If you could actually taste Valentine’s Day, I’d say it’s flavor would be sweet! Because, well, love is really the sweetest feeling in the world. This Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake will be a Valentine’s Day piece of love on your plate and in your heart!

I made this cake for my husband last year for Valentine’s Day! We kept it simple and stayed home. I made desserts, coffee, and had beautiful lights on the table and candles with this cute surprise cake. Had him cut through it and I was more excited to see the heart shape cut than he was lol. He loved it and loved the thought that went into it. Sometimes it’s the little things that are so special!

Valentine’s Day Cake

There are plenty of Valentine’s cake ideas or Valentine’s Day cake designs. Cake is often an easy go-to during such an occasion because, well, so many other things are going on. It really depends on what your going for this Valentine’s Day. You may be busy getting a full-blown makeover to look your best for special someone. Or, you may be trying out a new food recipe that you want to be just perfect for dinner. Whatever it is that’s got you busy, you may be looking for a simple dessert that still says “I love you!”

Flavors for Valentine’s Cakes

The flavors I chose are heavenly and perfect for creating a beautifully visible heart-shaped center. My cake with a heart inside, also called the peekaboo (peek-a-boo) cake, has a red velvet color, flavor, and texture that are perfect inside a glorious vanilla cake. Obviously though, there are many great combinations or simple flavors you can opt for when making an easy Valentine’s Day cake. You can go for a heart pound cake which is usually a vanilla cake with orange or pineapple juice used instead of water.

Chocolate cakes are super popular. It’s like a double-dose of love when it’s a Valentine’s chocolate cake. Sugar in of itself can create a dopamine effect, imagine what that combined with chocolate can do! lol! Ok, moving on…. You can do a triple fudge cake or go for some full-of-loving brownies! You can do a red velvet cake with a vanilla heart surprise! Flavors are up to you and your significant others’ taste buds!

Designs and Decorations

If you’re going to do a layered cake, you can use different things with your frosting and buttercream. For example, you can layer a favorite fruit over the cream. You can crush cookies or a favorite cereal in between for added crunch and flavor! Get creative!

Inside of your Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake

You can keep your Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake simple on the inside. The peekaboo cake with its cute heart surprise inside may just be enough. But, for those of you who like extra flavors or want to get fancy, you can do more. You can throw in walnuts or hazelnuts into your batter or into a buttercream that you can use in between layers of your cake.

For my Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake, I chose a simple easy store-bought frosting. You can go to the next level if you really want to do something super special. You can decorate with your love’s favorite sprinkles, snack items, chocolate bars, candy, or dreamy flowers. It’s really up to you how much you wanna glam this baby up from the outside!

The Popularity of this Valentine’s Day Surprise Cake

This is a very popular Valentine’s dessert cake. The style of the cake, from the surprise heart that you see when you cut into it, to the shape and decorations, are just perfect for the occasion. It’s also a really easy recipe when you’re doing it this way. The cakes are straight out of the box which is a timesaver when you’re doing so many other things to ensure the perfect evening. It’s a nice gesture to show your partner how much you love them and that you care enough to make something for them that doesn’t cost you too much money, time, and effort (without them knowing lol)!

Other Popular Valentine’s Day Desserts

chocolate-covered strawberries
chocolate-covered pretzel sticks
heart-shaped donuts in a strawberry glaze
chocolate flowers
anything made with (or bought with) love
my suggested recipes below

Tips and Tricks

You can make the cake in a heart-shaped pan for more effect
Spray your pan well so cakes easily come out of the pan
Cool the cake well before cutting out the hearts
Use a cream cheese frosting for a richer flavor
Serve with vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of strawberry syrup

List of ingredients

Pillsbury white cake @pillsbury
Eggs
Oil
Milk
Real Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake @realduncanhines
Pillsbury Funfetti Vanilla Frosting Valentine’s Day Sprinkles

How to make Valentine’s Day Cake

First, bake the red velvet cake in a loaf pan following the instructions on the back of the box. I used milk instead of water for richness. Once the red velvet cake is baked, flip over and slice the size of a heart shaped cookie/cake cutter. Set the heart shaped cakes inside a bunt cake pan all around.
Mix the white cake mixture according to the instructions on the back of the box. Pour over the bunt mold filled with heart-shaped cake. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Flip over and decorate with frosting, heart-shaped sprinkles and fill the inside of the cake with your choice of fruit!

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