Mini food is fun to make using polymer clay. This miniature cake is meant to resemble a red velvet cake for Valentine’s Day.
I find baking to be very therapeutic. Besides enjoying eating what I bake, there is something satisfying about creating cakes, breads and cookies from raw ingredients. And my family enjoys what I make, too!
Since working more with my minis, I equally enjoy making miniature food with polymer clay. At first I was very intimidated with all the creative people creating amazing and realistic mini foods.
My favorite foods to make out of polymer clay are cakes and desserts. Today’s cake is a red velvet heart cake inspired from my friend Jenni’s traditional red velvet cake with ermine frosting.
This polymer clay tutorial will show you how to make a mini red velvet cake with minimal white frosting and cake crumbles to make a heart on top.
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Supplies you need
- Red polymer clay: I chose to use regular red polymer clay. Feel free to mix up some magenta or purple to make it more beet red.
- White polymer clay: This is for the white frosting layers.
- White liquid polymer: This gives the naked cake frosted look. You can also mix in white clay or white pastel and mix it in with clear liquid polymer.
- Clear liquid polymer: This helps adhere the extra layer of crumbs needed.
- Rolling pin: This is needed to roll the clay flat for the cake layers
- Xacto knife: For texturing the cake and creating the cake crumbles you will need a sharp blade.
- Small clay trowel: When I frost a real cake, I use an offset spatula. A trowel or other small flat tool helps smear the frosting onto our miniature cake.
- Parchment paper: You can bake on parchment paper, a ceramic tile or a piece of glass.
- Round cutter: Small cutters similar to cookie cutters are used to cut the cake layers. I used a 1-inch circle.
- Heart cutter: You can shape the crumbs to form a heart with just a thin tip tool, but a small heart cutter will make this MUCH easier.
Step-by-step directions
1. Soften red clay then roll it out until it is about ⅛-inch thick. Using a 1-inch circle cutter, cut out 3 red circles and set aside.
2. Soften white clay then roll it out until it is about ⅛-inch thick or less. Using the same 1-inch circle cutter, cut out 3 white circles.
3. Starting with a red and ending in white, start stacking the circles, alternating colors. Once the circles are stacked, gently roll the stack on its side and tape the ends to keep the circles tightly packed together.
4. Using the Xacto knife or a metal pick, start texturing your cake layers. Make small circles and jabs into the red layers only, all the way around the cake. Roll the cake a little on its sides again.
5. Squeeze about ¼ teaspoon of white liquid polymer onto a piece of foil or parchment paper. Using a small flat trowel, spread the white liquid along the sides of the cake, covering lightly both the red and white layers.
We are creating a naked cake effect so it doesn’t have to very thick. Brush off excess liquid polymer with a alcohol wipe. Place your cake onto a ceramic tile, piece of glass or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 170ºF for 20 minutes.
6. There are two ways to create the red crumbs needed for the heart on top of the cake. For large crumbs, place a small tube of red clay in the freezer for 20 minutes. Shave off small bits of red clay onto parchment paper then bake for 10 minutes at 170ºF.
For smaller crumbs, roll out a small 1 inch roll of red clay and bake it for 20 minutes at 170ºF. Once cooled, use the Xacto to shave off bits of clay.
7. When the cake has cooled, you are ready to finish the top. Spread about ¼-inch ball worth of white clay on a piece of foil or parchment paper. Using a small palate knife, mix in white liquid polymer or clear liquid polymer until you have the consistency of frosting.
Spread this frosting onto the top surface of your cake, the top white layer. Be sure to addd some to go over the sides slightly.
8. Place your heart cutter onto the center of the top layer. Start dropping in the shaved bits of baked red clay into the heart cutter. Use the rounded end of your Xacto to press the red bits firmly down.
9. Gently remove the heart cutter and use the tip of your blade to clean up any bits that have been misplaced. Bake the cake at 170ºF for 15 minutes.
10. When the cake has cooled, shake off any loose red bits. If your red heart looks like it needs more red bits, spread a thin layer of clear liquid polymer over the heart, place the heart cutter back on top of the cake and begin dropping red bits in.
Remove the cutter and press the bits into the clear liquid polymer. Bake again at 170ºF for 10 minutes.
FAQs and project tips
I find that baking the mini cake in stages makes for handling to cake much easier. I use mostly Sculpey clay, but I sometimes use other brands, often mixing them. Most clay brands have their directions on what temperature to bake your creations.
Baking at lower temperatures will ensure that your work will not crack. Slowly heating and cooling your clay work will also prevent cracking.
Want some more mini sweets? Here’s my tutorial to make the miniature sugar cookies you see pictured below. Need some easy miniature cake stands for you mini cakes? I’ve got that covered, too!
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Miniature Valentines Red Velvet Cake
Mini food is fun to make using polymer clay. This miniature cake is meant to resemble a red velvet cake for Valentine's Day.
Materials
- Red polymer clay
- White polymer clay
- White liquid polymer
- Clear liquid polymer
Tools
- Rolling pin
- Xacto knife
- Small clay trowel knife
- Parchment paper
- Round cutter
- Heart cutter
Instructions
- Soften red clay then roll it out until it is xx thick.
- Using 1-inch circle cutter, cut out 3 red circles and set aside.
- Soften white clay then roll it out until it is xx thick.
- Using the same 1-inch circle cutter, cut out 3 white circles.
- Starting with a red and ending in white, start stacking the circles, alternating colors.
- Once the circles are stacked, gently roll the stack on its side and tape the ends to keep the circles tightly packed together.
- Using the Xacto knife or a metal pick, start texturing your cake layers. Make small circles and jabs into the red layers only, all the way around the cake. Roll the cake a little on its sides again.
- Squeeze about ¼ teaspoon of white liquid polymer onto a piece of foil or parchment paper. Using a small flat palate knife, spread the white liquid along the sides of the cake, covering lightly both the red and white layers. We are creating a naked cake effect so it doesn't have to very thick. Brush off excess liquid polymer with a wet wipe.
- Place your cake onto a ceramic tile, piece of glass or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 170ºF for 20 minutes.
- There are two ways to create the red crumbs needed for the heart on top of the cake. For large crumbs, place a small tube of red clay in the freezer for 20 minutes. Shave off small bits of red clay onto parchment paper then bake for 10 minutes at 170ºF. For smaller crumbs, roll out a small 1 inch roll of red clay and bake it for 20 minutes at 170ºF. Once cooled, use the Xacto to shave off bits of clay.
- When the cake has cooled, you are ready to finish the top. Spread about ¼-inch ball worth of white clay on a piece of foil or parchment paper. Using a small palate knife, mix in white liquid polymer or clear liquid polymer until you have the consistency of frosting. Spread this frosting onto the top surface of your cake, the top white layer. Be sure to addd some to go over the sides slightly.
- Place your heart cutter onto the center of the top layer. Start dropping in the shaved bits of baked red clay into the heart cutter. Use the rounded end of your Xacto to press the red bits firmly down.
- Gently remove the heart cutter and use the tip of your blade to clean up any bits that have been misplaced.
- Bake the cake at 170ºF for 15 minutes.
- When the cake has cooled, shake off any loose red bits. If your red heart looks like it needs more red bits, spread a thin layer of clear liquid polymer over the heart, place the heart cutter back on top of the cake and begin dropping red bits in. Remove the cutter and press the bits into the clear liquid polymer.
- Bake again at 170ºF for 10 minutes.
PS If you try this craft, why not leave a star rating in the direction card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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