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Red Velvet Coconut Cake with Christmas Tree PEEPS^®

Show your holiday spirit and baking talent this Christmas with this creative and deliciously decadent Red Velvet Coconut Cake with PEEPS Marshmallow Trees.

50 Min

INGREDIENTS

Red Velvet Cake:

3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
3 1/2 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp red gel food coloring
20 tbsp (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 cups plus 4 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, slightly softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
7 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Decorations:

PEEPS Christmas trees
Sweetened coconut shavings

INSTRUCTIONS

Red Velvet Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 3 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment rounds.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl stir together the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the buttermilk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition.
Divide the batter evenly among the 3 cake pans and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Allow cakes to cool on a wire rack, then turn out and frost and stack with cream cheese frosting:

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium, add the vanilla, and beat until fully blended, 1 to 2 minutes, making sure not to incorporate too much air into the frosting.

Decorations: