Heart Shaped Red Velvet Snack Cakes

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day or Galantines than with some sweet mini heart snack cakes! This recipe can be as simple or as complex as you like depending on how much decorating you want to do. Get creative and have fun with this recipe! The cake is incredibly moist and the crumb is tender while the cream cheese frosting brings everything together. The white chocolate coating adds an element of crunch and sweetness that make these addicting!

Tools:

-Heart shaped mini cake pan (or whatever shape you like)

-Stand or hand mixer

-Mixing bowls

-Sifter 

-Piping or ziplock bag

-Baking sheet 

-Rubber spatula

Ingredients:

*Red velvet cake:

-1 cup of flour

-1/2 tsp of baking soda 

-A pinch of salt (fine)

-1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder 

-1/2 cup of vegetable oil

-1/2 cup of sugar

-1 tsp of vanilla extract 

-1/2 cup of buttermilk  

-1/2 tsp of white vinegar

-1 egg

-25 drops of red food coloring 

Cream cheese frosting filling:

-2 oz of softened cream cheese

-1 tsp vanilla

-1 cup powdered sugar 

-splash of milk or cream to get desired consistency 

White chocolate coating:

-1 cup of white chocolate chips

-1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil 

-Sprinkles of your choice for decorating 

-Food coloring (optional)

Directions for cake:

1. Preheat oven to 325° & grease baking pan
2. In a bowl sift your dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, & salt together 
3. In stand mixer with paddle attachment beat egg and sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Next, add all wet ingredients: vanilla, vegetable oil, buttermilk, vinegar, & food coloring
4. Add dry ingredients in batches to wet ingredients, mixing until combined and scraping bowl down in between.
5. Add batter to pans and bake for 15 min or until toothpick comes out clean 
6. Set cakes aside to cool completely 

Directions for cream cheese frosting:

1. In stand mixer add softened cream cheese and whisk until smooth
2. Add vanilla & powdered sugar until mixed
3. Add cream until desired consistency (I kept mine on the thicker side so that it could be stuffed inside of my cakes)
4. Place in piping bag and set aside 

Directions for white chocolate coating:

1. Place white chocolate & coconut oil in microwave safe bowl & heat for 30 second intervals until melted stirring in between intervals

Assembly:

1. Poke a few small holes in the bottom of completely cooled cakes & fill with cream cheese frosting
2. Once all cakes are filled with cream cheese frosting, place in freezer until cakes are firm
3. Take cakes out of freezer and dip in melted chocolate, place on baking sheet & add your sprinkles/decoration and place in refrigerator to set 
4. Enjoy!

*Double recipe for bunt pan or two standard cake rounds! This batter produced 14 snack cakes!