Sweet Melissa Sunday - Classic Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Welcome to another addition of Sweet Melissa Sunday. This weeks recipe is Classic Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Rosy, of Rosy Lips and Lavender is this weeks hostess and she picked a winner! Be sure to stop by her blog and check out the recipe for this cake. Look around while you are there...she takes great photos! And, be sure to head over to SMS to see what all the other bakers thought of Rosy's choice!

My daughter's birthday is today and I made this cake for her. She loves red velvet cake (though I think she likes Funfetti cake more!) and I figured I would kill two birds with one stone by making this. We are getting together with her and her hubby on Tuesday to have dinner at Fuddrucker's. We have been going there for her birthday dinner for quite a few years now. I will bring several of the heart cakes with me that night. For the birthday girl's dessert,  you know. :)

This was a really simple cake to put together. I didn't read about switching out baking powder for the baking soda, to get a truer red cake, until after my cake was done. But, I think it's pretty red. Other than cutting back on the cinnamon by about 1/2 teaspoon, I made this one just like in the book. I ended up using some of the batter in my mini heart cake pan, getting 6 hearts, and there was still enough batter to bake 2 6-inch rounds!

I did stray from the recipe when it came to the icing. Shocking I know! Coming from someone who seldom if every varies from how the recipe is written. Seeing 3 sticks of butter and only 12 ounces of cream cheese...I just couldn't do it. I have a favorite cream cheese icing that I make. It calls for 1 stick of butter, 1 package of cream cheese, some confectioners' sugar and a little vanilla. It's smooth, creamy and delicious. I decided to use my icing on this cake instead of Melissa's.

The end result? What a great cake! I found it to be moist and tender. I could detect the cinnamon and I am glad I cut back on it a little. I think it would have been overpowering for my tastes if I had used the full 2 teaspoons. The chocolate flavor is there, but very subtle. I think my color turned out pretty nice. Maybe it could have been redder, but I think it looks good. And the icing? Well, I already knew it would be good!

I think my daughter will be very happy with her mini heart shaped Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Happy Birthday Beth!! (if you are reading this!) <3<3<3
This is also a post for Have the Cake, a new group I have joined. Bake once a month for a type of recipe someone chooses. Last month was Rugelach and this month is Red Velvet cake. Can't wait for next month. 

Puppy Cake for 7 year old

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted to make cupcakes and a cake for a friend's 7 year old daughter. The little girl is having her party at the Richmond SPCA. Mom wanted puppy themed goodies for the two parties the little girl was having. One party, the one the cupcakes were for, was held at school Wednesday afternoon. The cupcakes (see earlier post) were a big hit. I got a call from the Mom and she was thrilled and said the kids loved all the different puppies. She also said the cupcakes tasted as good as they looked. Great stuff for a cake maker to hear.

I finished the puppy themed cake yesterday. I always finish cakes a day before they are due. That way, should something go horribly wrong, I have a day to try and fix it. I also show up 5 minutes early for appointments. I would rather sit around for a few minutes than show up a few minutes late. It's just the way I am.

This cake was so fun to do. A lot of tedious stuff...cutting out each round "paw" and each "toe" for the paws and then carefully placing each piece on the cake.  But it was so fun to see it come together.  I used black fondant for the paws. I cut out the big part of the paws with two piping tips. I used the bottom of an extra large piping tip for the big paws and a medium tip for the small paws. The toes were done with the top of  a #12 tip and a #8 tip.

The dogs were made from fondant. I use Satin Ice fondant. I think it's much easier to work with than Wilton's brand and it tastes tons better. You pay a bit more for it, but some things are worth the extra money. I styled them after dogs Lorraine McKay does. She has several on-line videos teaching you different techniques and I watched the dog one ages ago and remembered how to do them. The two dogs on the board that are holding up the bone banner were made several months ago and have been in a box waiting to be used. I decided to put them on the bottom and have them hold the bone. I do not like writing on cakes. I always worry about messing up the words or how they fit. I almost always make something to either place on the board or on the cake. It's a lot easier to make another plaque then to fix messed up icing. I learned that the hard way.

The dogs on top represent two dogs Loren has. One is named Frank Sinatra, Jr. and the other is Sammy Davis, Jr. And, of course, each dog has it's own food bowl filled with Kibble. :) They are sitting on a "rug" which is hiding a small cardboard circle. The cardboard circle supports the puppies so they don't sink into the icing on the top of the cake.

I love playing with fondant. It's like being a little kid again playing with Playdough. It's so fun to see something "come alive" in your hands, something that began as an idea in your head and suddenly is real and tangible. And, then to see or hear about the joy that something you created with your hands gave to someone else. I thank God for the gift he has given me that allows me to bring such happiness to so many people.

The cake is a White Almond Sour Cream cake with a simple Vanilla Buttercream icing.  It is 2 8" layers, torted and filled and 1 6" layer torted and filled. I will be delivering it tomorrow to the SPCA. I can't wait to hear what the kids think of this one. If they liked the cupcakes as much as they did, they should love this cake.