Indulge in these delightful homemade heart-shaped cakes reminiscent of Little Debbie’s classic treats. Soft, sponge-like cakes filled with a fluffy cream filling and coated in rich almond bark, these cakes are perfect for special occasions or a sweet homemade gift. Although they take some time to prepare, they offer a delicious and nostalgic taste of childhood that everyone will love!
Valentine Heart Cakes
Yield: 16 cakes
Ingredients
Cake:
Box white cake mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1 â…“ cups water
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup full fat sour cream
Filling:
7 oz marshmallow creme (you can also use marshmallow fluff)
¾ cup salted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher salt
2-4 tbsp heavy cream, room temperature
Coating:
32 oz almond bark
3 tbsp Crisco (you can also use vegetable oil or butter)
pink gel food dye (it must be gel based or the almond bark can seize)
To make the Cake:
-
Preheat the oven to 350° and spray and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
-
Mix together the boxed cake mix, sugar, water, eggs, vanilla and oil until combined, about 1 minute. Add in the flour, salt and sour cream and mix on medium until incorporated and there aren’t any lumps, 2-3 minutes.
-
Divide the batter evenly between both pans and smooth. These cakes will be thin! Bake for 15-18 minutes or until completely cooked through.
-
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before refrigerating for 30-60 minutes.
Filling:
-
Beat the marshmallow creme and butter on medium high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 tbsp of heavy cream or milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth and add additional heavy cream until it reaches desired consistency. You want it spreadable but not too thin.
Assembly:
-
Once the cake has cooled, cut out 32 hearts using around a 3 inch cookie cutter. Spread the filling on top of half of the hearts and top with another heart. Place on a sheet pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper and freeze for 1 hour.
Coating:
-
In a large heatproof bowl, melt the almond bark, 30 seconds at a time mixing in between, until totally melted. Stir in the Crisco until smooth. Remove ½-1 cup of the white almond bark and add to a separate heatproof bowl for the decorations. Mix about ½ tsp of pink gel color food dye into the larger bowl of almond bark and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes before dipping in the heart cakes.
To decorate:
-
Dip the frozen cakes completely into the pink melted almond bark and place onto a cookie rack covered in wax paper or parchment paper. Allow to set for 10 minutes before drizzling on the leftover white chocolate in random circles to create design.
This copycat Little Debbie Valentine Cake recipe was adapted from the food blog My Messy Kitchen.
For a gluten-free Valentine’s dessert option, check out these Very Vanilla Valentine’s Day Funfetti Gluten-Free Cupcakes.