Mini heart cakes with the best red velvet recipe!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines day! Again, sorry for not posting sooner about my Valentines but again life is busy! A few days before Valentines day I went to my mom's to do a fun activity with the two kids she she teaches from her home. I saw these darling conversation heart cakes on Martha and couldn't resist! I knew I just had to make them and I thought they would be such a fun activity for kids. Let me first start by saying that the red velvet cake recipe used to make these little cakes is by far the best red velvet recipe I have found. The taste is delicious and as for the buttercream...o my gosh! So good!!! The cinnamon was perfect in it! If you want to make these and don't think that cinnamon would be good in the frosting just trust it because it was truly wonderful. I will definitely make these little cakes again and will try many different shapes. I am excited to try this recipe out as cupcakes also. If you choose to make mini cakes it is very important to crumb coat because this cake is so moist. Hope you have a change to try this recipe out because you wont be dissappointed!

Here is the beautiful colored batter ready to bake

Now ready to frost!

Ally and Aaron working hard on their mini heart cakes,
and doing a great job!

My mom with her students and their final product. Aren't
those cakes cute?!

Now my mom and I had to take a whack at it and
make some of our own. We crumb coated these
which made them look really smooth.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes six 4-inch heart-shaped cakes

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate, for decorating
• Speckled Cinnamon Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, butter parchment, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1/4 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and shortening on high speed until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Into another medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
5. In a small bowl, mix together vinegar and baking soda until baking soda dissolves; mixture will fizz. Add to batter and mix until just combined.
6. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
7. Cook cake completely on a wire rack. Using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 hearts.
8. Place 4 strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy susan. Place 1 layer on the cake plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake; top with another heart, bottom side up. Cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
9. Remove cakes from the refrigerator and cover each cake with a generous layer of frosting, smoothing as you go around to create a flat surface.
10. Place chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip; decorate as desired.

Speckled Cinnamon Buttercream
Ingredients

Makes enough for six 4-inch cakes

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Food coloring, in desired color

Directions

1. Whisk together sugar and flour in medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add milk and cream and place over medium heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 20 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until cool. Reduce speed to low and add butter; mix until well incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high and mix until frosting is light and fluffy. Add vanilla and cinnamon and continue mixing until combined. Add a couple drops of food coloring while continuing to mix, until desired color is reached. If frosting is too soft, chill slightly and then re-mix to proper consistency. If frosting becomes too firm, place bowl over a pot of simmering water and re-mix to proper consistency.