Mini Red Velvet Cake

I can not even tell you how happy miniature things like this make me. I am such a sucker for normal size items being reduced down to mouse-size proportions. So when I found a recipe online for a Mini Birthday Cake baked in an aluminum can, I nearly fainted. The thought of creating a true layer cake perfect for just one or two people to share kind of blows my mind.

And isn't it so much cuter than a plain old cupcake or one of those 'individual cake molds'....ugh, that's so February.

To me, the best part of this recipe, slash method, has to be that you only need to make a tiny amount of batter and you most likely have all of the ingredients already. This means you could easily go from mixing to eating within an hour.

The original recipe, which I found on The Baker Chick's website, is for a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting (I made that one too). Perfectly fine as is...BUT, I've already told you how much I looooove red velvet anything (remember the brownies??), so the natural thing to do was to make it my own.

Fresh out of the Oven

I combined the recipe from the Baker Chick with a basic recipe for Red Velvet Cake. I already knew the components to balance the flavors and make it red, so it was just a matter of guessing the right amounts....and voilà! A super cute singular cake was born.

Kind of looks like cranberry sauce 

Mini Tin Can Red Velvet Cake 
Adapted from The Baker Chick and me :)
1 egg white
2 T sugar
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C minus 1 tsp. flour
1 tsp. cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 T buttermilk (milk is fine too)
1/8 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. red food coloring
dash of salt
empty 15 oz aluminum can with the top lid completely removed

Preheat the oven to 350.

Make sure your tin can is completely clean and dry and use an organic brand if possible. Coat it with either butter or cooking spray and flour. Cut a small round of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the can.

In a small bowl whisk together egg white and sugar well. Add the butter and vanilla and mix again. Add the dry ingredients, whisking softly to combine. Fold in the buttermilk, vinegar and food coloring. Pour the batter into the can and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely, then turn the little cake out onto a plate. Slice off the rounded top of the cake and eat it and then slice the rest into 3 pieces, the lines created by the can will help to make them straight. Frost with your favorite frosting. I like cream cheese frosting, which you can easily make a small amount of.

Just combine about 2 T unsalted, softened butter, 2 oz softened cream cheese, 1/8 C powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla. Or use store bought if that's what you have on hand.

Enjoy!