Heart And Flowers Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make, bake and cool cake as directed on box--except use one 8-inch round pan and one 8-inch square pan. Check square pan for doneness about 2 minutes before round pan.
• Cut round cake in half. Place cut sides against sides of square cake to form heart shape, attaching pieces with small amount of frosting.
• Spread frosting on cake. Make flowers with assorted gumdrops: Flatten gumdrops with rolling pin. Cut out small petal-shaped flowers. Pinch flower in center to make it 3-dimensional. Cut out gumdrop leaves and stems. Arrange gumdrop flowers on cake. Arrange candied orange slices to form butterfly wings and butterfly body. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.
• Place food coloring in a resealable plastic bag. Add coconut flakes. Shake bag to evenly coat coconut with food coloring. Use immediately.
• Using a serrated knife, trim top of coconut cake to make level. Place coconut cake, trimmed side up, on a cake turntable or serving plate, and spread with about 2 cups frosting. Top with banana cake. Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting over entire cake. Sprinkle the top and sides with coconut. Cake can be kept refrigerated, covered with a cake dome, for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with a rack in the center. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch cake pan. Line bottom and long sides of cake with parchment paper, allowing at least a 1-inch overhang; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With the mixer running, add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat in vanilla, and lemon juice and zest.
• With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and beating until fully incorporated.
• Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake until light golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Place 3 cups buttercream in a medium bowl, and 1/2 cup in each of 2 bowls. Add sunset orange and blushing pink food coloring to the medium bowl, to make peach; set aside. Add golden yellow to a bowl with 1/2 cup buttercream; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #18 Ateco tip and set aside. Tint remaining 1/2 cup buttercream bright yellow, and place in a pastry bag fitted with a #6 Ateco tip and set aside.
• To assemble: Cut out 6 four-inch rounds from cake. Split each round horizontally, creating twelve layers. Spread top of one layer with 3 tablespoons of the peach buttercream. Place a second layer on top of buttercream, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with remaining layers, creating six filled cakes.
• To make the petals, place a 3 1/2-inch round cutter 1/2 inch in from the edge of one of the cakes, and cut; discard the cut piece. Repeat with four more cakes. Reserve one uncut cake for center of flower.
• Using an offset spatula, frost each of the cakes with 1/2 cup peach buttercream. Start from the center, and work out, making sure to push the buttercream over the sides of the cake. Smooth the buttercream.
• Place the center of the flower on a serving plate or pedestal. Coat the sides of remaining cakes with sprinkles, and place evenly around the pedestal, being sure to position the cut section of each cake against the center cake to adhere.
• Using the piping bag filled with golden buttercream, pipe two rows of small stars around the perimeter of the center of the flower. Using the piping bag filled with yellow buttercream, pipe small dots onto the center of the cake until it is completely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan and an 8-inch round pan. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Grease paper and dust lightly with flour.
• Beat white sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined.
• Stir flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl.
• Beat 1 cup dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Add 1/2 cup milk; beat until combined. Continue adding 1 cup dry ingredients and 1/2 cup milk, beating after each addition, until all are used and batter is smooth. Divide evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
• Beat butter and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating after each addition and adding milk as needed, until frosting is fluffy, smooth, and spreadable.
• Remove 1/3 cup frosting and divide between 2 small bowls. Tint 1 dark pink with red food coloring. Tint the other orange-pink with red and yellow food coloring. Tint remaining frosting light pink with red food coloring.
• Set square cake on a work surface and rotate 45 degrees so that it resembles a diamond. Spread a little light pink frosting on left and right top sides of the diamond. Cut round cake in half crosswise to make 2 half-moons. Attach half-moons to top left and top right sides of diamond, gently pressing cake pieces together to adhere. Spread remaining light pink frosting over the assembled cake. Drop spoonfuls of dark pink and pink-orange frosting onto cake. Drag an offset spatula through frosting to create a marbled look.
• Pat sprinkles onto the sides of the cake. Chill, covered, for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing into 16 pieces.