Description
Little Debbie Heart Cakes bring nostalgic sweetness to Valentine’s celebrations with layers of tender vanilla cake and creamy frosting. Romantic bakers can recreate these iconic childhood treats, sharing love through each delightful heart-shaped bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Base Ingredients:
- 1 box white Pillsbury cake mix
- ½ cup egg whites
- 1 cup water (237 milliliters)
- ½ cup flour (60 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sour cream (120 milliliters)
- ¼ cup oil (60 milliliters)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Marshmallow Buttercream:
- 10 ounces (283 grams) marshmallow fluff
- 3 cups powdered sugar (360 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup butter, softened (227 grams)
Coating and Decoration:
- 48 ounces (1.36 kilograms) Ghirardelli white melting wafers
- 4 to 6 tablespoons heavy cream or Crisco (60 to 90 milliliters)
- Red food dye
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 350°F (177°C) and position the rack in the center.
- Combine all cake ingredients in a stand mixer, blending initially on low speed for 30 seconds to incorporate dry and wet components.
- Increase mixer speed to medium-high and whip for 2-3 minutes until batter becomes smooth and homogeneous, periodically scraping down mixer bowl sides.
- Prepare a half sheet pan by generously greasing surfaces and lining completely with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage.
- Gently pour cake batter into prepared pan, softly tapping against countertop to eliminate potential air pockets.
- Slide pan into preheated oven and bake approximately 15-20 minutes, checking doneness by inserting a clean toothpick which should emerge without raw batter.
- Remove cake and allow complete cooling at room temperature for roughly 45-60 minutes.
- Utilize a heart-shaped cookie cutter to carefully extract individual cake shapes from cooled sheet.
- Horizontally slice each heart cake into two equal layers using a serrated knife.
- Prepare marshmallow buttercream by whipping softened butter and powdered sugar until achieving a creamy, light consistency.
- Incorporate vanilla extract and marshmallow fluff into buttercream, continuing to beat until mixture becomes exceptionally fluffy.
- Transfer buttercream into a piping bag fitted with preferred decorating tip.
- Pipe a generous layer of marshmallow buttercream onto bottom heart layer, then gently position corresponding top layer.
- Place assembled heart cakes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then freeze for minimum 30 minutes to stabilize structure.
- Melt approximately two-thirds of white chocolate wafers, adding red food coloring to create desired shade.
- Remove frozen hearts and carefully dip each into melted chocolate, ensuring complete coverage using fork for drainage.
- Return chocolate-coated hearts to lined sheet and refrigerate until coating solidifies.
- Melt remaining chocolate and pipe delicate decorative swirls across chilled cakes.
- Store finished treats in sealed container within refrigerator, maintaining freshness for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Capture the nostalgic essence of childhood snack cakes with this homemade heart-shaped treat that’s both delightful and impressive.
- Precision matters when creating these delicate cakes, so follow each step carefully to achieve bakery-quality results.
- Freezing the cake hearts before chocolate coating ensures a smooth, professional-looking finish that prevents crumbling.
- Marshmallow buttercream adds a luxurious, cloud-like texture that elevates these copycat Little Debbie cakes beyond the store-bought version.
- White chocolate coating with a hint of red creates a romantic, eye-catching dessert perfect for Valentine’s Day or special celebrations.
- Storing these treats in the refrigerator helps maintain their structure and keeps the chocolate coating crisp and beautiful.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: <1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg