This Valentine’s Heart Cake is a great way to enjoy this holiday of love with your family. If you’re looking for a special dessert idea to serve your kids or bring to a romantic dinner, this Valentine’s Day heart cake is your solution!
I don’t know about you, but I’m ALWAYS searching for a beautiful pink dessert idea for Valentine’s Day. This homemade cake and frosting recipe is simple to make, only takes about 30 minutes to bake and is a definite showstopper!!
For this Valentine’s heart cake recipe you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 2 boxes of white cake mix
- 8 large Egg whites
- 2 ½ C water
- 1 C canola oil
- pink gel food coloring
If you want to make this white cake mix taste like a homemade cake, then consider using whole milk instead of water in your cake mix. Another option is to use 3-4 eggs instead of 2 for a fluffier, homemade style cake.
Is Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker Cake Mix Better?
Since my homemade Valentine’s Day marble cake recipe calls for 2 boxes of white cake mix, people have often asked if Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker cake mix is better.
I feel this is a matter of preference, however, I have noticed that Duncan Hines white cake mix tends to be fluffier to get that homemade cake taste and texture.
Helpful Tools to Make the Valentine’s Heart Cake
- 3 – 9 inch round cake pans
- 1 – 10 inch round cake board
- 1 large piping bag with a star tip
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- 1 medium piping bag
- 1 medium piping bag with #17 tip
- 3-inch bubble heart cookie cutter
- Valentine’s Day pink and white heart sprinkles
For this Valentine’s heart cake you’ll be making a 3-layered homemade cake that’s decorated fully for the holiday.
Don’t forget to grab a jar of Maraschino cherries with stems for a final touch on this Valentine’s Day heart cake.
How to Make Valentine’s Heart Cake
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray your cake pans with baking spray.
Beat all of your cake mix ingredients together and divide it into two bowls.
Add a few drops of pink food coloring into one of the bowls of divided cake batter.
Grab your round 9-inch cake pans and scoop about ¼ cup of the colored batter into each cake pan on top of the white cake mix to create a tie-dyed look.
Place your 3 9-inch round cake pans into the preheated oven and bake for about 28-32 minutes.
You’ll know when your Valentine’s Day dessert recipe is complete when a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of the cake.
Allow your Valentine’s Day heart marble cake to cool completely before attempting to decorate.
How to Make Homemade Frosting
Using your standing mixer beat all of the ingredients listed above except for the food coloring.
Combine the ingredients until you have a smooth texture but stiff peaks.
Scoop 2 cups of your homemade frosting and place into one of the bowls.
Scoop another 1 cup of homemade frosting into the other bowl.
Using a dropper you’ll then mix in 2 drops of pink gel food coloring into one of the bowls of homemade frosting.
Using a dropper mix 4 drops of pink gel food coloring into the second bowl of vanilla frosting mix.
This process will leave you with a bowl of white frosting, a bowl of dark pink frosting and a bowl of light pink frosting for use in the next step of making this layered cake.
How to Make the Layered Cakes
Now that you have the homemade Valentine’s Day heart marble cake mix and homemade vanilla frosting ready, it’s time to make a layered cake.
Using a large piping bag with a star tip, scoop 1 cup of white frosting into 1 side of the piping bag.
Next, you’ll scoop 1 cup of the light pink frosting into the other side of the same large piping bag.
Take one cake layer and place it onto a cake board.
Cut the dome off the cake to make sure this first layer of your 3-layered Valentine’s Day dessert cake is even.
Repeat the above steps with the other two layers of cake.
Next, scoop 1 cup of white frosting onto the bottom layer and spread it evenly.
Grab the second cake layer and place it on top. Spread another cup of white frosting evenly on top of this second cake layer.
Lastly, get your last layer of cake and place it on top of the second cake layer.
Frost this 3rd layer of cake with the remainder of your white frosting.
You’ll need to place your layered cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the base frosting harden.
Take the rest of your light pink frosting and put the bowl into your microwave for about 10 seconds to soften your homemade frosting.
Scoop the rest of this light pink frosting into the piping bag.
Scoop your darker pink frosting into another piping bag that has a # 17 tip on it.
How do you Decorate this Valentine’s Heart Cake?
Once your layered cake has cooled for 30 minutes, take it out of the fridge.
Cut off the tip of the piping bag that contains your light pink frosting.
Pipe drips of this light pink frosting around the edge of your cake.
Sprinkle some of your Valentine’s Day dessert sprinkles onto the light pink frosting drips.
Grab your cookie cutter and lightly push it into the front center of your 3 layered cake to create a heart outline.
Using the dark pink homemade frosting piping bag, fill in the heart outline.
Using the larger piping bag with the star tip, pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake.
Now you have a beautiful 3 layered cake that you can serve for Valentine’s Day dessert!
Be sure to use the cherries with stems to place atop and finalize the beautiful Valentine’s Day heart cake. Slice your cake into individual pieces and serve!
Valentine’s Day Heart Cake
Equipment
- 3 – 9inch round cake pans
- 1 – 10inch round cake board
- 1 large piping bag with star tip
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- 1 medium piping bag
- 1 medium piping bag with #17 tip
- 3 inch bubble heart cookie cutter
- Valentines day pink and white heart sprinkles
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 boxes white cake mix
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 container pink gel food coloring
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 cups unsalted buter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 5 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 container pink gel food coloring
Additional Item(s)
- 1 jar Maraschino cherries with stems
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spay your 3
9-inch round cake pans with baking spray. - Beat all of your box cake mix ingredients together in a large bowl using a hand mixer.
- Take your mixed cake batter and place divide it into two bowls.
- Add a few drops of pink food coloring into one of the bowls of divided cake batter.
- Grab your round 9-inch cake pans and scoop about ¼ cup of the colored batter into each cake pan on top of the white cake mix to create a tie-dyed look.
- Place your 3 9-inch round cake pans into the preheated oven and bake for about 28-32 minutes.
- You’ll know when your Valentine’s Day dessert recipe is complete when a toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the center of the cake.
- Allow your Valentine’s Day heart marble cake to cool completely before attempting to decorate.
Make the Vanilla Frosting
- Using your standing mixer beat all of the ingredients listed above except for the food coloring.
- Combine the ingredients until you have a smooth texture but stiff peaks.
- Scoop 2 cups of your homemade frosting into one of two
medium bowls. - Scoop another 1 cup of homemade frosting into the second of two medium bowls.
- Using a dropper you’ll then mix in 2 drops of pink gel food coloring into one of the bowls of homemade frosting.
- Using a dropper mix 4 drops of pink gel food coloring into the second bowl of vanilla frosting mix.
- This process will leave you with a bowl of white frosting, a bowl of dark pink frosting and a bowl of light pink frosting for use in the next step of making this layered cake.
Build the 3 Layer Cake
- Using a large piping bag with a star tip, scoop 1 cup of white frosting into 1 side of the piping bag.
- Next, you’ll scoop 1 cup of the light pink frosting into the other side of the same large piping bag.
- Take one cake layer and place it onto a cake board.
- Cut the dome off the cake to make sure this first layer of your 3-layered Valentine’s Day dessert cake is even.
- Repeat the above steps with the other two layers of cake.
- Now you’ll want to scoop 1 cup of white frosting onto the bottom layer and spread it evenly.
- Grab the second cake layer and place it on top. Spread another cup of white frosting evenly on top of this second cake layer.
- Lastly, get your last layer of cake and place it on top of the second cake layer.
- Frost this 3rd layer of cake with the remainder of your white frosting.
- You’ll need to place your layered cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the base frosting harden.
- Take the rest of your light pink frosting and put the bowl into your microwave for about 10 seconds to soften your homemade frosting.
- Scoop the rest of this light pink frosting into the piping bag.
- Scoop your darker pink frosting into another piping bag that has a # 17 tip on it.
Decorate The Cake
- Once your layered cake has cooled for 30 minutes, take it out of the fridge.
- Cut off the tip of the piping bag that contains your light pink frosting.
- Pipe drips of this light pink frosting around the edge of your cake.
- Sprinkle some of your Valentine’s Day dessert sprinkles onto the light pink frosting drips.
- Grab your cookie cutter and lightly push it into the front center of your 3 layered cake to create a heart outline.
- Using the dark pink homemade frosting piping bag, fill in the heart outline.
- Using the larger piping bag with the star tip, pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake.
- Top with cherries and enjoy!
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