Description
Mini Heart Cakes for Valentine’s Day offer a romantic dessert perfect for sharing special moments with loved ones. Delicate layers of red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting create an irresistible treat that melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) buttermilk
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) heavy cream (or milk)
- Pink or red gel food coloring
- Sprinkles, edible glitter, or candy hearts
- Optional: Melted white or dark chocolate for drizzling
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper, lightly greasing to prevent adhesion.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl until completely integrated.
- Butter Mixture Creation: Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, developing an airy texture.
- Egg Integration: Add eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly to create a smooth, cohesive batter.
- Flavor and Color Infusion: Incorporate vanilla extract and gel food coloring, stirring until the batter achieves a uniform, vibrant appearance.
- Liquid Combination: Alternately fold in dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients to maintain optimal batter consistency.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing the surface evenly, and bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cooling and Shaping: Allow cake to cool completely, then use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to extract individual cake pieces.
- Frosting Preparation: Whip butter until creamy, gradually adding powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes luxuriously fluffy and light.
- Color Enhancement: Tint frosting with food coloring to achieve the desired decorative shade.
- Cake Assembly: Create mini cake sandwiches by spreading frosting between two heart-shaped layers, coating entirely with a smooth, even layer of frosting.
- Final Decoration: Embellish with sprinkles, edible glitter, candy hearts, or chocolate drizzle for a festive presentation.
- Serving and Storage: Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container, maintaining freshness for up to three days.
Notes
- Choose the Right Food Coloring: Use gel food coloring for vibrant, intense colors without altering the batter’s consistency or texture.
- Maintain Precise Mixing Technique: Alternate dry ingredients and buttermilk carefully to prevent overmixing, which can create dense, tough cakes.
- Control Baking Temperature: Check oven accuracy with a thermometer to ensure even baking and prevent potential burning or undercooking.
- Chill for Clean Cutting: Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before cutting heart shapes to achieve cleaner, more precise edges with the cookie cutter.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg