Red Velvet PEEPS—Holiday Wreath Cake -- Because Someone Always Makes the Cake With Love

May 2021. I turned 39. One year before forty, which everyone seems to feel the need to mention as though the number requires preparation. Gary took me to dinner — just the two of us, first time we'd been to a restaurant in over a year — and we sat across from each other in a real restaurant with real candlelight and ate food someone else made and it was the most romantic thing in the world simply because of the simplicity of it. Someone else cooking for us. Someone else setting it down in front of us.

I ordered the risotto and took a bite and immediately thought about technique — the way the rice had been added to, the timing of the stock — and then I laughed at myself and Gary asked what and I told him. He said, "You can't turn it off." I said no. He said, "I'd rather have that problem than the alternative." The alternative being someone who doesn't notice, who just eats without looking. I cannot imagine that. I cannot imagine moving through the world without paying this much attention to food.

Mason made my birthday cake. He'd decided weeks ago and kept it secret and it was a carrot cake — my grandmother's recipe, the one I've made every birthday since I was seven — and it was perfect. Not exactly the same as mine; his had a little more ginger and less nutmeg and was somehow better for the adjustment. He said he'd made it four times to get it right. Four times, in secret. I held onto him for a long time when I cut into it and tasted it.

My son made my grandmother's carrot cake better than I do. Some things you can't plan to be proud of. They just arrive.

Mason’s carrot cake reminded me that the best birthday cakes aren’t about perfection—they’re about the person who made them and what they were willing to give. This Red Velvet PEEPS® Holiday Wreath Cake channels that same joy: bold color, a little whimsy, and cream cheese frosting that makes everyone feel like the guest of honor. If you’re celebrating someone who deserves a cake as dramatic and heartfelt as the moment, this is the one to make.

Red Velvet PEEPS® Holiday Wreath Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus cooling) | Servings: 14

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 tbsp red liquid food coloring
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white distilled vinegar
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Decoration:
• 20–24 PEEPS® holiday marshmallow candies (any color)
• 2 tbsp green decorating sugar or sprinkles
• Red cinnamon candies or red sprinkles, for accent

Instructions

1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the parchment, then dust lightly with flour.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, red food coloring, vanilla extract, and white vinegar until smooth and fully incorporated.
4. Combine the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined—do not overmix. The batter will be deep red and slightly thick.
5. Bake the layers. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 28–32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges begin to pull from the pan.
6. Cool completely. Let cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Cool completely to room temperature before frosting, at least 45 minutes.
7. Make the frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between additions. Add vanilla and pinch of salt. Beat on medium-high for 2 minutes until smooth and spreadable.
8. Frost the cake. Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Spread a generous layer of cream cheese frosting over the top. Place the second layer on top and frost the top and sides of the entire cake smoothly.
9. Decorate the wreath. Arrange PEEPS® candies around the outer edge of the top of the cake in a circle, standing them upright to form a wreath shape. Scatter green decorating sugar between and around the PEEPS® to suggest foliage. Add red cinnamon candies or red sprinkles as accent “berries.”
10. Set and serve. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before slicing to allow the frosting to firm up. Slice and serve at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 540 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 70g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 320mg