3 -Tier Valentine's Cake

Valentine’s Day is almost here, so that means people will be giving their Valentine something special. We all know that sweet treats are one of the biggest gifts to give on this special day. That is why I would like to make this holiday sweeter by sharing my recipe on how to make a three- tier Valentine cake. This fun, and awesomely tasty treat will bring a small heart to almost anyone's Valentine this February 14.

List of all Materials and Tools needed to complete my project:

• Bowls

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Electric mixer

• Cake pans (9-inch)

• Kitchen scissors

• Pastry brush

• Spatula

• Pastry bag with tips

• Toothpicks

• Paring knife

• Rotating turntable

• Cake smoother

• Checkerboard Cake Pan Set

• Fondant/fondant tools

Ingredients for red velvet cake (purchase 2 boxes of cake mix)

• Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake Mix

• 3 eggs

• ½ cup of vegetable oil

• 1 1/3 cup of water

Ingredients for vanilla cake (purchase 2 boxes of cake mix)

• Betty Crocker Vanilla Cake Mix

• 3 eggs

• ½ cup of vegetable oil

• 1 1/3 cup of water

Grease and lightly flour bottoms and sides of six 9 inch pans.

Get four mixing bowls. For each cake mix, follow the instructions on the box.

Next, pour the red velvet cake mixes into three 9 inch pans, and fill the other three 9 inch pans with the vanilla cake mixes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 23-25 minutes. Be sure to check to see if the cakes are done. You can do this by using a toothpick that you insert in the center. If it comes out clean, that means it’s done. Remove the cakes from the pans and lay them on the cooling rack until they are completely cool. This usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes.

Once the cakes are cool, wrap each one in saran wrap and place in the freezer. This step is optional. I did this because it's easier to cut the cakes for layering.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix the butter on low speed until it is smooth. Slowly add 3 cups of powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, salt, and heavy cream and mix on medium speed until it’s smooth and creamy.

In another bowl, repeat the steps above for another batch of buttercream frosting. This time, add two drops of red food coloring and mix until it's a dark red.

Get two pastry bags and fill them with the plain buttercream frosting and the red buttercream frosting. Put the tips on each bag.

Now it’s time to build the three tiers.

First, we need to create the checkered tier, which is the bottom. Get one vanilla cake and one red velvet cake out of the freezer. Place the vanilla cake and the red velvet cake on the cutting board. With the checkerboard cake cutter, place it in the middle of the vanilla cake and press down, then pull up. This creates two outer rings and one center circle. Repeat these steps with the red velvet cake. Assemble the cakes, as shown in the pictures, and stack them on the turntable. Evenly cut the top layer to make a flat surface. Since it's frozen, it makes a smoother cut. Frost this entire layer with the white buttercream frosting. We call this frosting layer the crumb layer because when frosting it, it turns out crumbly. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 1 hour to let the frosting harden. Take it out and frost it again. This time it will turn out smooth. Use the cake smoother to smooth the sides and top of the cake.

Next, take the two red velvet cakes out of the freezer. Place them on the cutting board. Carefully, cut both cakes to make the size about 8 inches round. Stack them on top of the bottom layers. Just like the instructions above, cut the top layer to make a flat surface and frost with the red buttercream frosting. Refrigerate for one hour and then frost again with the red buttercream frosting. Be sure to spin the turntable and squeeze the frosting on the sides. Use the cake smoother to smooth the sides and the top of the cake.

Last, take the two vanilla cakes out of the freezer. Place on cutting board and cut the cakes to make 6 inch rounds. Stack both on top of the middle tier and frost with red buttercream frosting.

You can design your cake however you want. I chose to create two white swans in a heart form, made out of white fondant. Please see pictures. I also used Hershey's Chocolate Shell Topping to drip off the top layer of the cake. See pictures. I made a big red bow out of red fondant and placed it on the bottom layer. See picture.

So as you can see from above, I was able to complete my three tiered cake. Although this was one of my best treats to make, I learned that baking a three tiered cake is not as easy as I thought it would be. Going through this process for the first time, I didn't realize how many boxes of cake mixes I would need. I also didn't know how much buttercream frosting it would take to frost the entire cake. I thought the fondant designs would be easier, but it was a lot harder to use than normal frosting decorations. When I first chose this project, I thought it would only take a few hours to bake this cake. I was so wrong! It didn't take hours, it took me days. Now that I know the proper steps to make this cake, I don't think it will take me as long the next time. I recommend you give yourself plenty of time if you try to make this cake. In the end, this is a special cake for a special day. Knowing what I know now, I would make this tasty treat for any holiday or special event.