We’re showing you How to Make a Heart Shaped Cake when you don’t even own a heart shaped cake pan!
This is a delicious homemade red velvet cake (though you can make chocolate cake or vanilla cake or any other favorite flavor or boxed mix). And you will only need two pans that you probably already have in your kitchen to make this cake- an 8-inch square and an 8-inch round.
RecipeBoy shared this idea way back in 2014 when he was just 13 years old. There are a couple of original photos of him included in this post. We’ve re-shot the photos in 2022 and are sharing them today.
How to make a Heart Shaped Cake:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and spray a square and a round pan with nonstick spray.
Follow the instructions for making the red velvet cake batter, and divide the batter between the two pans. You want the batter to be even between the two pans so the cakes will rise up to the same height. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for a few minutes, and then turn them out onto a rack to cool completely.
Cut the round cake in half. You can use a tape measure to cut it exactly even.
Then take the two half circle cakes and connect them to the square.
Make a batch of our really delicious vanilla buttercream frosting.
First frost the cake lightly to create a crumb coat. Refrigerate until that first coat is set.
Then frost again more generously to cover the cake completely. Use a piping bag with leftover frosting to decoratively pipe the edge of the heart. Add a few decorative sprinkles, if you’d like.
The heart shape is really pretty, and it’s a great dessert for Valentine’s Day. Want to impress someone? Most people will think that this cake came straight out of a bakery. The cake happens to be super delicious too. Enjoy!
Here are a few more cake recipes you might like to try:
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting
- Texas Sheet Cake
- Vanilla Strawberry Cake
- Funfetti Cheesecake Cake
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lauren
Monday 24th of February 2014
I have never thought to do this! ...I just need an excuse to make a cake... :)
ERIKA
Wednesday 19th of February 2014
Looks great.
Lynna
Wednesday 12th of February 2014
I love this easy trick to make a heart shaped cake!
katie
Wednesday 12th of February 2014
Such a cool concept and I love that you can use pans that you already have on hand--no need to buy a speciality pan :)
Karen Wolff
Wednesday 12th of February 2014
fantastic idea for those of us who do not own heart shaped pans but would love the heart shape!