red velvet holiday wreath cake (Sweetest Somethings)

Red velvet cake may very well be my spirit animal. I have an absolute weakness for it and I rarely meet a piece I don’t like. Every year for my grandma’s birthday I make her this red velvet cake recipe. This recipe is somewhat of a cheat (you’ll see what I mean below), but it is full proof and comes out amazing every single time. I’ve tried other recipes that are more “homemade” and none of them even come close to this cheat recipe.

This may not be whole, or paleo, or organic, or even remotely in the healthy ballpark but it’s the holidays and it’s too good not to share. Follow my recipe below for the cake and icing and instructions for decorating the cake to look like a cute little wreath. I do this since my grandma’s birthday is today, two days before Christmas, but you could obviously decorate it any way you wish. The next few days starts the hustle and bustle of seeing lots of family for the holiday. No matter what you celebrate I hope you have a good one, and find some time to enjoy some cake. xo

Easy “cheat” Red Velvet cake:

one box of plain white cake mix
on package of dry chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 bottle of red food coloring (the bigger one)
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 package softened cream cheese
1 stick softened butter
5-6 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbspn milk
red and green M&M’s (optional)
green icing (optional)

Ignore the directions on the back of the cake box. In a mixer, beat together the first 6 ingredients until there are no lumps and it is well combined. Add the red food coloring and continue to beat until the batter has turned a bright red color. Fold in the cup of mini chocolate chips. Bake in two round cake pans at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing.

For the icing, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter for about 4-5 minutes until combined and fluffy. Slowly add in the confectioners sugar and continue to beat adding the milk at the end to reach your desired consistency.

Frost the cakes one layer at a time. Add green M&Ms around the outside rim to make a wreath. Use the icing to outline a bow shape at the bottom and cover icing with red M&Ms. Enjoy!