You can never go wrong with a holiday-themed cake that has all of the colors of love, and this Valentine’s Day cake is no exception. This sheet cake is quick and easy yet looks amazing.
If you’re bringing Valentine’s Day treats for the classroom, this portable cake is perfect as it can be cut into 12 to 20 slices.
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- cake flour
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- salt
- butter
- white sugar
- canola oil
- large eggs
- vanilla extract
- red gel food coloring – you can use liquid food coloring but it will be harder to achieve brilliant colors than with the gel
- buttermilk
- white vinegar
The vinegar may appear to be an odd addition, but do not omit it! White vinegar serves as a helpful leavening agent for cakes when used with baking soda, creating a moist, fluffy, and delicious crumb structure. It was also originally used in red velvet cakes to preserve the color from beet juice. Vinegar can be added to nearly all baking recipes to improve the consistency of the final product.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- cream cheese
- butter
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
This cream cheese frosting can be prepped ahead of time and then refrigerated. Bring it up to room temperature before frosting the cake.
To Decorate:
- Fresh strawberries – it is best to add them just before serving
- Red sprinkles
- Pink heart-shaped sprinkles
You will also need a 9” x 13” cake pan.
Tips & Tweaks
For some tweaking ideas, feel free to swap out your food coloring based on what you want the final appearance of your cake to be. Leaving it in the batter as the recipe states will give you a nice dark red cake with white icing (think classic red velvet cake). This option will look clean and simple with some sliced strawberries and/or sprinkles on top.
Alternatively, you could add your food dye to the icing for a pink cake with a brown center. A very small amount will create a beautiful rosy pink cake, but adding more will make a bold and festive bright pink cake.
These colors will also look lovely with strawberries and sprinkles, but you could get creative with whatever decorations you have available.
You could use a piping bag or an icing pen to add artistic designs and a special message for that special someone, or for your kids if that is who you are making this cake for. You can even attempt to make icing flowers or hearts.
You can either decorate and serve the cake right out of the pan or remove it and then decorate, depending on your preference. This video shows you how to easily remove the cake from the pan without making a crumbled mess.
You may also prefer to make Valentine’s Day cupcakes instead of a larger cake. To do this, you need only adjust the baking time. Converting a cake recipe to cupcakes generally requires reducing the bake time by up to half, so check on your cupcakes with a toothpick 15-20 minutes into baking to see if they are finished.
Storage
Cover the cake and store in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving for best results.
This homemade Valentine’s Day cake recipe is simple and can be a lot of fun to get creative with, so use your imagination! Let me know how it turned out in the comments and please share the recipe!
Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake Batter:
- 2 ⅔ cups cake flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter - softened
- 1 ¾ cups white sugar
- 1 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs - at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons red gel food coloring
- 1 cup buttermilk - at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
- ½ cup butter - softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
To Decorate:
- Fresh strawberries - sliced
- Red sprinkles
- Pink heart-shaped sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cake Batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour a 9” x 13” baking pan.
- Sift together the cake flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.2 ⅔ cups cake flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter and white sugar until fluffy. Beat in the oil, eggs, vanilla extract and food coloring until combined.½ cup butter, 1 ¾ cups white sugar, 1 cup canola oil, 3 large eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons red gel food coloring
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, until combined. Stir in the vinegar.1 cup buttermilk, 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl with an electric mixer, until smooth. Add the vanilla extract.8 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on low, until combined.3 cups powdered sugar
To Decorate:
- You can either keep the cake in the pan or carefully remove it before frosting (see tips in post). Frost the cake with the cream cheese frosting. Decorate it with the fresh strawberries and sprinkles.
- Slice and serve!
Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Cover the cake and store in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving for best results.
- This cake makes between 12 and 20 slices.
- The nutrition information includes the frosting.
- It is best to decorate with the fresh strawberries right before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.