I was so happy to find this heart-shaped cake hack because I loathe having to store novelty cake pans and decorating tools that I only use (maybe) once a year. The vast majority of cake layers I bake are round, so I got so giddy when I realized how easy it was to turn a round cake layer into a heart shape. Simply use a serrated knife to make two clean cuts that form the bottom of the heart, then use the rounded cake trimmings for the top of the heart. They’ll glue on so easily with a little buttercream and once the cake is frosted, nobody will know you didn’t use a heart-shaped pan. 

I chose to frost the cake with a light pink frosting (AmeriColor Soft Pink) and some pretty piped floral accents using Wilton Tips 1M for the rosettes, 4B for the stars, and 32 for some swirls and smaller stars. The color palette was a happy accident but I love how it turned out! I used AmeriColor Chili Pepper + Super Red in varying intensities for all three colors. This heart-shaped cake would also look amazing with lambeth style piping, and I really hope to try that soon!   

You Will Need:

• Two 8-inch cake layers, cooled and leveled 
• Serrated knife
• 8-inch cardboard circle
• Cutting board 
• 2 batches of vanilla buttercream (or any flavor)
• Piping Bags 
• Turntable 
• Icing smoother
• Small angled spatula
• AmeriColor Soft Pink, Chili Pepper, and Super Red (optional)
• Wilton Tips 1M, 4B, and 32 (optional)
• Sprinkle Pop Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles (optional)

Step 1: Trim the Cake Layers

Place the first cake layer onto a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to make the two cuts that will end up being the pointed part of the heart. I usually just eyeball this. 

Repeat this step with any additional cake layers. You can use the first cake layer you trimmed as a template to make things super easy. 

Unless you’re planning on serving the cake on the turntable after you decorate it, trim the 8-inch cardboard cake round in the same way you trimmed the cake layers. This will end up being the foundation of the heart-shaped cake and will make it much easier to transfer the cake off the turntable after you’re done decorating. 

Step 2: Make the Heart Shape

Place the cardboard base you created in Step 1 onto the turntable. Spread a little buttercream onto it before adding the first cake layer on top. Position the two curved pieces that you cut off in Step 1 to be the top of the heart, then use some buttercream to adhere them.

Step 3: Fill and Crumb Coat

Add a layer of filling and then position the next layer of cake on top, adhering the curved pieces of the heart with buttercream like you did in the previous step. 

Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream to really emphasize the shape of the heart and lock in all the crumbs. Place the crumb coated cake into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the frosting firm up. 

Step 3: Decorate 

There are so many ways to decorate this heart-shaped cake, so feel free to get creative! If you want to create the look pictured, start by frosting the cake with light pink buttercream (made with AmeriColor Soft Pink). Frosting a heart shape is similar to frosting a round cake (but maybe even easier!). Simply use an icing smoother to make the sides smooth and level

Then use a small angled spatula to swipe frosting that accumulates around the top of the sides inward to create sharp edges. Refrigerate the frosted cake for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the buttercream. 

Divide the rest of the buttercream evenly between 3 bowls. Add a few drops of AmeriColor Chili Pepper and a few drops of Super Red to the first bowl and mix it until you get a nice deep shade of red. Mix in more coloring as needed. Scoop a few Tablespoons of the dark red buttercream into the second bowl and mix it in to create a mid-toned pink. Scoop about a teaspoon of the mid-toned buttercream into the last bowl and mix it in to create a pinkish cream. 

Use Wilton Tip 1M to pipe swirls onto the cake wherever you’d like. 

Fill in some of the spaces in between by piping swirls with Wilton Tip 32 and stars with Tip 4B and 32. 

Finish the look with some pretty sprinkles. I used Sprinkle Pop Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles for this cake, which matched the buttercream color scheme perfectly. 

Isn’t this heart-shaped cake so perfect for Valentine’s Day? I am absolutely smitten with it!

I hope this tutorial saves you from buying a heart-shaped cake pan! Let me know in the comments and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me how you decorated it. I’d love to see what you create!

The post Easy Heart Shaped Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

I’ve always been smitten with Red Velvet Cake. It’s quite the looker with that deep red crumb, and the subtle chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting combination is absolutely divine. Red Velvet is versatile too – it can be a fancy cake or completely hilarious (remember the armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias?), a total party hit or a cozy weekend bake, delicious all year round. It’s been on my list for awhile now, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner I thought now is the perfect time. Well, any time is really the perfect time. 

This Red Velvet Cake is wonderfully soft and moist, has the perfect touch of chocolate flavor, and is extremely addicting when paired with cream cheese buttercream. I always thought Red Velvet Cake was just a chocolate cake with red food coloring mixed in but I was wrong. There’s actually only a few Tablespoons of cocoa powder added, but it tastes just perfect that way – just like a traditional Red Velvet Cake ought to taste. I was so thrilled when I cut into these beautiful layers! 

What Gives Red Velvet Cake Its Color? 

It may or may not come as a surprise to you that Red Velvet Cake is (gasp) dyed red with food coloring. I was actually shocked to see how much food coloring goes into a Red Velvet Cake recipe while I was researching recipes. I thought it would be something like one to two drops of red food coloring but nope. Some recipes call for 2 Tablespoons or an entire bottle. I wanted to see if I could get away with less food coloring and it turns out that 1 Tablespoon is just fine, especially if you’re using a concentrated food color gel like AmeriColor Super Red (it’s what I used). Since the food color gel doesn’t add any flavor to the cake, you could add even less (or none at all) and still have a great tasting cake. But what’s the fun in that? You know you’re going to want to dye this cake batter deep red! 

Cream Cheese Buttercream is the Perfect Pairing

Red Velvet Cake and Cream Cheese Buttercream are made for each other. It feels against the rules to top this cake with anything else (except probably the traditional Ermine frosting). I could sing the praises of this Cream Cheese Buttercream all day long because it’s oh so tasty and just the right consistency for not only filling and frosting the cake, but piping the decorations on top as well. I love it so much that it should probably have it’s own recipe post (next on my list!). 

How to Decorate a Red Velvet Cake

If you Google Red Velvet Cakes, you’ll see a lot of similar designs: plain white frosting and cake crumbs. It’s classic that way. You can decorate a Red Velvet Cake any way you want, but I chose to play off of the traditional design by adding a textured finish with a cake comb, some simple piping on top, and of course, those pretty cake crumbs. I will confess that I tried to top this cake with some more elaborate white chocolate decorations speckled with cake crumbs but they ended up looking like blood splattered glass shards. Maybe a better idea to stick in my back pocket for Halloween. 

If you want to replicate this cake design though, here’s how I did it: after filling and crumb coating the cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream, I placed it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let the crumb coat firm up. This makes a stable foundation for the final layer (and pretty necessary since Cream Cheese Buttercream is always so much softer than other types of buttercream). Then, I frosted the cake with a final layer of Cream Cheese Buttercream and used a cake comb from this set to create the textured finish. I stuck cake crumbs to the side of the cake using this technique, piped a crescent of rosettes and stars on top with Wilton Tips 1M and 4B, and finished it all off by sprinkling cake crumbs over the top. Voila! 

However you decorate, this classic cake is sure to be a hit wherever it goes. Enjoy!

Print

Red Velvet Cake Recipe

The classic deep red layer cake that's perfectly moist, fluffy and beautifully paired with cream cheese buttercream. Traditional Red Velvet Cake at its finest!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 15 slices

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

• 2 1/2 Cups (260g) sifted cake flour
• 2 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup (113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 Cups (300g) white granulated sugar
• 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
• 2 whole eggs, room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp red food color gel*
• 1 Cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temperature** DIY recipe in notes

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 16 Oz cream cheese, room temperature brick-style, not the spreadable kind
• 8 Cups (960g) powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Instructions

Make the Red Velvet Cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and placing a wax or parchment paper circle into the bottom of each one. Measure the sifted cake flour by spooning into your measuring cup and leveling it, or simply sift the cake flour into a bowl on your kitchen scale to measure it. Place the cake flour into a medium sized bowl and add the cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
• Cream the butter on high for two minutes, then add the vegetable oil and sugar. Cream together on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and paddle. Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time. Once the eggs are incorporated, add the vanilla and white vinegar and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and paddle once more.
• Mix the red food color gel into the buttermilk. With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until the ingredients start to come together, then whisk the batter by hand a few times to make sure there are no large lumps.
• Pour the batter into prepared cake pans (no more than 2/3 full) and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan for five minutes before carefully removing them and placing the cakes on a wire rack or cookie sheet. Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling and frosting.

Make the Cream Cheese Buttercream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese on high until light, fluffy, and uniform (no lumps), about five minutes. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and salt, mixing on low for another 30 seconds.

Assembly

• Once the Red Velvet Cakes are cooled throughout, level and torte the layers to your desired height. Reserve the cake tops for crumbles. Fill and stack the cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream. Crumb coat the cake and place it into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to let the crumb coat firm up before frosting with a final layer of Cream Cheese Buttercream.
• To create the look pictured, frost the cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream. Don't worry too much about getting perfectly smooth sides, but do run an icing smoother over them to get them level and straight. Then, use a cake comb to create texture. Crumble up the cake tops and add them to the bottom third of the cake using this technique. Pipe a crescent formation of rosettes and stars with Wilton Tips 1M and 4B on the top of the cake, then sprinkle more cake crumbs on top.

Notes

Make Ahead Tips: 

1. The cake layers can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to two days. Alternatively, you can store the wrapped cake layers in the freezer for up to 2 months before thawing and frosting.
2. The Cream Cheese Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency. 

*Red Food Color Gel: I recommend using any brand of red food color gel that is concentrated and flavorless. I used AmeriColor Super Red for this recipe. Feel free to use less food color gel if you don’t care for the cake to be as red (or none at all, but what’s the fun in that?)

**DIY Buttermilk Recipe: Add 1 Tbsp white vinegar into a mason jar or measuring cup. Add one cup (240ml) whole milk and let sit for at least 15 minutes before using in a recipe. 

To Make as Cupcakes: fill cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350ºF for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. This recipe makes 24-30 cupcakes. 

Did you make this cake recipe? I want to know how it went! Leave me a comment below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram to show me. I love to see what you create!

The post Red Velvet Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This cake is so easy to make with a heart shaped cookie cutter, a few piping tips, pretty sprinkles, and a fun Valentine’s Day color scheme. I went with various shades of Americolor Dusty Rose for the color scheme, which perfectly matched these Vintage Rose Gold sprinkles from Sprinkle Pop that I love. You’ll find the full tutorial for this cake and all my best tips over on The Cake Blog, so head there for all the details! Here are some photos to inspire you in the meantime: 

So pretty, right? It’ll make the perfect centerpiece for your Valentine’s Day party or a fun treat to whip up and impress your date. If you do end up making it, be sure to tag @sugarandsparrowco and @thecakeblog to show us! We love to see your creations. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

The post Heart Covered Valentine Cake Tutorial appeared first on Sugar & Sparrow.

This cake design is ever so slightly revamped (don’t mind my terrible pre-DSLR food photography in this original photo), but in the best way. It’s mostly because JOANN sent me a big box of Valentine’s Day goodies just for fun, and in it I found these amazing Wilton Icing Heart Decorations and the perfect sprinkles for my color palette. I ended up ditching the conversation hearts and adding in those extras instead. And speaking of the color palette, I am super into Americolor Dusty Rose right now, so I designed the whole color scheme around it. The warm pink and red tones are giving me all the feels (don’t worry, I’ll show you how to replicate the colors below). 

This design all begins by making your own fondant hearts. I colored some Satin Ice fondant to match my buttercream color palette and used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make the decorations. In about 24 hours (flip them halfway in between), they’re dry and ready to use. One question I get a lot is how I stick them to the side of the cake without weighing anything down. The answer is this: just make sure they’re only about ⅛ inch thick when you make them. They’ll end up weighing barely anything, so you can just stick them right into the buttercream and they’ll hold up perfectly. The buttercream piping serves as extra “glue” to keep them in place as well. 

Here’s a quick video to show you my technique for making fondant hearts and cascading them down the side of the cake with all the pretty details. I’ve written out all the steps below, but be sure to give this video a watch first for visualization: 

If you’re into cake decorating videos like this one, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel! I love making videos and am adding new ones there all the time, from cake decorating techniques to my go-to recipes. Head over there and click the subscribe button to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

You Will Need

• A 6-inch cake that’s been crumb coated and chilled
• 1.5 batches of vanilla buttercream
• Food color gels of your choice
• 2 ounces of fondant 
• Small rolling pin
• 1 tsp vegetable shortening 
• Small heart cookie cutter (mine is about 2 inches tall) 
• Cake turntable
• Angled Icing Spatula 
• Icing Smoother
• Wilton Tip 4B (x2)
• Wilton Tip 199 
• Piping Bags
• Wilton Icing Hearts Decorations
• Wilton Valentine’s Day Sprinkles

Step 1: Make the Fondant Hearts

With your hands coated in a little bit of vegetable shortening, knead the fondant until it’s the consistency of Play-Doh. Divide the fondant in half and color each half a different color. I used a mixture of Americolor Fuschia + Super Red to create the dark red color, and just a tiny bit of Fuschia to create the light pink color. 

Spread a little vegetable shortening onto a fondant mat or smooth cutting board, then roll the first fondant color out to about ⅛ inch thickness. Then, use the heart cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes. 

Repeat with the other fondant color and allow the heart shapes to dry for at least 24 hours, flipping them halfway through so that each side dries thoroughly. 

Step 2: Create the Buttercream Color Palette

Add about 3 cups of vanilla buttercream to a medium sized bowl, then divide the remaining buttercream evenly amongst three smaller bowls. The largest bowl is what you’ll be using to frost the cake, so color it whatever hue you’d like as your backdrop. I went with a light shade of Americolor Dusty Rose. 

The remaining bowls will be what you use for the accent piping in the cascading decoration. I colored two of the bowls with Dusty Rose (one a little lighter than the cake background color and one a bit darker), and the last bowl with a mixture of Americolor Fuschia and a small drop of Super Red to warm up the color. 

When you’re happy with your color palette, add the small bowls of buttercream into three separate piping bags, each fitted with either Wilton Tip 4B or 199. 

Step 3: Frost The Cake

With your chilled and crumb coated cake on a turntable, use the largest bowl of buttercream to frost a smooth finish onto the cake. Start by frosting a smooth layer on the very top of the cake with your angled icing spatula. 

Next, add buttercream to the sides of the cake and glide your icing smoother over them while turning the turntable to create smooth sides. 

You’ll notice a crown of buttercream forming on the top edges of the cake, which is essential to getting sharp edges on the top. Use your angled icing spatula to swipe the crown inwards (toward the top center of the cake). Repeat until you’ve got nice sharp edges. 

When your cake is looking ultra smooth, pop it into the refrigerator to firm up for about 20 minutes. If you want more tips on creating a perfectly smooth cake finish, I’ve got a great tutorial for you here. 

Step 4: Create The Cascading Heart Design

First, stick the fondant hearts onto the top of the cake in a semi-straight line from the edge to just past the center. Make sure they look perfectly imperfect by sticking them in at different heights and angles. 

Next, use the piping bags to pipe open stars all around the hearts. Add sprinkles and icing heart decorations wherever your heart desires.

Place more fondant hearts down the side of the cake at an angle, connecting from the hearts on top towards the bottom middle of the cake. The fondant hearts should stick right into the buttercream and stay in place without weighing anything down. 

Add more buttercream piping all around the fondant hearts (this helps to truly ensure that they’ll stay in place).

Finally, add the finishing touches with sprinkles and more icing heart decorations. The icing hearts are my favorite! 

And just like that, you’ve got the most perfect cascading heart cake ever! It looks pretty complex, but can you believe how simple it is to create?

I’m in love with this one and I hope you are too! Let me know if you make this cake for Valentine’s Day (or any day!) by tagging @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram or leaving a comment on this post. I love to see your work inspired by my designs!

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