❤️ Heart Birthday Cake
This Heart Birthday Cake is a charming, festive dessert shaped with love. Made with a soft vanilla or chocolate sponge and decorated with buttercream or whipped frosting, it’s perfect for birthdays, romantic celebrations, or even a Galentine’s get-together. The heart shape makes it a standout centerpiece—no special cake pan required!
Equipment
- 8-inch square cake pan
- 8-inch round cake pan
- Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- parchment paper
- Serrated knife (for trimming)
- Offset spatula or knife (for frosting)
Ingredients
For the Cake (Vanilla or Chocolate):
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup milk
- Optional: ¼ cup cocoa powder for chocolate version
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 3 –4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 –3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink or red food coloring
- Sprinkles edible glitter, or candy hearts (optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line one 8-inch square pan and one 8-inch round pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined.
- For chocolate cake, whisk in cocoa powder with the dry ingredients.
- Divide batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 2: Assemble the Heart Shape
- Place the square cake like a diamond (one corner pointing up).
- Cut the round cake in half.
- Place each half-circle on the top two sides of the square to form a heart shape.
- Trim any uneven edges if needed.
Step 3: Frost and Decorate
- Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream.
- Add food coloring to get your desired shade of pink or red.
- Frost the assembled heart cake with a thin crumb coat. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Add final frosting layer and decorate with sprinkles, piping, or heart candies.
Notes
No heart pan? No problem—just follow the round + square trick!
You can use boxed cake mix if in a hurry—just bake one round and one square pan.
Whipped cream or cream cheese frosting works beautifully too!