Valentine’s Day Cake
This festive Valentine’s Day Cake features vibrant layers of white, pink, and red cake, topped with a creamy white chocolate raspberry buttercream. Finished with a pink ganache drip and an array of fun, sweet toppings, it’s a showstopper dessert perfect for the holiday.
Equipment
- 3 6-inch cake pans
- Whisk
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Microwave-safe bowls
- Offset spatula
- Piping bags
- Cake turntable
- Cake board
- Cake decorating tools (fondant tools, piping tips, etc.)
Ingredients
- Striped Vanilla Cake:
- 3/4 cup Buttermilk
- 2/3 cup Sour Cream
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- 3 Egg Whites
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 White Cake Mix Duncan Hines, sifted
- Red Gel Food Coloring
- White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream plus 1/4 cup more
- 3 sticks 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter, softened
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla or clear vanilla
- 2 tablespoons Raspberry Emulsion Lorann
- 6-7 cups Powdered Sugar sifted
- Pink White Chocolate Ganache Drip:
- 1 cup White Chocolate Candy Melts Wilton’s “Very White” or “Bright White”
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- Red Gel Food Coloring
- Garnishes:
- Valentine’s Sprinkles
- Gumballs
- Red Fondant Roses
- White Sprinkle Chocolate Bark
- Marbled Fondant Hearts
Instructions
- Prepare the Striped Vanilla Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour 3 6-inch cake pans.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla, egg whites, and vegetable oil. Sift in cake mix and stir until just combined.
- Spoon 1/3 of the batter into the first prepared pan.
- Add a small amount of red gel food coloring to the remaining batter, stir to make it pink, and divide it between two more prepared pans.
- Add a few drops of red coloring to the final batter portion for a red hue, and spoon it into the last pan.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic and freeze to make frosting easier.
- Prepare the White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream:
- Microwave white chocolate chips with 1/4 cup heavy cream for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, then set aside.
- Whip the softened butter in a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the chocolate ganache, pinch of salt, vanilla, and raspberry emulsion. Mix to combine.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream, then gradually add sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Continue mixing until smooth and fluffy.
- Prepare the Pink Ganache Drip:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate melts and heavy cream. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until smooth.
- Add a tiny bit of red gel food coloring to achieve a pastel pink color. Stir well and set aside.
- Assemble the Cake:
- Slice each of the three cake rounds in half to create 6 layers: 2 red, 2 pink, and 2 white.
- Place the first red cake layer on a cake board and pipe a thin layer of buttercream on top. Add the pink layer and repeat with the buttercream. Continue with the remaining layers (white, pink, red).
- Crumb coat the cake and freeze for 5 minutes.
- Apply the final layer of buttercream. Press sprinkles along the bottom edge.
- Add the pink ganache drip, and return the cake to the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
- Top with chocolate bark, fondant hearts, gumballs, roses, and sprinkles.
Notes
For an even fluffier cake, make sure to freeze the layers for easy frosting and assembling.
You can swap raspberry emulsion with fresh raspberries if preferred, but the emulsion ensures the buttercream stays white.
If you want a more vibrant drip, add more red food coloring to the ganache.
You can swap raspberry emulsion with fresh raspberries if preferred, but the emulsion ensures the buttercream stays white.
If you want a more vibrant drip, add more red food coloring to the ganache.