Description
Make a professional-looking Valentine’s Day cake at home using tender layers and smooth frosting, perfect for a romantic dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
- 7 oz marshmallow creme
- ¾ cup salted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2–4 tbsp heavy cream room temperature
- 32 oz almond bark
- 3 tbsp crisco
- pink gel food dye
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and line two half sheet pans (18×13-inch) with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer or using a hand held mixer, combine the boxed cake mix, sugar, water, eggs, vanilla, and oil for 1 minute.
- Add the flour, salt, and sour cream. Mix on medium speed until incorporated and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between both pans and smooth the surface.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Cool the cakes at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
- For the filling, beat the marshmallow creme and butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Add more heavy cream if needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Once the cake is cool, cut out 32 hearts using a 3-inch cookie cutter.
- Spread the filling on half of the hearts and top each with another heart to make 16 sandwich cakes.
- Place the assembled hearts on a jelly roll sheet pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour.
- Melt the almond bark in a large heatproof bowl in 30-second intervals, mixing between each interval, until completely melted.
- Stir in the crisco until smooth.
- Remove about 1/2 to 1 cup of the white almond bark to a separate heatproof bowl for decoration.
- Mix about 1/2 teaspoon of pink gel food dye into the larger bowl of almond bark. Let it cool for 3-5 minutes before dipping.
- Dip the frozen hearts completely into the pink melted coating and place them onto a cookie rack covered with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Allow the coating to set for 10 minutes.
- Drizzle the leftover white chocolate over the pink cakes in random circles for decoration.
Notes
- Use gel-based food dye for the coating to prevent the chocolate from seizing.
- Ensure the butter for the filling is at room temperature for smooth mixing.
- The cake layers will be thin after baking.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 18 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking and Dipping
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 heart cake
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 65
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 32
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 17
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 68
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 5
- Cholesterol: 45
Keywords: Bakery Style Valentine Cake, Valentines Cake Design, Heart Valentines Cake, Valentine's Day Cake Ideas, Unique Birthday Cakes, Valentine Cake Designs, Love Cake, pink cake