Mini Red Velvet Birthday Cake

Though it's only a 6-inch cake, it goes a long way since it's three layers high! I used Wilton gel food colouring mixed with white fondant to make the decorations.

Ingredients
Cake
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup almond milk (or use regular)
2 tbsp red food colouring
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese Icing
4 cups icing sugar
2 sticks light cream cheese, room temp.
2 sticks butter (1 cup), room temp.

Fondant Icing
1 tsp vanilla extract
7 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp water
1/4 - 1/2 cup shortening

Instructions
Cake
Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

Beat butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs and beat until completely mixed. Add vanilla and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup, stir together buttermilk and food colouring. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, in three additions.

In a small cup combine vinegar and baking soda. Allow mixture to fizz then quickly fold into cake batter. Quickly pour half of batter into a 6 inch round 3 inch high cake pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and dry. Allow to cool completely before slicing the top of the cakes off to create a flat top using a bread knife. Then slice the cakes in half horizontally to create a total of 4 layers. At this point, you can freeze the cake pieces to use at another time by double wrapping them tightly in saran wrap, then covering with tinfoil.

When ready to ice and finish the cake, allow cake pieces to defrost completely before moving ahead.

Then ice, making sure to put extra icing between the layers of cake to keep them moist and decorate with fondant or icing as you please.

Cream Cheese Frosting

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add sifted icing sugar; beat until smooth.

Fondant Icing

Decorate as you like and enjoy a most delicious cake!


*Credit to http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html