One-Layer Red Velvet Cake

I’m finding it hard to believe that we’re over halfway through January!?? But there are so many fun holidays coming up that I’m excited about! One being Valentine’s Day because I think we could all do with some more love and heart-shaped things in our lives currently. So it seemed appropriate to go ahead and bust out my heart pan!

I’m thinking more heart cakes will be necessary for 2021 just because 😊

Red velvet is one of my absolute favorites and I always ask for it for my birthday. Dreamy cream cheese frosting (also a fave) and the deep red color makes it a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day, too. (And Alabama football, roll tide.)

I actually have three heart pans 😂 but the one I used for this cake is a red Wilton pan that’s usually available at Target around this time of the year. I got mine a few years ago, but I saw them at Target again this year, although most of their Valentine’s stuff got snatched up super early. Here’s a similar one from Michael’s and one on Amazon with pretty good reviews.

You can also use regular round pans for this! I’d go with an 8-inch, but a 9-inch round pan would also work. You’d just need to watch the bake time because it’ll vary slightly.

Smaller batch recipes have been more prevalent the past year for obvious reasons, but I think a one-layer cake would be great for Valentine’s since it’s usually celebrated by you and ur boo ❤️ and even with just one layer, you’ll probably have some sweet leftovers. Plus! This cake is super easy to whip up. The cake batter can be prepared in one bowl, and I used my hand-held mixer. I did make the frosting a little thicker than usual because I wanted to pipe it, but you could probably cut a cup of powdered sugar out if you just want to spread it over your cake.

Hope you’re all having a lovely week, and keep a lookout for more heart-shaped things coming to the blog soon!

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One-Layer Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

• 1 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk
• ½ 1-oz red gel food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8-oz block cream cheese
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 5 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a heart-shaped pan (or 8 or 9-inch round pan) with baking spray with flour.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add egg, vegetable oil, vanilla, and milk. Using a hand held mixer (or stand mixer) on medium speed, mix until all ingredients are combined, 1-2 minutes.
• Add about half of a 1-oz container of red gel food coloring (or about 1 tablespoon) and mix until incorporated and evenly distributed throughout the cake batter.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until center is set and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar in batches, mixing first on low speed until mostly combined, and then high speed until completely combined. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
• When cake is cool, pipe or spread frosting over the cake. Garnish with strawberries and roses, if desired.

Notes

All images and text ©Bethcakes.