Mini Red Velvet Birthday Cakes

I made Mini Red Velvet Cakes for my mom's birthday this year. She loves red velvet cake. I am not a huge fan of it...maybe its because I am so frustrated by the time I finish (which always seems to be around 2 or 3 in the morning) that I don't even want to eat it. However, this red velvet recipe always gets rave reviews. I got the idea to create mini cakes from the blog Sprinkle Bakes. Her cakes turned out beautiful...mine were just okay. I always have good intentions and high expectations when baking this recipe, but I always fall a little short on presentation. Oh well, at least they taste great.

Red Velvet Recipe:

1 cup butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 tbsp red food colouring
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp white vinegar

Adapted from: All Recipes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease mini cake pans.

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in one egg at a time.

3. Mix together red food colouring and cocoa powder. Add to creamed mixture.

4. Add flour, buttermilk, vanilla, and salt.

5. Combine baking soda and vinegar in a separate bowl until fizzy. Add to the mixture.

6. Blend everything smooth and add to the greased mini cake pans. Be sure not to fill to the top. They overflow easily.

7. Bake in the over for 18-20 minutes. Cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Icing Recipe:

2 - 8 ounce cream cheese packages, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Adapted from: All Recipes

Toppings:

Red, Green, and White Sprinkles
Square of Lindt chocolate