Regardless of one’s personal feelings about Valentine’s Day, it’s tough to completely shun the sentiment attached to the holiday. We’re pretty darn mushy in this house when it comes to declarations of love and affection (especially with our son, since we know that there are only a couple of years remaining wherein we can still tell kiss the kid and tell him we love him without having him draw back in horror and tell us that we’re lame), so while Vanlantine’s Day itself may not provide that much of a difference in terms of making sure we make our fondness for one another clear, it does give me an excuse to get a little fancy with my food preparation.
In years past, I have made heart-shaped cookies on Valentine’s Day, but this year, in keeping with my cake-themed personal goal, I thought it would be nice to highlight a simple Valentine’s Day treat that is suitable for nearly anyone’s baking skill set. In a slight change of events, this particular tutorial is not so much focused on the recipe for a cake as it is on the presentation of a cake. And, as I mentioned before, it’s a dead simple project that anyone can tackle, no special tools needed. If you have a square baking pan, a knife, and a cereal bowl, you can make a heart-shaped cake. No special heart-shaped pan required.
STEP 1: To begin, bake a cake in a square pan. (I baked this coconut chocolate marble cake in a 9”x9” square pan instead of a bundt pan, and it turned out wonderfully.) When the cake is cooled, place it diagonally on a clean, flat surface.
STEP 2: Place a cereal bowl over the left hand corner of the cake, and, using a sharp knife, very lightly trace around the top half of the bowl.
STEP 3: Move the cereal bowl to the right hand corner of the cake, and trace around the bowl in the same manner as before.
STEP 4: Cut all the way through the cake on the outermost left and right corners of the area traced around the cereal bowl. You will now have two rounded corners.
STEP 5: Place the cereal bowl back on the left hand side, and cut the cake around the top curve of the bowl, stopping about halfway across the cake, where the curve of the bowl points to the center of the cake.
STEP 6: Move the cereal bowl to the right hand side, and continue cutting in the same manner as before.
You have now cut your cake in the shape of a heart.
Use the knife to touch up the shape here and there, cutting in the top center of the heart a bit more if you want more definition. I made a single layer cake for this project, but you can certainly make a two or even three-layer cake if you choose. Topped with a creamy blanket of pink raspberry buttercream, it’s a sweet and cheerful treat that you can tackle in no time at all, no special tools needed.
Last Year: Indian Cauliflower Rice–the cauliflower IS the rice in this delicious, light meal
Savory Salty Sweet 
I love how easy this is and what a lovely heart-shape it makes. Thanks for the pointers.
I’m so impressed – what a lovely cake! I love your description of the ticking clock toward your son drawing back in horror at shows of affection. 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day!