'Squid Game' Pink Soldier Mini Cakes (No Fondant) -

'Squid Game' Pink Soldier Mini Cakes (No Fondant)

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Keyword: buttercream frosting, cake, cream cheese frosting, mini cakes, squid game

Prep Time: 1 30

Cook Time: 20

Refrigeration Time: 15

Total Time: 2 5

Servings: mini cakes

Calories: 1186kcal

Soft red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting covered with a combination of coloured buttercream and buttercream mixed with Oreo cookie crumbs make up these "Squid Game" Pink Soldier mini cakes.

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

For the red velvet cake

2¼ cups cake flour sifted
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
¾ cup white sugar
1 large egg room temperature
¼ cup vegetable oil
8 drops crimson or red liquid food colour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar or 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice / white vinegar
1 cup buttermilk room temperature

For the cream cheese frosting

8 ounces 32% M.F. cream cheese (1 brick) softened to room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

For the buttercream frosting

4 sticks unsalted butter (2 cups) softened to room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp. whole milk (3.25% homogenized) room temperature
8 drops crimson food colour
6 drops red food colour
1 cup Oreo baking crumbs
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

For the decoration

¼ cup pure semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon milk

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Instructions

Bake the Red Velvet Cakes: Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and flour a mini skull cake pan. Sift cake flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed for 7 minutes. Add the egg and mix until doubled in volume. Mix in the oil, red food color, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Decrease the speed to medium-low and alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk in thirds, mixing until just combined. Fill each skull cavity with ½ cup of batter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Fillings & Frostings: Add the ingredients to a clean bowl fitted with the paddle attachment.
Cream Cheese: Mix softened cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip. Refrigerate the filling until you're ready to use it. If you have any leftover filling, store it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.
Buttercream: Cream butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and salt on low speed. Scrape the bowl in between mixing. Gradually add milk, then whip on high speed until smooth and doubled. A whisk attachment can help double the volume faster.
Colour the Frostings: Divide the buttercream as follows,
- Put 1 ½ cups into a medium bowl. Add Oreo crumbs and cocoa powder and mix to combine; this is the black mask. Transfer this to a piping bag fitted with a large ½-inch round piping tip.
- ¼ cup into a small bowl. Keep this plain (for the symbols). Transfer this to a piping bag fitted with a small ¼-inch round piping tip.
- Any remaining buttercream should stay in the mixer bowl. Add the crimson red food colouring drops to it and mix; this will create the red hood. Transfer this to a piping bag fitted with a large ½-inch slanted piping tip.
Pro-Tip: If you don't have piping tips, you can fill a large zip-top plastic bag with each frosting and snip off a corner with the suggested opening for each frosting.
Fill and Crumb Coat: With a knife, trim to level the backs and sides of the cooled cakes, then slice them horizontally in half. Pipe cream cheese frosting onto the bottom half, leaving a 1 cm gap around the edges, and place the top cake back on the frosting. Pipe a thin layer of red buttercream all over the cake and smooth it with a spatula (crumb coat). Place it on a piece of 7x7-inch parchment paper and refrigerate for 10 minutes to firm up.
Decorate the Mask and Hood: Pipe red buttercream around the sides of the cake twice, then smooth it completely flat. Pipe Oreo buttercream over the face, leaving a 1 cm gap around the edges. Smooth flat with a spatula. Use a clean fork to puncture grid marks into the black mask for a "mesh" look. Pipe a clean red buttercream line around the sides of the cake again, and a red “neck” over the chin area to complete the hood. Use a spatula to smooth any uneven surfaces.
Add Symbols and Details: Melt chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp milk in the microwave (30-second intervals) in a heat-proof bowl and place it in a piping bag with a small opening. Pipe a horizontal line across the middle of the mask and a vertical "zipper" line down the red neck. Use the white buttercream to pipe a square, circle, or triangle on the mask.
Chill and Smooth: Refrigerate cakes uncovered for 30 minutes. To get a perfectly smooth fondant-like finish, lightly dampen a smooth paper towel with warm water and gently rub it over the chilled red buttercream to erase wrinkles. Let cakes sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving!

Video

Notes

Don't Over-Colour the Red: Red buttercream darkens significantly as it sits and chills in the fridge! Trust the recommended drops (dependent on the brand you use); it will deepen into that perfect soldier-pink/red over time.

Can I bake these cakes the night before?

You definitely can! Once the cakes have cooled completely, individually wrap each skull cake tightly in plastic wrap to lock in the moisture. Place them in a large zip-top bag and leave them at room temperature until you are ready to decorate the next day.

How do I serve refrigerated buttercream cakes?

Because butter turns solid in the fridge, your buttercream frosting will be very firm. Always take your decorated cakes out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving. This allows the cake and the buttercream to soften up perfectly!

Nutrition