Red Velvet Cake Minis

Today, I'm joining some of my favorite bloggers for a virtual Valentine's Day treat party. If you're looking for something special to make for your sweetheart, this is the place to be!

This cake recipe is my go-to Red Velvet sponge roll, but instead of rolling it up, I've used a pastry ring to cut the sponge sheet into 3" stackable rounds.  The rounds are filled with a light whipped cream and cream cheese mixture, then topped off with a little more of the same.

I love to give (and get!) chocolates for Valentine's Day, so I used gold-covered chocolate buttons and a squares of Godiva chocolate for decoration. Of course, any square of good quality chocolate will work. If Godiva doesn't strike your fancy, a Vosages square would be yummy, or spherical  Lindor chocolates or Ferrero Rocher would do the trick too!

(For those curious, I found my gold-covered chocolate buttons here.)

Be sure to visit all my friends for fabulous inspired Valentine's Day desserts!

1.  Confessions of a Cook Book Queen  ~ Valentines Twinkies on a Stick
2.  Buns in My Oven ~ Hot Fudge and Strawberry Doughnut Pudding
3.  Glorious Treats ~ Red Velvet Cupcakes
4.  Cookies and Cups ~ Glass Topper Valentines Cookies
5.  Bakingdom ~ Valentines Day Cookie Cakes
6.  The Hungry Housewife ~ Valentines Jello Hearts
7.  Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle ~ Valentines Dotty Cookies
8.  Sprinkle Bakes ~ Red Velvet Cake Minis (that's me!)
9.  Bake at 350 ~ Double-Decker, Stripey, Valentine Cookies
10.  Two Peas and Their Pod ~ Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
11.  Scarletta Bakes ~ Mexican Chocolate Hearts
12.  She Wears Many Hats ~ Valentines Popcorn


Red Velvet Cake Minis
Yield: Six 3" cakes                                                                                           [click for printable version]

Red Velvet Sponge:

4 eggs

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) red food coloring

3/4 cup cake flour, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a jelly roll pan with shortening. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper also.
2. Place the eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and with a timer set, beat for 5 minutes.
3. Slowly add the sugar and oil. Beat well. Add the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring. Switch to the paddle attachment.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and slowly add to the liquid ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes, until well combined. The batter will be very thin.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. When done, the cake should spring back when touched in the center.
6. Allow cake to cool in the pan.  Use a 3” round cookie cutter or pastry ring to cut 12 circles from the red velvet sponge.

Whipped Filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1. Place cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and whip until fluffy.  
2. Pour in heavy whipping cream and beat on medium high speed. Gradually add sugar with the mixture running, until stiff peaks are formed.  
3. Scrape down bowl with a rubber spatula and mix again, making sure mixture is completely incorporated 

Assembly:
6 gold chocolate buttons or other metallic dragees
6 squares of quality chocolate such as Godiva, Vosages or Lindor/Lindt
Special equipment -
Piping bag fitted with large star decorator tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped
6 pastry rings *optional

1. Place pastry rings on a large baking sheet, if using. Place one round of cake at the bottom of the rings and spoon in 1/4 cup whipped filling.  Top with second cake round.  Alternatively you may use a piping bag and decorator tip to pipe about 1/4 cup of filling on one cake round, and then sandwich with a second.  Cover cakes and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Transfer remaining filling into a piping bag fitted with star tip.
2. Gently press the cakes out of the mold. Pipe a decorative swirl on the top cake and garnish with gold button or dragee and chocolate square.

link Red Velvet Cake Minis By Heather Baird Published: Monday, February 06, 2012 Monday, February 06, 2012 Red Velvet Cake Minis Recipe