Description
This heart-shaped cake combines Ann McGavin Stout’s Homemade Vanilla Cake recipe and QueenCook’s Easy Valentine’s Day Cake frosting recipe. The result is a supremely tasty, no-fail heart cake.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 4 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, or more as needed
- 2 drops red food coloring, or as desired
- 2 drops yellow food coloring, or as desired
- sprinkles as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan and an 8-inch round pan. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Grease paper and dust lightly with flour.
- Beat white sugar
- butter
- vanilla
- and almond extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs
- 1 at a time
- until well combined.
- Stir flour
- cornstarch
- baking powder
- and salt together in another bowl.
- Beat 1 cup dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Add 1/2 cup milk; beat until combined. Continue adding 1 cup dry ingredients and 1/2 cup milk
- beating after each addition
- until all are used and batter is smooth. Divide evenly between the prepared pans.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean
- 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
- Beat butter and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined
- about 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar
- beating after each addition and adding milk as needed
- until frosting is fluffy
- smooth
- and spreadable.
- Remove 1/3 cup frosting and divide between 2 small bowls. Tint 1 dark pink with red food coloring. Tint the other orange-pink with red and yellow food coloring. Tint remaining frosting light pink with red food coloring.
- Set square cake on a work surface and rotate 45 degrees so that it resembles a diamond. Spread a little light pink frosting on left and right top sides of the diamond. Cut round cake in half crosswise to make 2 half-moons. Attach half-moons to top left and top right sides of diamond
- gently pressing cake pieces together to adhere. Spread remaining light pink frosting over the assembled cake. Drop spoonfuls of dark pink and pink-orange frosting onto cake. Drag an offset spatula through frosting to create a marbled look.
- Pat sprinkles onto the sides of the cake. Chill
- covered
- for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing into 16 pieces.
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 16