Heart Shaped Cake
This is the cutest, quickest, and easiest Homemade Heart Cake to make and you don’t even need a heart-shaped pan! It makes an adorable Valentine’s Day dessert and everyone will love it, especially since it’s made with a lot of love! 😉
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box red velvet or chocolate cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter softened at room temperature
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- red food coloring gel
- Valentine's Day sprinkles optional
Instructions
Make heart cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6-inch or 8-inch round cake pan and a 6-inch or 8-inch square cake pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Blend at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat again until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the round and square baking pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Make frosting
- Make the frosting by beating the butter together until smooth in a medium bowl. Add in the cream cheese and beat together until combined. Add in 2 cups of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and a few drops of red food coloring until pale pink color has been achieved. Add in more powdered sugar to thicken the frosting or milk to thin it out. The frosting should be smooth, fluffy and not too thick.
Assemble heart shape
- To assemble the cake, cut the domed tops off of each cake with a sharp, serrated knife. Cut the round cake in half. Place the square cake top down as a diamond on a serving plate. Place the half circles of cake face down on either side of the square cake to form a heart shape.
- Spread the frosting in an even layer on the top of the cake and sides of the cake using an offset spatula to create the crumb coating. This will help make the next layer nice and smooth. Scrape the frosting evenly along the sides of the cake. Once the crumb coat is applied, chill the cake for 30 minutes.
- After cake has been chilled, apply another even layer of frosting on to the cake, be sure to scrape the sides evenly. Use an offset spatula for the top of the cake to get a super smooth topping.
- Add a few more drops of red food coloring to the remaining frosting to make it a different shade of pink and transfer it to a piping bag fit with a star tip.
- Pipe a border of pink frosting around the edges of the heart. Decorate the cake with heart sprinkles, serve, and enjoy!