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Looking for a fun treat for Valentine’s Day, surprise gender reveal, birthday parties, and more? You’ve come to the right place! These Surprise Heart Cupcakes are the perfect photo-worthy treat! The best part is that you can have everyone guessing how you made them.

Making these Vanilla Cupcakes with Hidden Hearts is so much fun, and they are so easy to make! Topped off with the red butter-cream frosting, you are good to go! Your guests will be surprised when they cut into them and see the cute heart that resides inside. 


Discover Our Little Secret

Vanilla cupcakes decorated in red frosting and cut in half. You can see the adorable heart hidden inside.
Whether you’re making these for your family, friends, or loved ones, you’re guaranteed to get a big smile!

On the outside, these may seem normal cupcakes, nothing much to talk about, but take a large bite and you’ll see an adorable little heart staring back at you. Now that’s what I’d call ‘going that extra mile’ to make someone feel special. Additionally, you could make them if you forgot to buy a gift for someone you love. What’s even better is that you don’t need much time to put these together.


Cupcake Fans: This Recipe Is for You!

Two vanilla cupcakes decorated with red frosting and 3 tiny red hearts ready to be served to your loved ones.
A special treat for your loved ones!

Why Make These Surprise Heart Cupcakes?

No matter what time of year it is, these cupcakes would be a complete delight to make for someone you love. The “secret” hidden heart inside them will make everyone think you have worked for hours. They’re also great for picnics and lunch boxes.  

These surprise cupcakes are made with a moist white cake batter, red velvet cake hearts, and creamy buttercream frosting.

You’ll have a great time making and eating these cupcakes. However, your favorite part may simply be watching people discover the heart shapes in the middle!


Look at These Little Beauties!

Two Vanilla cupcakes decorated with a creamy red frosting served on a red plate with tiny red hearts. These make the perfect surprise for your loved ones.
You will Not resist them!

This Is All You’ll Need


Two Batters of Contrasting Colors


You’ll need two cake batters of contrasting colors to make these surprise cupcakes. You can make your own vanilla cake recipe or take a shortcut and use a boxed vanilla cake mix.

For the hearts, I used a boxed red velvet cake mix. Feel free to use your favorite recipe for red velvet.

If you’re making these cupcakes for a gender reveal party, you can use blue or pink cake mixes for the hearts. You can also use chocolate cake mix to make the hidden hearts.


Red Frosting

You’ll need red frosting to decorate these surprise cupcakes. Feel free to use your favorite homemade frosting or use a ready one to save time.


Sprinkles

Feel free to decorate your cupcakes the way you like. You can sprinkle some white pearls or red and white heart-shaped sprinkles on top to make your cupcakes look amazing!


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Can you make cupcake without a cupcake tray?

Paper cupcake liners can be used in place of a cupcake tray, as long as you don’t overfill the liners. After that, place them in a pan that will hold 5-6 paper liners upright.

How much do you fill cupcakes?

Fill your cupcake cases 2/3 full – about 3 tablespoons – or with one good ice cream scoop. If you fill your cupcake cases too much, they will not bake properly and may overflow when they rise.

How long do you put 12 cupcakes in the oven?

Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes for standard cupcakes or 10 to 12 minutes for minis, rotating the tin halfway through the baking time. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for 10 minutes on a rack, then remove them from the tin and cool completely on the rack.

What do you do with the leftover red velvet cake?

You will have some offcuts after cutting out the heart shapes from the red sheet cake. These obviously make an excellent chef’s perk, and you can nibble on them while preparing the remaining cupcakes.


What a Lovely Surprise!

Vanilla cupcakes with a tiny red heart inside waiting on the cupcake pan to cool down.
They make the cutest cupcake toppers for Valentine’s Day!

Top Tips for the Best Surprise Heart Cupcakes

  • Have fun with it, and make different colors! The batters can be your choice of colors, especially if you get a white or yellow batter. You can add any food coloring!
  • These Cupcakes are perfect for Valentine’s Day, surprise gender reveal, birthday parties, princess tea parties, and more!
  • Any simple small shape can be added to the middle of your cupcakes. You could add stars, flowers, etc…

Bored Getting Flowers for Your Special One?

Surprise heart vanilla cupcakes decorated in red frosting and cut in half. They make the perfecr surprise for Valentine's Day.
Sometimes it’s the little things that are so special!

Surprise Cupcakes Ingredients

  • white or yellow cake mix
  • eggs
  • milk or water
  • vegetable oil
  • red velvet cake mix
  • Red frosting
  • Sprinkles of choice like white pearls or red and white heart-shaped sprinkles

Equipment

  • Small heart-shaped cake cutter
  • Cupcake pan
  • 9×13 rectangular pan

Steps to Prep these Surprise Heart Cupcakes

First Prepare the White and Red Cake Mixes

Preheat oven to 350°F

You will need 2 medium bowls to prepare the white & red cake mixes. In one bowl prepare the white cake mix by whisking 3 eggs, 1 cup of water or milk and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with an electric mixer. In the second bowl whisk together the red velvet cake mix with three eggs, one cup of milk or water, and 1 cup of vegetable oil.

Next, Bake the Red Cake Mix

First, line and spray a 9×13 rectangular pan then pour in the red batter. Bake according to box instructions, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow it to cool.


Then, Cut the Heart Shapes

Once it cooled, begin to cut out mini heart shapes and set them aside.


After That, Bake the Vanilla Cake Mix

Line and spray a cupcake pan, then pour about 1/3 of white batter into the cup cake pan.

Then, place a heart shaped red velvet cake in the center of the batter that is in the pan.

Now, gently pour over the heart shapes some more white batter to fully cover.

Bake according to cake box instructions, about 20-24 minutes.


Finally, Let them Cool and Decorate them

Once the cupcakes are finished slice a tiny slit where you see the red heart is positioned so that when you cut it open, you cut through the center of the heart shapes red velvet.

Cool then decorate with red frosting and your choice of sprinkles.


Save, Pin, & Share!

These vanilla cupcakes with the surprise hearts are the perfect treat to surprise someone you love.
They’re the perfect treat to surprise someone you love!

Other Dessert Recipes You Must Try:


If you like this recipe, you might also want to try Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake. It’s an amazing way to tell them that they are special!


5 from 6 votes

Surprise Heart Cupcakes

By: Lama
Looking for a fun treat for Valentines day, surprise gender reveals, birthday parties and more? These vanilla cupcakes with hidden hearts are the perfect photo-worthy treat! The best part is that you can have everyone guessing how you made them.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Equipment

  • Small heart shaped cake cutter
  • Cupcake pan 9×13
  • rectangular pan

Ingredients 

  • 1 box white or yellow cake mix
  • 1 box red velvet cake mix
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 cups milk or water
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • Red Frosting
  • Sprinkles of choice like white pearls or red and white heart shaped sprinkles

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • You will need 2 medium bowls to prepare the white & red cake mixes. In one bowl prepare the white cake mix by whisking 3 eggs, 1 cup of water or milk and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil with a electric mixer. In the second bowl whisk together the red velvet cake mix with three eggs, one cup of milk or water, and 1 cup of vegetable oil.
  • First, line and spray a 9×13 rectangular pan then pour in the red batter. Bake according to box instructions, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
  • Once it cooled, begin to cut out mini heart shapes and set them aside.
  • Line and spray a cupcake pan then pour about 1/3 of white batter into the cup cake pan.
  • Then, place a heart shaped red velvet cake in the center of the batter that is in the pan.
  • Now, gently pour over the heart shapes some more white batter to fully cover.
  • Bake according to cake box instructions, about 20-24 minutes.
  • Once the cupcakes are finished, slice a tiny slit where you see the red heart is positioned so that when you cut it open, you cut through the center of the heart shapes red velvet.
  • Cool then decorate with red frosting and your choice of sprinkles.

Video

Notes

Tip 1: Have fun with it and make different colors! The batters can be your choice of colors, especially if you get a white or yellow batter, you can add any food coloring!
Tip 2: These cupcakes are perfect for Valentines day, surprise gender reveals, birthday party, princess tea parties and more!
Tip 3: Any simple small shape can be added to the middle of your cupcakes. You could add stars, flowers, etc…

Nutrition

Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 644mg | Potassium: 169mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 3mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Lama

I'm Lama, welcome to my blog where you will find simple and diverse recipes your entire family will enjoy. I am honored to connect with you through the recipes I prepare!

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Make these for my daughter’s birthday
    She took them to school and her friends loved them. Thank you.

  2. 5 stars
    These cupcakes are the coolest things I’ve ever seen. My kids would be so excited to see the cute heart in the middle