Description
Red velvet Little Debbie Valentine’s Day Cakes deliver nostalgic sweetness with homemade charm. Crimson layers sandwiched with cream cheese frosting celebrate love through delightful bite-sized treats you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups (296 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk, room temperature
Leavening and Seasoning:
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling and Coating Ingredients:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup marshmallow fluff
- 3 cups (360 g) confectioner’s sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups light pink candy melts
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease a half sheet pan, line with parchment paper, and grease the parchment to ensure easy cake removal.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, whisking until uniformly mixed and free of lumps.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and airy. Incorporate eggs individually, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Blend in vanilla extract.
- Gradually alternate adding dry ingredient mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, mixing until a smooth, consistent batter forms.
- Spread batter evenly across prepared pan, ensuring uniform thickness. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges turn golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm up.
- Prepare filling by whipping butter and marshmallow fluff until completely smooth. Fold in confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, mixing until creamy.
- Once chilled, cut cake into heart shapes using a 4-inch cutter. Pipe filling onto half the hearts, then top with remaining heart cutouts.
- Freeze assembled cakes for 1 hour to stabilize structure.
- Melt candy melts with coconut oil until completely smooth. Carefully dip frozen cakes to create an even coating.
- Place coated cakes in refrigerator for 15 minutes to set chocolate shell.
- Pipe delicate white chocolate swirls on top of cakes for decoration. Chill briefly to finalize setting.
Notes
- Chill Thoroughly: Refrigerating the cake before cutting ensures cleaner, more precise heart shapes without crumbling.
- Soft Butter Matters: Use room temperature butter for smoother, fluffier batter that incorporates ingredients more evenly.
- Customize Flavors: Swap vanilla extract with almond or strawberry extract for a personalized Valentine’s twist.
- Dietary Adaptations: Replace wheat flour with gluten-free blend and use dairy-free butter alternatives for allergy-friendly version.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 34 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg