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Four – six mini red velvet cakes sandwiched between sweet cream cheese frosting and filled with fresh strawberry jam.
It’s the perfect cake for any occasion.
Red velvet is the perfect choice for Valentines day, Christmas or any occasion. In my opinion, red velvet is always the perfect choice!
If you’re new to red velvet, it is actually a chocolate cake made with cocoa powder. The difference between a red velvet cake and a chocolate cake is a red velvet recipe uses about half as much cocoa powder. The result is a lightly flavored chocolate cake.
As I write this post, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. These little cakes are perfect to cap off a romantic dinner at home, which is probably where most of us will be for Valentine’s Day 2021. Here is my perfect COVID — stuck at-home — Valentine’s dinner:
I know, It’s a lot of shameless self promotion. But on the other hand it will be an amazing dinner!
Mini Red Velvet Cake Specific Ingredient Run Down
Flour – For this cake, I used good old-fashioned all-purpose flour. I tried making this cake with a cake flour substitute. Each time the result was an epic fail. In the end, I use standard old-fashioned all-purpose flour, from which I will never stray again.
Jam – In the middle of the cakes, I used homemade strawberry jam. It does not take very long to make and the flavor is very fresh. If you prefer, use jam purchased at the store. It’s really all about what you will enjoy the most as a filling.
Red Food Coloring – Red velvet cakes were originally made with beetroot to achieve a red color. Nowadays most bakers use food coloring, including me. There are two types of red food coloring, gel and regular. The gel food coloring is much more concentrated than the regular version. If you use the regular food coloring, you will need to double the amount used.
Let’s talk Mini Red Velvet Cakes
Size – I wrote this as a small cake recipe that will make 6 – 8 mini, petite, cakes depending on how you cut the cake. If you would like to increase the batch, simply select 2x or 3x in the recipe below. This recipe will automatically be calculated for the larger size.
Frosting – I created a small frosting recipe that matches the size of the cakes, minus any exterior frosting. If you prefer a larger batch, simply select 2x or 3x in the recipe below.
Choosing the correct pan – I recommend using a small cake pan or pan with individual pans. The individual pans would reduce waste and ensure a consistent size.
Choosing the shape and mold – You will most likely want to cut the cake into the desired shape. I used two shapes, a heart, and a circle. For the heart shape, I used a cookie cutter and for the circle, I used a small biscuit cutter. If you do not have a cutter, you can use a mug or small bowl to achieve the round shape.
Cake scraps – After you cut the cake there will be lots of scraps leftover. Rather than throwing away the cake scraps, you can freeze them for up to 30 days. There are many different ways to use leftover cake scraps that taste and look delicious. Below I listed a couple of my favorite ways to use leftover cake scarps that are easy and family-friendly.
- Cake Truffles –
- Place the cake scraps in a mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Add a small amount of frosting to bind the scraps together.
- Mix at a low to medium speed until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Use an ice cream scooper or a spoon to scoop out the batter, then roll the batter into a ball. The is the foundation of your cake truffle.
- Prepare bowls, one with chocolate and one with something crunchy, to roll the cake truffle in (ex. nuts, sprinkles, etc.)
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low power in 20-second bursts. (Always use low power and short bursts to avoid burning the chocolate.)
- Wearing gloves, roll the cake truffle in chocolate and then in something crunchy.
- Set the cake truffle on parchment paper and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour to set.
- Cake Shake –
- Place the pieces of cake, ice cream, milk, and other shake ingredients in a blender.
- Blend.
- You know have a cake shake!
Great British Baking Show Bake
Season 1, Episode 6, Show Stopper – Petite Fours
YEA!!! One more bake to go and I have completed the first season!
About this bake… I have made many red velvet cakes and I love them! For this bake, I planned to use a sheet pan to maximize the number of cake cut-outs and to reduce the amount of cake wasted. I used a recipe from Milk Bar that called for ‘cake flour’. While I searched, I could not find cake flour at the stores near me. I searched and found a workaround to remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. This was supposed to be the equivalent of cake flour. However, three failed attempts later (not bitter), I decided to go with good old-fashioned all-purpose flour. The result was a perfect red velvet cake.
I am not exactly sure why the corn starch did not work. I think it could have been the age of the corn starch or the altitude in Denver. Someday, when I am less frustrated, I research what happened. However, for now, I am just going to stick with good old all-purpose flour.
Count: 15 down, 263 to go!
Mini Red Velvet Cakes (Petit Fours)
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 & 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp red food coloring (gel)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp buttermilk
Strawberry Filling
- 4 oz strawberries
- 4 oz sugar
- 1 tsp lemon
Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 4 oz butter
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Decoration
- Chocolate heart, square, etc. (Optional)
Instructions
Strawberry Filling
- Quarter each strawberry. Place the strawberries and lemon in a heavy bottom saucepan. Cook over low heat for a few minutes to soften the strawberries.
- Add the sugar and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
- Once the sugar has dissolved into a clear liquid, bring it to a boil and boil for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Refrigerate to set.
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan.
- Mix the buttermilk and vinegar and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix well the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. These are your dry ingredients. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the oil and sugar until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the red food coloring.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk/vinegar mixture, ending with the dry ingredients. In this step, mix the ingredients just enough to incorporate. Over mixing will flatten the cake.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean. When done cooking removes the cake and allow it to fully cool.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar and whip to combine, about 2 minutes more.
Assembly
- Once the cake has cooled, use a cookie cutter or template to cut into the desired shape. Then, carefully, cut each cut piece in half. Use caution not to cut your hand.
- Prepare the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a dot tip. (I used a size similar to Wilton 10 round tip).
- Pipe a tight ring of dot tips around the perimeter of each mini cake.
- Fill the center, inside of the frosting, of each mini cake with the strawberry jam.
- Place the top, the other half, of each mini cake on top.
- Pipe decoration on top of each mini cake and place decoration on top as desired.
Notes
- I made this recipe small and makes 4 – 6 small cakes. If you would like a larger batch, select to multiply the recipe in the upper right-hand corner. You can increase the size by 2x or 3x.
- When mixing the dry cake ingredients, spend extra time mixing very well. Â All ingredients should be blended and there should be no cocoa clumps. Use a sifter if you prefer.
- I used 1 full tablespoon of red gel food coloring to achieve this color of red. If you’re using regular red food coloring you will need to at least double the amount used, maybe more, depending on the manufacturerÂ
- I used homemade jam, however, it’s easy to swap out with store-bought jam if you prefer.Â
- For the jam, I used measurements vs volume. I chose this method because strawberries and sugar are very different in terms of volume. The measurement method ensures you get a great result every time.Â
- When making the jam if you want to test if the jam has set, spoon a little onto a cold plate, leave for a minute. Move the jam with your finger and if the jam crinkles and separates without flooding back, the setting point has been reached.
