Heart Shaped Cake

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword heart-cake-recipe, heart-shaped-cake-recipe, red-velvet-cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Cooling Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings servings

Calories 561kcal

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp liquid red food coloring
1 1/2 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 8 oz blocks plain cream cheese softened
1/2 cup salted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spritz a square 8x8-inch cake pan and an 8-inch round cake pan with baking spray or butter and flour.
In a medium bowl use a whisk to sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and eggs until fully combined.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed add the wet ingredients gradually into the sifted dry ingredients beating just until combined.
Divide the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean. Do not over bake. Cool for 20 minutes in the pans then carefully remove from the pan to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting: In a medium-size mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium-high speed to cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt. Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the powdered sugar. Whip for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
Assemble: Once the cakes have cooled use a serrated knife to cut the round cake in half to create two equal half circles.
On a large platter or cake stand, place the square cake offset in the center with one corner pointing down to form the bottom of the heart. Use cream cheese frosting to attach the two halves to the top of the square cake to create the top of the heart shape.
Frost the entire cake with a thin coat of cream cheese frosting to create a crumb coat.
Smooth the remaining frosting onto the cake and decorate the top of the cake with sprinkles, sanding sugars and candies. Store chilled.

Notes

Cream Cheese: You can use a lighter Neufchatel cheese in place of full fat cream cheese for the frosting. When doing so, you may need to add additional powdered sugar to stabilize the frosting.

Unsalted Butter: If using unsalted butter for the icing, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to balance the sweet flavor.

Flavorings: You could add other extracts to the cake batter and the frosting. Raspberry extract, strawberry extract or a dash of almond extract.

Frosting: Cream cheese frosting is classic for red velvet cake. That said, you can also frost it with vanilla buttercream or fluffy 7-minute frosting.

Nutrition