According to renowned caterer Mary Berry, “It’s so comforting to have a small piece of cake. Just one slice.”

This couldn’t be more accurate. Every celebration ends with a cake that leaves the guests with sweet (pun intended) memories. The red velvet cake in particular is the perfect cake for various occasions. It has a peculiar taste due to the rich blend of butter milk and vinegar it contains.

In this post, we’ll show you how to make a special kind of red velvet cake decorated with heart-shaped cakes and velvet crumbs.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (16g) Cocoa powder

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1½ cups (300g) Sugar

1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature

1 cup – 1 tbsp (200g) Vegetable oil

1 teaspoon white Vinegar

2 Eggs

1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature

1-2 tablespoons Red food coloring

2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

For the frosting: 1¼ cups (300ml) Heavy cream, cold

2 cups (450g) Cream cheese, room temperature

1½ cups (190g) Powdered sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:

Step 1: Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a sieve and sift. Stir the mixture and set it aside.

Step 2: Mix the butter and sugar into another bowl. Beat the mixture until it is smooth. Add eggs one after the other, beating until it has combined with the mixture. Add vegetable oil, vinegar, buttermilk and keep beating until combined. Introduce the flour mixture slowly but steadily and stir till combined. Next, add red food colouring and mix till combined.

Step 3: Separate the mixture into two 8-inch round baking pans or use one pan twice. Bake it at 350F (175C) for 35-40 minutes and check for how far it has done by using the toothpick test – if you insert the toothpick into the centre of the cake and it comes out clean, it means the cake is done.

Step 4: Leave the cakes to cool on a rack for about 10-15 minutes. Evacuate the cake from the pan and allow it cool completely.

Step 5: Prepare the frosting by beating cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks. Gradually fold the heavy cream to the cream cheese mixture.

Step 6: Cut the top of the cakes and carve out 8-12 heart shapes on the cut-out layers. Mash the leftovers into crumbs and set aside.

Step 7: Add a layer of frosting on one cake (flat side down) and add the other layer of cake
(flat side down) onto the frosting. Spread the frosting evenly on all sides of the cake.

Step 8: Use the left-over crumbs and hearts to decorate the cake.

Step 9: Cool in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours before serving.