How to Bake a Heart Inside a Cupcake

Valentine’s Day is 9 days away! If you’re looking for something special to bake for friends, family, co-workers or maybe even just for fun, I’ve got your back. Cupcakes with hearts baked inside!! The cutest.

This is really simple to do and can be replicated with just about any cake flavors as long as they’re contrasting colors. If you’re an all white cake type, go for it, just be sure to color your 9×13 cake with food coloring so the cakes contrast and the heart shows up.

Red Velvet & Vanilla Heart Inside Cupcakes

What you’ll Need:
Cupcake Scoop
Cupcake Pan
Cupcake Liners
Wilton 1M decorating tip
Disposable Decorating Bag
Mini Heart Cookie Cutter
9×13 Baking Pan
Bake Easy Non-Stick Spray
Cake Leveler or serrated knife
One Batch Buttercream Icing (recipe below)

Ingredients for Vanilla Cupcakes:
1 box Vanilla cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
4 eggs
1 box vanilla jello
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

Ingredients for Red Velvet hearts:
1 box Red Velvet cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines)
4 eggs
1 box chocolate pudding
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water

Red Velvet Heart Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease 9×13 baking pan with butter or Bake Easy spray.
3. Combine red velvet cake mix, eggs, oil, water and pudding in electric mixer. Mix about 2 minutes.
4. Pour batter into greased pan and bake for 25-35 minutes.
5. Allow cake to cool. Loosen sides with spatula and remove cake. Using a cake cutter or large serrated knife to cut crown off of cake.
6. Using heart cookie cutter, cut hearts. Makes approximately 30-35 hearts, depending on size of cookie cutter. Set aside.

Vanilla Cupcake Directions:
1. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Combine vanilla cake mix, eggs, oil, water and pudding in electric mixer. Mix about 2 minutes.
3. Using cookie scoop, scoop 3/4-1 scoop fill of cake batter into each liner.
4. Place one heart vertically down into each batter filled cupcake liner. Face each heart the same direction. Remember which direction!
5. Top off each cupcake/red velvet heart with a bit more batter. It won’t look pretty, but it will when they’re decorated!
6. Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Pull out of oven and remember which direction your hearts inside are facing!
7. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Cupcake Decorating Directions:
1. Make one batch Buttercream icing (recipe card below)
2. Fill disposable decorating bag fitted with 1M tip
3. Starting on the outer edge and holding the decorating bag in an upright position, begin swirling icing around the cupcake working your way to the center while applying even pressure.
4. Top cupcake with candy heart (or topper of choice) to mark the correct cutting spot (you want to make sure you cut the cupcake in the correct spot or it won’t appear as a heart, rather than a red velvet blob).
5. Enjoy!

I made this quick step-by-step video below for easy reference:

For more fun and simple recipe ideas, check out my book Eat More Dessert!

Video by Northern Peak Productions

Pin this idea for later!

SaveSave