This vanilla cake with buttercream and freshly diced strawberries makes one of the elegant yet simple and delicious in every bite.
We decorated our hearts with cut-out sugar cookie conversation hearts for Valentine's Day which is just an option and a delicious little addition.
For the complete recipe scroll all the way down to the bottom where you will find a printable recipe card on this page and hit print.
Why Make this Strawberry Vanilla Heart Cake
- perfect for Valentine's Day or another special day
- All made from scratch cake and buttercream
- Cake can be made in any shaped pan
- This cake is the perfect size for two people
- The cake can be filled with our many suggestions below or left plain
Shopping List (complete recipe in the printable card at the bottom of this post)
- heart shaped pans are available online and in specialty baking stores
- unsalted butter melted: use low water content butter
- granulated sugar: regular sugar
- almond or vanilla extract: or another extract you prefer you can also use a strawberry extract
- eggs: use only large eggs
- buttermilk: use a store-bought found in the dairy case or for homemade (use 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup of milk)
- AP flour: regular all-purpose flour
- baking soda, and baking powder: both are leavening agents to make the cake batter rise
- salt: regular table salt is fine
Tips and Filling Suggestions for Making Strawberry Vanilla Heart Cake:
- Fill with chunky strawberry preserve
- Fill with whipped cream
- Fill with vanilla pudding
- Add coconut to the filling or fresh strawberries
- always flour and grease the pan you're using for the best results
- do not overbeat this batter
- for an extra moist cake, drizzle the layers after baking with maraschino cherry juice or sugar water boiled together for a simple syrup
- fold in the fruit last (make sure it's blotted dry)
- add any kind of nuts
- the cake tastes great with just whipped cream
- instead of frosting dust with powdered sugar
- make muffins instead of a cake
- substitute any fruit
- tint the batter or the icing with red food coloring
- decorate frosted cakes with some fruit
- make small cut-out sugar cookie hearts and pipe conversations for decorating the heart cake for Valentine's Day
Fruit substitutions:
- red raspberries
- chopped strawberries
- blackberries
- peaches chopped fresh or canned drained
Don't Forget to Pin Me!!
Yield: 8
Strawberry Vanilla Heart Cake
Perfect for that significant other for any holiday especially anniversaries and Valentine's Day. Strawberry Cake with conversation sugar cookies.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 28 MinTotal time: 43 Min
Ingredients
- Strawberry Cake Batter:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons almond or vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk ( use 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup of milk)
- 3 cups AP flour
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Buttercream Icing:
- 3 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons almond or vanilla extract
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup of fresh chopped strawberries
- Optional: sugar cookies made into conversation hearts frosted and decorated.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a heart-shaped pan (9-inch size)
- Cream the butter with sugar until light then add the buttermilk, eggs, and extract.
- In another clean bowl sift all the dry ingredients together.
- Once sifted add to the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.
- Pour into the heart pan and bake at 350 degrees for around 25 to 28 minutes or until the middle springs back to the touch.
- Cool completely.
- Buttercream;
- Beat all the ingredients except the strawberries until smooth.
- Fold in the strawberries.
- Note: for a filled cake split the cooled heart into two pieces flipping the first onto a wax paper dish to fit.
- Frost Cake and Decorate with Sugar Cookie hearts: decorate with cookie conversation hearts if desired.
- Filling ideas:
- Fill with chunky strawberry preserve.
- Fill with whipped cream.
- Fill with vanilla pudding.
- Add coconut to the filling or fresh strawberries.
Notes
Why Make this Strawberry Vanilla Heart Cake
- perfect for Valentine's Day or another special day
- All made from scratch cake and buttercream
- Cake can be made in any shaped pan
- This cake is the perfect size for two people
- The cake can be filled with our many suggestions below or left plain
Tips and Filling Suggestions for Making Strawberry Vanilla Heart Cake:
- Fill with chunky strawberry preserve
- Fill with whipped cream
- Fill with vanilla pudding
- Add coconut to the filling or fresh strawberries
- always flour and grease the pan you're using for the best results
- do not overbeat this batter
- for an extra moist cake, drizzle the layers after baking with maraschino cherry juice or sugar water boiled together for a simple syrup
- fold in the fruit last (make sure it's blotted dry)
- add any kind of nuts
- the cake tastes great with just whipped cream
- instead of frosting dust with powdered sugar
- make muffins instead of a cake
- substitute any fruit
- tint the batter or the icing with red food coloring
- decorate frosted cakes with some fruit
Fruit substitutions:
- red raspberries
- chopped strawberries
- blackberries
- peaches chopped fresh or canned drained
The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.
These are all copyright-protected images and content. Do not reprint/reuse this recipe or its images without my written permission.
Don't Forget to Pin Me!!
Recipes We Love
Vintage Pistachio Cake
Hummingbird Cake
Maraschino Cherry Cake
Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cupcakes
