Festive and delicious, this heart-shaped cake is ready to impress your valentine! You can't go wrong with a red velvet cake topped with luscious cream cheese frosting!
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray one 8-inch round pan and one 8-inch square pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the sugar and salt to the flour mixture and whisk together. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, vinegar, vanilla, and red food coloring together with a whisk. Add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out of the center of the cakes cleanly or the cake springs back when gently pressed on.
Let the cakes cool for 10-15 minutes before turning them out on a cooling rack to finish cooling. While the cake cools, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer cream the butter and cream cheese together until thoroughly mixed and creamy.
Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. You may need to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure everything is evenly mixed.
Add the powdered sugar and mix slowly until incorporated. Gradually increase the speed and beat until fluffy.
Assembly
Once the cakes are completely cooled cut the round cake in half so you have two equal half circles. On your chosen serving plat place the square cake with the two half circles on two sides to form the rounded part of the heart.
Create a crumb coat to hold in the loose crumbs of the cake by smoothing a thin layer of frosting over the whole cake. Once the whole cake has a nice crumb coat, smooth the remaining frosting over the whole cake. Add the sprinkles and decorations of your choice.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the frosting to set.