Here’s a dessert to win over your sweetheart! Easy instructions to make this heart shape cake and WOW them with hearts, chocolates, and roses!
Today I’m excited to share with you an easy homemade dessert that looks like it came from a professional bakery! I had so much fun decking this heart shape cake out for the holiday that I couldn’t help, but snap a few pictures and share it with you! Before you say “no way” I’ll let you in on my secret…It’s a box mix!
Here’s a simple and fun way to make an easy Valentine’s Day dessert that will be the eye candy of your dinner table! When thinking about Valentine’s Day, a few things come to mind every time: Hearts, Chocolates, and Flowers. What if you could wow your sweetheart with all three?
When our family comes together for holidays, most often I’m put in charge of bringing the sweets. Since our household has all the allergies, we find it easier if I make the dessert for our get-togethers, and truth be told, it’s my favorite part! Baking and creating that finale to a meal has long been a favorite of mine, but it doesn’t always have to be so complicated to achieve a “wow” from your guests. Sometimes it just takes thinking outside the box. HA! Did you see what I did there?
START WITH YOUR BASE
This gorgeous heart shape cake cookie is just a box mix. Pillsbury’s Gluten Free Funfetti to be exact! My children love this cake mix, but you could choose any box mix or from scratch recipe you prefer. This cake cookie would be beautiful in a red velvet or double chocolate, too!
Following the instructions on the box, I made my cake in two stages because I used a heart-shaped baking dish. However, you could just as easily have used 9 inch round pans and cut your shape out with a knife. After I baked my cakes, I put them in the freezer for an hour. Doing this will make cutting your shape much easier because the edges won’t crumble. Once my cake was chilled, I used a heart shape cookie cutter to cut out the center of my heart shape cake. No crumbles to be had and I got to sample the cake while I worked! I call that winning!
After I cut my heart shape outline, I iced my cake layers using a piping bag and a star tip. I made dollops of icing to cover the tops of both layers and then stacked them to create a layered look. I did not add icing to the sides of my cake because I wanted to be able to see the layers, just like a sandwich! Then on to the fun part…decorating!
EMBELLISHMENTS
Think outside the box. Choose items that match with your theme or holiday you are baking for. Don’t feel like you need to make all the decorations either, you can simply grab a box of cookies and a bag of your favorite chocolate from the grocery store. I prefer chocolate with my cake, but if you’re the fruit-loving kind then jellybeans and other chewy candies would look stunning as well!
Here’s a few things that I used, but don’t feel limited.
- Flowers
- Cookies
- Chocolates
- Fruit
- Candies
HOW TO DECORATE YOUR HEART SHAPED CAKE
So how DID I get all those sweet treats atop my cake?
Start by icing the chilled cake and gather the embellishments. I like to stick with a color scheme. For my Valentine’s Day dessert I chose shades of red and pink.
Add your flowers. I prefer to work with roses or carnations because they have a strong sturdy stem that is narrow. I place them opposite of each other to balance out the embellishment.
Add your cookies. I made heart-shaped macarons with a strawberry buttercream filling, but any cookie would work! Oreos would be a great contrast to the icing color or Thin Mints. Use buttercream icing to stick cookies and fruit to the cake.
Add fruit and chocolate. I love using strawberries, but any berry will add a great flavor to your cake. Chocolates could be kisses or chocolate hearts in dark, milk, or white chocolate.
Have a birthday coming up? Cut your cake into a number to celebrate the age of the birthday girl or boy! Have fun by choosing the icing color to correspond with your party theme. Be creative with your toppings to match your party! Roses could be swapped for dinosaurs and macarons for iced sugar cookies. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to embellish your cake cookie!
SHOP SUPPLIES FOR A SIMPLE HEART SHAPE CAKE
TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR HEART SHAPE CAKE
- Cut and Ice your cake when your cake is chilled. Refrigerate your cake for at least 30 minutes before you add icing. Your cake is less likely to crumble when cutting the heart shape if it is chilled.
- Fresh flowers that have skinny, strong stems work best. Other flowers that you could decorate with would be carnations, dahlias, or mums.
- Using fruit is always a plus! Berries pair well with cake. I love to use strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
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