5 oz, Note 2)
- 1 egg large
- 1 tablespoon pure cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon gel red food coloring (Note 3)
- 120 ml buttermilk (½ cup/ 4 fl.oz)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 300 g flour (2 ½ cups/ 10.5 oz, Note 4)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 125 g unsalted butter (½ cup/ 4.5 oz, soft)
- 300 g icing sugar (3 cups/ 10.5 oz)
- 150 g cream cheese (2/3 cup/ 5.5 oz)
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- a few freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries (optional for decoration)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
- 2
Wet ingredients: Beat soft butter and sugar until well combined. Add the egg and beat again until pale and fluffy. Add buttermilk, vanilla extract, food coloring, and vinegar. Combine well.
- 3
Dry ingredients: Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Sift them over the buttermilk mixture.
- 4
Fold in gently and shortly until just combined. Don’t overmix.
- 5
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and level it with a spoon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
- 6
Cool: Turn the cake onto a clean kitchen towel and carefully remove the parchment paper. Let cool completely.
- 7
Beat the soft butter until paler and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer or stand mixer.
- 8
Add 1/3 of the icing sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. Add the remaining icing sugar in two batches, beating well in between. Scrape the walls of the bowl a few times.
- 9
Add cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat again until fluffy, about 1 minute. Scrape the walls of the bowl when needed. The frosting should be creamy but still hold its shape.
- 10
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip or another nozzle of your choice. If the frosting seems too soft for piping, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- 11
Cut circles or hearts out of the red velvet cake. I cut 6 circles of 6 cm/ 2 ½ inches and 12 hearts. I made triple-layered mini-cakes, but you can make them only double-layered and have more, smaller cakes (Note 5).
- 12
Pipe frosting on all the cake pieces. Build double or triple-layered mini cakes.
- 13
Refrigerate until ready to serve but remove from the fridge about 15 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to soften slightly.
- 14
Sprinkle lightly with crushed dried raspberries or strawberries. Crush the berries with your hand.