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How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake

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Have you ever wondered how to bake a shaped cake inside a cupcake or cake? It’s actually a lot easier than you think. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s time to get baking some special Valentine’s Day Cupcakes for your kiddos and sweetie!

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake | Recipe & Instructions on HoosierHomemade.com

Aren’t they adorable? The hearts are cut from Red Velvet Cake, but you can certainly make pink hearts if you choose. I used the Wilton Mini Romance Cookie Cutter set, it comes with six different cutters including two hearts.

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake | Recipe & Instructions on HoosierHomemade.com

Let’s chat about how to bake a heart in a cupcake. They aren’t difficult, but they did take some time and a little experimenting to figure it all out.

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake | Recipe & Instructions on HoosierHomemade.com

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake

  1. I used a Red Velvet Cake Mix, but you can also use a white cake mix and color it whatever color you like using food coloring
  2. I under baked the cake – you want it firm to the touch, nice and moist
  3. After the cake cools, wrap it in plastic for a day or overnight, it will keep it moist. You can also place the cake in the fridge or freezer for a couple hours. This step will keep the cake moist since it will be baked twice.
  4. Turn the cake out onto a cutting board and cut out the hearts – this step is a little messy, so be ready
  5. Add cupcake liners to pan and mix a white or yellow cake mix as you normally do
  6. Add a heart to the cupcake liner, place it upright with the bottom of the heart on the bottom
  7. While holding onto the heart, carefully spoon white cake batter around the heart until it’s almost to the top of the heart
  8. After the cupcake is filled, before you place it in the oven, you MAY want to insert a couple toothpicks. The reason I did this was so that I could remember which direction the heart was facing so when I cut the cupcake, the heart would show. You can certainly skip this step if you don’t need to know where the heart is at.
  9. Bake as you normally would, about 10-12 minutes, cool completely
  10. Before you frost, you will want to remove the toothpicks BUT before you do, you need to mark where they are. We placed a napkin on a plate, laid the toothpicks flat on the plate to the side of the cupcake where the toothpicks are. Then remove the toothpicks and frost, being careful not to move the cupcake.

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake | Recipe & Instructions on HoosierHomemade.com

Oh and let’s not forget about the divine frosting! I whipped up some heavy cream, and folded in a few heaping tablespoons of the Pink Lemonade Pie filling…YUM!

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake | Recipe & Instructions on HoosierHomemade.com

Pipe on the frosting with a Giant Round Tip, top with a fresh raspberry and you have a VERY special cupcake for your Valentine!

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake

How to Bake a Heart in a Cupcake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Give your sweetie your heart for Valentine's Day...in a cupcake. Recipe from HoosierHomemade.com

Ingredients

  • Red Velvet Cake – I used about half of the batter from a box mix and baked it in a 8 inch square pan
  • Mini Cookie Cutter – 1 inch works best, I used Wilton Mini Romance Set
  • White or Yellow Cake Mix
  • Cupcake Liners
  • Toothpicks
  • Frosting

Instructions

  1. I used a Red Velvet Cake Mix, but you can also use a white cake mix and color it whatever color you like using food coloring
  2. Under bake the cake a bit, you want it nice and moist, just until it’s firm to the touch.
  3. After the cake cools, wrap it in plastic for a day or overnight, it will keep it moist
  4. Turn the cake out onto a cutting board and cut out the hearts – this step is a little messy, so be ready
  5. Add cupcake liners to pan and mix a white or yellow cake mix as you normally do
  6. Add a heart to the cupcake liner, place it upright with the bottom of the heart on the bottom.
  7. While holding onto the heart, carefully spoon white cake batter around the heart until it’s almost to the top of the heart
  8. After the cupcake is filled, before you place it in the oven, you may want to insert a couple toothpicks. The reason I did this was so that I could remember which direction the heart was facing so when I cut the cupcake, the heart would show.
  9. Bake as you normally would, about 10-12 minutes, cool completely
  10. Before you frost, you will want to remove the toothpicks BUT before you do, you need to mark where they are. We placed a napkin on a plate, laid the toothpicks flat on the plate to the side of the cupcake where the toothpicks are. Then remove the toothpicks and frost, being careful not to move the cupcake.
Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g

Heart Cupcakes and other Recipes found on Bake It in a Cake

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16 Comments

  1. Grammie Shell says:

    I enjoyed the tutorial on how to bake a heart in a cupcake. I got a chuckle from the first photo! I have the exact same heart shaped wire basket!

  2. QUESTION: Why do you let the red velvet cake sit for a day before baking it inside the white cake? I know there must be a reason. 🙂

    1. Hi Tavette, the reason to wrap the cake and let it set is to make sure it’s moist and easy to work with. You can also place it in the fridge or freezer for a couple hours and then work with it.
      Happy Baking!
      ~Liz

  3. These cupcakes are beautiful! The frosting and raspberry make them look so special on the outside and then a treasure on the inside.

    I don’t mean to be difficult but why go through all the steps with the toothpicks? 🙂 Seems like a lot of work.

    xo
    Pat

    1. Hi Pat, you can certainly not use the toothpicks. I just used them so I could tell where the heart would be lined up when I frosted them and cut into them.

  4. I just think you all are awlsome and cute ideas thank you very much .I love the fosting creations Great Idea lorraine

  5. I love the heart center… the pink lemonade frosting and raspberry make it perfect!

    ~ Emily N. from “too Blessed to Stress”

  6. Your cupcakes are so pretty! Thank you for the instructions and hosting.

  7. these look perfect for valentines day oh so delicious

  8. It is so neat how you put that heart inside! Love it! Thanks for hosting! Have a Sweet week!

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