Mini Red Velvet Cakes with Cream Cheese Mascarpone
Ingredients – 8 servings
For the sponge cake
- 2 pcs Egg
- 1 teaspoon Red food colouring
- 1 tablespoon Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 0.25 teaspoon Salt
- 240 ml Buttermilk
- 250 g Flour
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla flavouring
- 125 g Butter
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 250 g Granulated Sugar
For the cream
- 100 g Powdered Sugar
- 100 g Butter
- 125 g Mascarpone
- 125 g Cream cheese
For the decoration
- to taste Mint
- to taste Strawberry
Preparation
Prepare the oven and dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 180 °C, in top and bottom baking mode. Line a larger baking tray with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
Cream the butter and sugar. In another bowl, use a mixer to beat the 125 g of soft, unsalted butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the two large eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Also mix in the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Prepare the red food coloring. From the measured 240 ml of buttermilk, take out 2 tablespoons, mix it with the red food coloring, then incorporate 2 tablespoons into the butter-egg mixture. Mix until smooth.
Combine the sponge cake batter. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the remaining buttermilk. Start and finish with the flour mixture. Finally, mix in the red food coloring mixture. Only mix until you have a homogeneous batter.
Bake the sponge cake. Spread the batter evenly on the parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes, then perform a toothpick test: if the inserted toothpick comes out clean, the sponge is done. If necessary, bake for a few more minutes. Be careful not to dry it out. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
Make the cream cheese mascarpone frosting. Beat the 100 g of soft butter with the powdered sugar until fluffy. In another bowl, gently mix the Philadelphia cream cheese and mascarpone with a spatula until smooth. Fold the two mixtures together until you have a uniform cream. Do not overmix, as the mascarpone cream can become loose. Fill a piping bag with the cream fitted with a round decorating tip of about 6 mm.
Cut out the mini cake layers. From the completely cooled sponge, use a 7 cm diameter metal ring or a suitable-sized glass to cut out 24 equal circles. Each of the eight mini cakes requires three sponge layers.
Assemble the mini cakes. Place eight sponge circles on a tray and pipe an even layer of cream on each. Top with another circle, then another layer of cream. Cover with the remaining eight sponge circles, and decorate the tops with cream as well. Distribute the cream evenly between the two inner layers and their tops. This will yield eight mini cakes, each with three sponge layers.
Chill and decorate the dessert. Place the mini cakes in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours to allow the cream to set. About 15 minutes before serving, take them out and decorate with fresh strawberries and mint leaves.
Do not overmix the batter: After adding the flour, mix only until combined, so the sponge remains softer.
Let the sponge cool completely: The cream can melt on warm sponge.
Carefully combine the cream: Overmixing the mascarpone and cream cheese can cause it to loosen.
Chilling: Account for an additional 2–3 hours of chilling after baking; the cold cream makes the cakes more stable.
