Vintage Heart-Shaped Cake (No Special Pan Needed)

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Vintage Heart-Shaped Cake (No Special Pan Needed)

My grandmother clipped this recipe from the February 11, 1979 issue of Parade magazine. The clever design uses one square cake and one round cake to create a heart, no special heart-shaped pan required. Decorated with soft pink buttercream, white piped accents, and bright red maraschino cherries for a nostalgic dessert that's just as charming today as it was in 1979.

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Servings servings

Calories 442kcal

Author Lise Sullivan Ode

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Cake:

2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder such as Hershey's Special Dark
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup boiling water

For the Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup salted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pink gel food coloring
Red gel food coloring
8 Well-drained maraschino cherries with stems, for decorating

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour one 8-inch square cake pan and one 8-inch round cake pan, or grease the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs, milk, cocoa powder, oil, salt, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and flour in the order listed. Do not stir. Pour in the boiling water and mix until the batter is smooth and well combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in about one-third of the confectioners' sugar. Add the milk, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined. Gradually beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup of the frosting for white piping. Tint about 3 tablespoons of the remaining frosting red with gel food coloring, then tint the rest pink.
Level the domed tops of the cakes, if needed. Place the square cake on a large serving board, cut side down, with one corner pointing upward so it forms a diamond. Cut the round cake in half. Spread a thin layer of pink buttercream on the cut side of each half, then place one half against each of the two upper sides of the diamond, cut side down, with the frosted cut sides touching the square cake to create a heart shape.
Spread the remaining pink buttercream over the entire cake, smoothing it with an offset spatula. Transfer the reserved white buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as #32) and pipe a decorative border around the edge of the cake.
If desired, lightly press a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter into the frosting to create a guide. Transfer the red buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (such as #4) and pipe LOVE inside the heart. Pipe a white border around the heart, then arrange the well-drained maraschino cherries evenly around the top edge of the cake before serving.
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

If you prefer to use a cake mix, prepare two 13.25-ounce chocolate cake mixes (such as Betty Crocker) according to the package directions. Pour one prepared cake mix into each greased and lined with parchment paper pan. Bake as directed above, checking for doneness with a toothpick.

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