Heart Cake Tutorial

Finally!!  Is that what you are thinking?  Its ok.  You can admit it.  We are all friends here. 

Do you remember this little thing?

 

Well it turns out some of you daring bakers want to make this yourselves.  Yeah you!  I cant wait to see and read all about it... send me links girls! (and boys... if there are any boys)

Well. In order for me to do a tutorial I had to make another one.  So, forgive the less then stellar decorations, but here is our 'tutorial' heart cake.

 

But you didnt come to see the outside right? 

Here goes.

Start out by making four eight inch pans of white cake.  (If you want the actual recipe, just click here)

Make one 9x13 (you can do whatever shape and size you want) pan of red velvet cake. (recipe here)

First I need to level each cake.

I use this handy dandy leveling cake thingy I got at Walmart for a few bucks. 

Remember to do this for all four white cakes.

Add about 1/2 cup to 1 cup frosting and then put one layer on top.  You want two separate two layer cakes at this point.

For the red velvet cake I just ran my fork through it to break it up.  Then I added about a cup of frosting and combined well.

NOW!  I usually like to freeze the cakes for at least a couple hours.  If you cant freeze them, at least try and pop them in the fridge for a bit!

I know this looks pretty weird (maybe cause it is) but this is what I am going to use to make sure I have some uniformity in the heart design.  Its just two toothpicks and a piece of twine.

Place one toothpick in the center of the cake, then (holding firmly) drag the outside toothpick around the cake and make a circle.

Like this!  Now I have a rough guide line of where I am going to being carving.  Do this to both cakes. (or, if you are a good drawer, just take a knife and cut a shallow line around the perimeter.)

Carve out a V shape in the cake.

The top half of the heart is a little trickier.  This time, I started with my knife in the center of the cake and created this little island. 

I then moved back out to my "guide line" and started cutting.  I ended up creating this channel.  Once this has been created, you can go back in a do some more carving to create more detail.

Here is after I went in with a spoon and carved out a bit more.

 The two cakes carved out.  The hard part is pretty much done now!

Now I can start filling in the cakes with the red velvet cake.

All filled! At this point I put it in my freezer for about 15 minutes.  Just to let them set.

I added some frosting the the edge of the bottom cake.  Make sure you know which is which!  You are going to want to add the cake with the hallowed out 'channel' to the top of the V cake.

Here goes nothin!  I have found the easiest way to do this is to just use your hand.  Place it flat over the top of the 'channel' cake and flip it over.  Then gently place it one the bottom cake.

Add some more frosting and do a rough crumb coat over the whole cake.

And here is our thin layer of icing for the crumb coat.  Put this in the fridge about at least a half hour, or as long as overnight.

Now.  Go eat an apple.  Seriously.  Cause if you are anything like me you have been snacking on the cake scraps this whole time and you need a healthy energy boost.

There.  Feel better?  Lets get back to work.

I ended up using all my red velvet cake so I didnt have any left over for decoration.  So white it is!

Ready to see what all this work was for?

I thought it turned out pretty good!  Granted, this is my third time making it in a month so I had better be able to at least make it presentable by now. :)

 

And it tastes as good as it looks!  (I might be biased)

So I hope you are brave enough to try a heart cake for your loved one this Valentines Day.  Be sure to let me know how it works out.. and take lots and lots of pictures! :)

Recipes:

Red Velvet Cake

For the red velvet cake I messed around with a recipe from Magnolia Bakery.

*This is how I modified this recipe:  I used 2 sticks of butter, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of food color, and apple cider vinegar.  I wanted a more dense cake because I knew I was using it in the center of the heart cake and I needed to make sure it was sturdy enough.

3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

To make the cake:
In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.

In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

*****

*I used only all-purpose flour and then added 1 tsp baking powder. I am going to play around with this a bit more next time and maybe even add some baking soda. I found this recipe on Food Network.

White Cake

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into cake pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes (for round cake), or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

*****

And I am loving Magnolia's Vanilla Buttercream frosting.

*My only modification to the recipe is I like to add a little almond extract, and it seems that 1 tsp. is the perfect amount!  And be sure to use CLEAR vanilla extract to get a white frosting.

Makes enough for one 2-layer 9-inch cake or 2 dozen cupcakes*

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• 6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Comments

[JessicaH]

This might just be the coolest thing I have EVER seen...

[jaimie]

Hi! Amazing job! Amazing cake! I love it and I'm planning on making it this week. One question though, in the instructions (under the photo with the mashed up red velvet cake) you say, "I just ran my fork through it to break it up. Then I added about a cup of frosting and combined well." I'm not too clear on that part. Do I mix a cup of white butter cream frosting into the mashed up red velvet cake? How does that work exactly?

[erica b.]

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nutty Lee]

What a cool idea you have!!!!

[samsstuff]

This is adorable & actually simpler than I though it was going to be! Thank you for the tutorial :)

I saw this in Craft Magazine & though I'd stop by to check it out, thanks again, it's wonderful!

[regina]

Awesome..no way I could do that with out messing up one of the halves..thanks for sharing!

[Vanessa R.]

LOVE THIS!!!! I'll be trying this out later this week! =)
Thanks for sharing, you rock!!!

[Allison]

I am in love with this cake. I truly want to try it this year for V-day. I am so excited to try it. Thanks for all your hard work.

[E.Claybrook]

How in the world did you figure that one out? Love it!

[Elizabeth]

How in the world did you figure that out? Love it!

[Amy]

Wow oh wow!! Found you through Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone and am hooked! Thanks for sharing, I'm putting this on my to-do list, and here I thought making homemade chocolate covered pretzels was going to cut it this year. Thanks for showing me up ;) *Amy

[Pinky572]

Adorable!
How do you frost your cakes so smoothly?? The top of the cake is FLAWLESS

[Christi]

This may be the most amazing cake I have ever seen! Hats off to you - VERY impressive!!!

[Alisa]

One of the loveliest cake!

[Bonnie]

I loved this cake when I first saw it. I made two this past weekend and have posted the details of how it went. I hope you think I did a pretty good job. I think I have inspired alot of my readers to try it. It really wasn't that hard.

http://www.southernsprout.com/inspiration/heart-cake/

[Anna]

Do you have any use for the cut out white cake? I would love to try this but it seems like such a shame to waste so much good cake.

[e]

i'm planning to make this cake this week and i'm excited and scared at the same time. I was wondering what frosting/ color frosting did you use for the red velvet crumbs? thank you! you are amazing!

[Erina]

this is just amazing!!

[Sara]

Hello :D

Great website :)

I have a question, I am in Europe and we have only 18cm, 24cm and 26cm baking pans, so it corresponds to 7 inch, 9.5 inch and 10 inch. You said to use 9 x 2-inch round cake pans for the white cake, is it OK if I use the 7inch (18cm) one? Would it be harder to cut the hearth out or easier?

Thanks,
Sara

[Account Deleted]

Que lindo!!! Amei... vou tentar fazer com certeza!

[Ashleigh]

Seriously, the coolest & cutest cake I've ever seen!!
Lovely creation!

[Tammy]

Fantastic! Thanks for the how-to!!

[Nicole Clevenger]

oh tomorrow i am buying the few items i need to make this cake.

one question. you said "I used only all-purpose flour and then added 1 tsp baking powder" for the white cake. was that using the one in place of using the two different kinds?

if all goes well, you'll see pictures. thanks!!

[Grace]

Thank you soooo much for the idea, i love your surprised cakes n many others.
I made this cake for our 8th wedding anniversary n here are the pics: http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/heart-soup/article?mid=2598
Thanks again n happy belated bday n sweet valentine's day.

[Erin]

Amazing. Thank you for the constant inspiration.

http://designinit.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-week-heart-cake-tutorial.html

[lindee]

This is absolutely adorable and sounds scrumptious!! Thanks so much for sharing with us! :)

[Melissa]

Great post! Love the inside :)

[MaryRobinBobbin]

This is the best cake ever! A little challenging to make but so worth it. I'll definitely do it again (probably not til nex year) to make mine as perfect as yours! Here's my little try: http://www.maryrobinbobbin.com/2011/02/cake.html

[Niccie]

I made it today!!! (church vday date night tonight) I can not WAIT to cut it open to see how it turned out. My only concern is that maybe I didn't pack the red velvet in hard enough and that it will crumble and fall apart instad of looking cool. BUT hopefully it turned out! I also made a heart with royal frosting and put that atop :)

Oh waaahhh. I just realized I forgot to mix the frosting in with the red velvet. DAMN IT!!! :( Hopefully it still turns out ok. Damn.....Cake making with 3 kids 4 and under I was bound to screw something up. :(

At least the outside is pretty.

[Niccie]

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j98/nicoblue0220/SDC10893.jpg

[Tricia]

Thanks so much for this awesome tutorial!! I made this cake yesterday and just shared photos on my blog:

http://howsweeteritis.blogspot.com/2011/02/sweeter-valentines-day.html

[Michelle]

Looks amazing. Just attempted this. I was doubtful about the 4 eggs instead of egg whites but made it as directed. I have a yellow cake. :( Will try again with egg whites. Thanks for the inspiration.

[Bonnie @ SouthernSprout.com]

Well I did it!! I followed your great directions (except I used a strawberry for the heart instead of red velvet) and I think it came out very good for my first time. My friends were amazed. Everyone kept asking me where I got the mold to make the cake. When I told them there was no mold involved it was all carved and made by hand. They were really blown away after I told them that. If you'd like to see how my cake turned out check it out here.

http://www.southernsprout.com/inspiration/heart-cake/

Thanks for the great idea. I plan on making it again.

[a frog in the cottage]

this is hard work, but it worth it !!! what a cake of LOVE !! terrific !!

[Sparklinmama]

Thank you so much for putting your time into this tutorial! I just finished doing one for the kids tomorrow! I can not wait to cut into it and surprise them! Thanks again!

[Felicity Bezer]

I have two girls and this year the eldest has requested a rainbow birthday cake.
I'm thinking that her younger sister would be beside herself with excitement if I made this sumptuous heart-filled version for her special day.

Thank you for sharing with such amazing detail!

Felicity x

[Kristy Ketterlin]

I think I just saw your cake shown on the Martha Stewart show! Yay!!! You go girl!!

[Jane Ho]

OMG! I love your heart cake! And the tutorial is awesome!

I had to share your tutorial today on my blog!
http://www.thesweetsbar.com/happy-valentines-day-heart-cake/

[Tiffany]

Thanks for the tutorial. What a great idea. I made the cake this weekend and posted it to my blog http://frugalgourmetmom.blogspot.com/2011/02/heart-cake.html?spref=fb

[rivernorthLove]

i heart this, literally. it's fabulous! thanks, can't wait to share.

[Christy]

Ok so I'm totally going to try to make this for Chad and my anniversary next month! I hope I remember!!! LOL Although I think I'm going to have to reread the directions about 10 times. The rainbow cake I had no problem with, it's just making sure I can do all of this adequately! When I do it, I'll let you know and may make you send me your phone number finally so I can call you and make you explain to me as I freak out thinking I'm messing up! LOL

[Sarah @ Cotton Kiwi]

Thanks so much for the tutorial. I made one for my husband for valentines day and am going to make one for my parents' 40th wedding anniversary too. Love it.
http://cottonkiwi.blogspot.com/2011/02/with-all-my-heart.html
Thanks again
Sarah
Cotton Kiwi

[AngelPearls]

WOW -Amazing! Thanks for sharing!! Eva

[Mariana Huerta]

Hello, I´read your whole blog in a few days, it is amazing!!!, I try my own version of the heart cake in a panqué (I am from Mexico, this is how we call this kind of cakes) Thank you very much for your inspiration and specially for sharing your knowledge.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mayahechoamano/5453316995/
Grettings from Mexico!!

[Aaron]

I just made this cake. And it was awesome.

[Lisa Lara]

Did you submit this pic to Martha Stewart's current contest? I saw this photo as an entry on her show two days ago.. Beautiful.

[marthawho]

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!! <3 it - teehee

[Cynthia]

As a novice baker, I appreciate your directions and photos for this hidden surprise cake. Thank you!

[Eileen]

Oh, I made this and everyone loved it!
http://eileen-anne.blogspot.com/2011/02/handmade-heart-lips-cake.html
Thanks so much for the amazing tutorial and recipes. Definitely my favorite red velvet recipe ever.

[Alicia Dimech]

How do you get the white frosting so white? When i make butter cream frosting it always has a slight yellowish tinge because of the butter and vanilla. Yours is just perfectly white! :)