This is a longer video of how I constructed my Valentine's cake with instructions included. As requested, I've included some of my recipes below. ----------------------------------------------- Vanilla Cake 1 pkg. Betty Crocker white cake mix 1 cup whole milk ½ cup butter melted 3 large eggs 2 tsp. vanilla Preheat oven to 325. Mix cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat on low for one minute. Beat on medium for two minutes. Bake about 50 minutes. Test doneness with toothpick. ----------------------------------------------- Chocolate Cake 1 pkg. Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix 1 1/3 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sour cream 1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding (4 oz.) 3 large eggs 1/2 tsp. real vanilla 2 TBS. cocoa powder 1/8 cup granulated sugar Mix on low one minute. Scrape sides. Mix on med. high two min. Bake at 325 degrees approx. 45 min. or until toothpick comes out with a few crumbs on it. ----------------------------------------------- Sour Cream Butter Yellow Cake 1 pkg. yellow cake mix (Betty Crocker) 1 cup sour cream 1/3 cup melted butter 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. real vanilla Mix on low one minute. Scrape sides. Mix on med. high two min. Bake @ 325 degrees approx. 45 min. or until toothpick comes out clean. ----------------------------------------------- Buttercream Icing 1 cup butter 1 cup shortening 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. almond emulsion* 1/2 tsp. cream bouquet * 1 tsp. real vanilla 2 lbs. powdered sugar 3 TBS whole milk Cream first 6 ingredients until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk. Beat on med. high for five minutes until smooth and white. *Cream bouquet and almond emulsion are flavored oils with a more intense flavor than extracts. Can be found at cake supply stores or online. ----------------------------------------------- Chocolate Fudge Frosting 1/2 cup butter 2/3 cup cocoa powder 4 cups powdered sugar 1/2 cup milk ½ tsp. salt Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med. speed to spreading consistency. I'm not sure of the exact amount of sugar and milk I use. I just taste it and if it's not sweet enough I'll add more sugar and enough milk to make it a creamy consistency. ----------------------------------------------- Poured Fondant 2/3 cup water 3 TBS clear Karo syrup 2 lbs. Powdered sugar 1 tsp almond extract (maybe a little less) Mix water and syrup in measuring cup. Mix with powdered sugar in pot. Heat on very low heat and stir. Add almond when melted. * can also substitute lemon extract for lemon doberge cakes. (Add yellow food coloring.) ----------------------------------------------- Cream Cheese Icing 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 1 package cream cheese (8 oz.) 1 TBS whole milk 4 cups powdered sugar Cream butter, cream cheese, and milk. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. This is a very soft icing that needs to be refrigerated. It's better to use as a filling since it's not very easy to decorate with. ----------------------------------------------- Cake Balls -Dump a plain cake in a big bowl -Mix with a little frosting as a binder for rolling into balls. -Wash hands well and mix until crumbly. -Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet with wax paper. -It helps to cover them with plastic wrap and stick them in the freezer for about an -hour, but it’s not necessary. -Melt dipping chocolate* slowly. I use the microwave in short increments and stir in between. Melt until there are still chocolate chunks and then stir until they are melted. -Place cake ball on fork over bowl of chocolate and spoon chocolate over it. -Place on a cookie sheet that has wax paper on it. -To make them a little prettier, wait for them to dry and trim the excess chocolate off the bottom with a knife. Then place in a candy paper cup. *Dipping chocolate is sometimes called candy coating. Using chocolate chips or a chocolate bar will create a clumpy mess that dries after two cake balls an...