Mini Conversation Heart Cakes
The iconic Valentine's Day conversation hearts in cake form! Moist and decadent mini heart-shaped chocolate cakes topped with pastel vanilla buttercream and a cute piped message on top. Each cake serves 2-4 people.
Servings 3 mini cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
Mini Chocolate Heart-Shaped Cakes
- 1 Cup (133g) all purpose flour
- 3/4 Cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 Cup (30g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) buttermilk*, room temperature DIY recipe in the notes
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) hot coffee or hot water
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 5 Cups (600g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
- 3-4 drops red food coloring for the messages on top
- pastel food coloring of your choice
Instructions
Make the Mini Chocolate Heart-Shaped Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare six 4-inch heart-shaped cake pans* by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee (or hot water) in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 1/2 full (you'll have a little bit of batter left over) and bake for 18-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before assembling and frosting.
Make the Vanilla Buttercream
- With a hand mixer or paddle attachment on your stand mixer, cream the butter on medium-high until it’s creamy and light (almost white) in color. About 7 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down after each addition and making sure each cup is fully incorporated before adding the next one.
- Add vanilla, milk, and salt and mix on low for another minute until fully incorporated.
- Color the Buttercream: Reserve about ¼ Cup of frosting for the piped messages on top and tint it with a few drops of red food coloring. Set aside. Divide the remaining buttercream into three separate bowls (or more bowls depending on how many heart cakes you plan to frost). Choose a pastel color palette using actual conversation hearts as your inspiration. I went with pastel purple, pink, and green and the colors I used are AmeriColor Electric Purple, Deep Pink, and Mint Green. Be sure to start small when adding the coloring to your buttercream so you keep the color palette pastel and not too vibrant.
Assembly
- Once the mini heart-shaped chocolate cakes are cooled completely to room temperature, level them to your desired height. Adhere the first cake layer onto a cardboard base and place it onto your turntable. Starting with your first pastel buttercream color, add about ⅛ inch layer of buttercream filling on top of the cake layer, then place the next cake layer upside down on top of the filling so the bottom of the cake layer becomes the top. Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of the same color buttercream, then place the heart cake in the refrigerator so the frosting firms up and locks in the heart shape. Repeat this process with the additional cake layers and other frosting colors.
- Place the first crumb coated cake back on the turntable and use the corresponding buttercream color to frost a smooth finish on the cake. Place the frosted cake back into the refrigerator and repeat with the remaining cakes.
- Place the red buttercream into a piping bag fitted with Wilton Tip 5 and pipe any message you want onto each cake.
Notes
*Cake Pans: if you can't find heart-shaped cake pans, you can use six 4-inch round cake pans (and use this method to make them heart-shaped). You could also make one larger conversation heart cake using two 6-inch round pans with that same DIY heart cake method.
DIY Buttermilk recipe: add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar to a jar and top it with 1/2 Cup of whole milk. Stir and let sit for 15 minutes before using in the recipe.
Make Ahead Tips:
- The cake layers can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and re-whip in your stand mixer to bring back to smooth buttercream consistency.
- The assembled and decorated cakes can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 5 days.