In just a few days, it will be time to celebrate that special day of the year, Valentine’s Day! Are you having trouble thinking of ways to spend your day with your significant other or what to give him/her? There’s no need to stress out! Honestly, the most meaningful and sentimental gifts are the ones where you put the most effort and thought into. Okay, so that may sound a bit cheesy but it’s true. You don’t need to go out of your way to spend a ton of money to make someone feel special. Simply baking your significant other something can truly put a smile on his/her face (even if it doesn’t turn out to be delicious). Aside from the chocolate and truffles, what's a more perfect baking idea than red velvet cakes/cupcakes? I am personally a big fan of baking red velvet cupcakes, whether it be for parties or for the holidays so I thought I'd share the love. Sometimes when I`m running short on time, I purchase the red velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines. Sometimes when my luck runs out and the cake mixes are all sold out, I resort to baking from scratch, which is a load of fun but very time consuming as well. Here are the ingredients for the red velvet cake, courtesy of www.countryliving.com, and the ingredients for the cream cheese frosting, courtesy of www.allrecipes.com. I recommended making home-made cheese cake frosting because the ones sold in stores are absolutely disgusting. The taste clashes with the red velvet cake and is not appetizing at all (trust me, I`ve tried it). Preparing the cream cheese frosting takes as little as 10 minutes and the taste is absolutely scrumptious, trust me you`ll be tempted to lick the bowl clean. Enjoy and have a Happy Valentine's Day !
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.
Red Velvet Cake Mix Ingredients
- 1/2 cup(s) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cup(s) sugar
- 4 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoon(s) red food coloring
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup(s) cocoa
- 1 teaspoon(s) salt
- 1 cup(s) buttermilk
- 2 1/4 cup(s) sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon(s) white vinegar
Directions
- Make the batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a small brush, lightly coat two 9-inch cake pans with butter or vegetable-oil cooking spray. Dust the pans with flour, tap out any excess, and set aside. In a large bowl, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar until light. Add the yolks and continue to beat for 1 more minute. In a small bowl, stir the food coloring, the vanilla, and the cocoa together. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the cocoa paste to the batter. In a glass measure, mix the salt with the buttermilk and add it to the batter by thirds, alternating with the flour. In another small bowl, mix the baking soda with the vinegar and blend into the batter.
- Bake the cake: Divide the batter equally between the pans and spread evenly. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until a tester inserted in the center of each layer comes out clean -- about 30 minutes. Cool in the cake pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a knife, loosen cake layers from the sides of the pans and invert the layers onto wire rack to cool completely.
- Ice the cake: Use a serrated knife to split each layer into 2 even layers. Line the edges of a cake plate with 3-inch-wide strips of waxed or parchment paper and place a cake layer, trimmed side down, on top. Evenly spread 1 cup of icing over the layer and repeat with 2 other layers. Top with the final layer and cover the top and sides with remaining icing.
Wilton Heart 4-pc. Cake Pan Set $39.99 at Target