Red Velvet Rose Cakes

This sweet treat is the an easy way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day. Top your red velvet rose cakes with cream cheese frosting or powdered sugar for a little extra sweetness.

Ingredients

• Cake flour: Using cake flour instead of an all-purpose flour will give your cakes a lush and smoother texture. While cake flour is preferred, all-purpose flour can be used in a pinch.
• Sugar: Add in standard white granulated sugar
• Cocoa powder: Red velvet is a known for having a chocolatey flavor
• White vinegar: Using this acid will balance the sweetness and the richness of the cakes.
• Brewed coffee: Adding cooled coffee to your cake batter will enhance the flavor of the cocoa, making it taste even more chocolatey and rich.
• Buttermilk: This surprise ingredient is used where most cake recipes would call for cream or milk. It will give a bit of tangy-ness to your cakes that will even out the sweetness of the cake.
• Red food coloring: This optional ingredient will give your cakes the signature red hue. Use a gel food coloring with give a richer red color, but it’s also more intense, so be mindful and use half of what you’d use of liquid coloring.

How to Make Red Velvet Rose Cakes

Making these red velvet rose cakes is easy.

First, pick out your rose molds. Use a mold like this one and remember to liberally grease the pan before adding in any cake batter!

Preheat your oven to 375°F before making the red velvet cake batter. This will ensure your oven is ready when you are.

Start by combining all of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt) together into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the dry ingredients together well and set aside.

In a large bowl, ideally with a mixer, cream together the sugar and butter. After about 5 minutes, add in the eggs and red food coloring, if you decide to use it. Beat together. then add in the a scoop (about a cup) of the dry ingredients and blend together. Follow by adding in the buttermilk, white vinegar and coffee. After beating together, fold in the rest of the dry ingredients, about a cup at a time. Once the batter is just combined, you are ready to bake.

Fill the molds with the batter. Under-fill the rose molds by about 1/3 of an inch. This will allow the cakes to properly rise.

Bake the rose molds for about 25 minutes, or until the cakes are set. Once baked, remove the molds and allow the cakes to slightly cool before removing them from the molds. The cakes should pop out of the molds, but if they are tough to get out, let them cool a couple more minutes.

Allow your rose cakes to cool on a wire rack until they are completely cool. You’ll want to wait until the cakes are cool before adding a topping or frosting to them.

Toppings for Red Velvet Cake

Traditionally, red velvet is topped with cream cheese frosting. While cream cheese frosting is delicious, it will cover the rose print and make the cake look like a normal cupcake.

Instead, you can dust the cakes with powdered sugar just before serving. Another option is to leave the cakes plain and serve cream cheese frosting on the side so you can dip the cake into the icing.

What makes red velvet cake red?

Red velvet cake gets its signature red coloring from the chemical reaction between the acids – the vinegar, coffee and buttermilk with the cocoa powder.

If red velvet cake is a very red color, it’s likely the baker added in red food coloring.

You can add a couple drops of red food coloring or of red gel coloring to give your cakes the signature red hue.

Looking for more dessert ideas?

• Easy Coconut Macaroons
• Cherry Crumble Pie
• Mochi Brownies
• Hawaiian Butter Mochi