This candy heart studded Pink Velvet Cake is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the one you love!
This Pink Velvet Cake was 100% unplanned. It all started when I was in Michaels looking for Valentine’s Day props for another post (coming soon) and I spotted them. The CUTEST pink ombre candy hearts I had ever seen. I had to have them. Four packs of them, apparently. They were on clearance for some reason, and I worried they’d be discontinued, so I grabbed a bunch in case I want to use them again next year or something.
My first plan was just to cover the entire side of the cake with them in an ombre fashion. My inspo for that was from this Mini Egg Cake. Adorable, right? So simple, yet so pretty!
I worried it might be a bit much though, since the hearts are much smaller than the eggs, and I’d easily go through all 4 packs if I did it that way. So I started brainstorming other ideas and laying the hearts out in different patterns on my kitchen counter.
I finally settled on a random, crazy pile of hearts that looked like they were raining down and getting darker as they hit the bottom. I’m actually surprised at how well it turned out.
I planned to do this kinda thing before with my Froot Loops Cake and it was a total fail when I was making, so I went with something simpler there. But on this one, the hearts worked! Yay! I was going to leave the top plain, but I decided it needed some kinda rosettes or dollops on top, and while I was rifling through one of my baking drawers, I spotted another Valentine’s Day prop/accessory that I’d totally forgotten about (this happens way too often).
I had bought some heart-themed washi tape to make little flags. I’d learned about this technique from Lindsay over at Coco Cake Land. I loved the little cake flags she showed off on her cake, so I bought the tape. I had no idea where I intended to use that either, but I thought it would be better to have it than not, right? I couldn’t find any wider Valentine themed tape (at least not pretty ones), so I bought a 5 pack of thinner ones. I think they worked ok, but I’ll definitely try to find wider washi tape next time.
The little flags are SO easy to make. Literally all you need is bamboo skewers, washi tape, and scissors.
It’s not often that the exterior design of a cake dictates the inside, at least not for me. Usually I come up with a flavour combination I think would be good, and then stress about the decorating on the day of. This time though, I had to figure out what would be inside this Valentine’s day themed cake.
I tossed around a few ideas with Ryan, and ultimately decided on a pretty Pink Velvet Cake.
Pink Velvet is nothing more than a name here. I just thought it would be a fun play on red velvet cake. It doesn’t have the traditional elements of a red velvet cake though — no cocoa powder or vinegar. If this upsets you, I’m sorry! Lol.
I colored the cake layers using pink color gel, but if you’d rather go a more natural route, you can use either strawberry or raspberry freeze-dried powder.
For a bit more color and flavour, I added some raspberry jam between the layers. You could use any flavour you like, or just leave this out.
I LOVE how this cake turned out, both inside and out! It’s a really fun and easy way to make a festive dessert to celebrate with the one you love this Valentine’s Day!
Tips for making this Pink Velvet Cake:
- The cake layers are thinner than I normally make (just over 1″ thick) because I wanted a smaller cake. To make thicker layers, you can 1.5x the recipe.
- I used pink color gel to color the cake layers, but you can also use either strawberry or raspberry freeze-dried powder.
- I found the pink candy hearts at Michaels, but you can also buy them on Amazon.
- For the ruffle dollops on top, I used a 1M tip and piped straight down.
- I made the little flags using bamboo skewers and washi tape.
- For the sprinkles, I just used a bunch of random pink and heart sprinkles I had laying around.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips on how to make buttercream white.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Looking for more Valentine’s Day desserts??
- Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
- Valentine’s Heart Macarons
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Pink Velvet Cake
Ingredients
Pink Velvet Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsps baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup milk room temperature
- pink color gel
Vanilla Buttercream:
- 5 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature, cubed
- 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
Assembly:
- 2 Tbsp seedless raspberry jam optional
- 2 packs Wilton Candy Hearts
- a variety of pink and white sprinkles if desired
Instructions
Pink Velvet Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour three 6" cake rounds, line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and beat on med-high until pale and fluffy (2-3mins).
- Reduce speed and add egg whites one at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Add a small amount of pink color gel using a toothpick. Mix to incorporate but try not to overmix.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pans. Smooth the tops with a spatula.
- Bake for approx. 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack to cool completely.
Vanilla Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth. Add vanilla and continue to whip until smooth.**
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly creating a bit of a lip on the edge. Fill with 1 Tbsp raspberry jam.
- Repeat with remaining layers and apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost and smooth the sides and pipe ruffle dollops on top using a 1M tip. Chill for 20mins.
- Place candy hearts randomly around the cake -- starting with the darker hearts at the bottom and working your way up to the top and lighter colors.
- Sprinkle top of cake with a variety of pink and white sprinkles if desired.
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth.
Cathy Rowe says
I am having a problem with the buttercream…it is way thin! How can I thicken it up??
Olivia says
Hi Cathy! Sounds like it needs a bit of time in the fridge. See this post for troubleshooting: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Karen says
Hi! Can the cake layers be baked in advance? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Karen! Yes, you can wrap them in plastic wrap once cooled and freeze until needed.
Ada says
Hi, how many grams of butter is a 1/2 cup? Thank you for reply.
Olivia says
Hi Ada! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients. It’s 113.5g.
Ada says
I m really sory, i didnt see it, i dont speak english very well, that is probably why 😊 thank you so much
Olivia says
No problem at all! 🙂
Soraya says
Can you replace the milk with water?
My little one is allergic to milk.
Olivia says
Hi Soraya! That should work, or any milk alternative too like almond milk, etc.
Amateur baker says
Hello Olivia,
Your desserts are an inspiration. This cake looks spectacular. If i like to make it into 2 layers. What size tins should i use and for how long should I bake them? Thank you for your time.
Olivia says
Hi there and thank you! I would use two 8″ pans, but your layers will be a bit thinner. Ideally I would 1.5x the recipe and bake in two 8″ pans. Baking time would be similar, depending on your oven. Maybe 30mins or so.
Tatiana says
I only have 1 (8″ or 9″, can’t remember) cake round so I have to bake it in batches. Do I absolutely need to buy more or can I just put the batter aside (fridge or room temp?) while the layers cook individually?
Olivia says
Hi Tatiana! It’s best to bake the batter right away. You can try it and see though!
Cicely says
This cake looks amazing! Do you think it would work in a Dolly Varden tin?
Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Cicely! I’ve never used that in myself, but I don’t see why not!
brinacyl says
Greetings from Pakistan! Thank you for the superb recipe. The cake came out moist and delicious. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Olivia says
So happy to hear you liked it!
Jasmine says
Can I use red coloring to create pink? Is that a dumb question?
Olivia says
Hi Jasmine! Not a dumb question at all, and yes, you can!
kemala hayati says
can i replace 3/4 cup milk with strawberry milk/yogurt to get strawberry flavour?
Olivia says
Hi Kemala! I wouldn’t replace it with yogurt as it will be too thick. You can try the link though! Or try this recipe: https://livforcake.com/strawberry-cake-mascarpone-buttercream/
Laura says
I am making this cake on Thursday! I recently bought those hearts at Walmart and Michaels and wasn’t sure what to do with them…..until now 🙂
My question is when putting the jam….
Do you spread the jam ontop of the icing and spread right to the outer edges? I tablespoon doesn’t sound like a lot but I guess it is since you did it! LOL.
Thank you for your time 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Laura! I do not spread it to the outer edges. I create a bit of a lip with the frosting to hold the jam in and put it in the middle. I might have used a tad more than a Tbsp, but if you use too much the cakes will slide around. Let me know how it turns out!
Prithesh says
very nice blog, thank you for sharing.
Olivia says
Thank you!
Amy says
How tall did this cake end up being? I would need to transport it, but am not sure my cake carrier would be tall enough.
Olivia says
Hi Amy! It was about 5″ plus the rosettes, so maybe like 6″? That does not include the flags.
Lakhbir says
When looking at the pic it seemed very difficult to make but your instruction just made it easy.Will try this 2moro.
Kalyani karre says
Hi Olivia
I love your cakes there are awesome this is perfect for my daughter’s birthday I was wondering if I can add some syrup to the cake layers is that ok or will the cake get soggy .I want to make a 3 tier cake please help me
Thank you !!!!
Olivia says
Hi Kalyani! You can totally add syrup, but not too much since the layers are on the thinner side. Or you can 1.5x the recipe to get thicker layers and use syrup as you’d normally do. Let me know how it turns out!! 🙂
Aisha says
Beautiful Liv!! How tall are you normal cake layers?
Olivia says
Thank you Aisha! Normally my cake layers are about 2″ tall.
ChiChi says
This is absolutely beautiful. Love this cake
Olivia says
Thanks so much ChiChi!! I love how it turned out 😀
Ann says
So stinkin’ cute! I do the same thing with props, sprinkles, etc! It’s such an obsession!
Olivia says
Thanks so much Ann! I love how it turned out 🙂
Kaye Wathen says
Looks fabulous as always. I’m going to try this one for my birthday on the 2nd. Yum!!!!! Thank you your insight on baking these marvels is awesome.
Olivia says
Oh yay!! I hope you love it Kaye 🙂