Copycat Little Debbie Heart Cakes
With this easy copycat recipe, you can re-create classic heart-shaped Little Debbie Valentine Cakes at home!
Homemade Little Debbie Valentine Cakes
Little Debbie Valentine Heart Cakes are one of the most beloved Valentine’s Day treats. I remember loving them as a kid – and I admittedly still do!
Two heart-shaped sponge cakes are sandwiched around a sweet creme filling and coated in a light layer of pink icing.
With this copycat recipe, you can easily re-create the nostalgic Valentine heart cakes at home! They’re perfect for serving at Valentine’s Day parties or packing in a lunchbox as a sweet treat for the kids.
Ingredients
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Cake Batter
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Frosting Center
- 7 ounces marshmallow creme
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Coating
Supply List
- Two 9×13 Baking Sheets (or ONE half-sheet pan)
- Parchment Paper
- 2-Inch Heart Shaped Cookie Cutter
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Mixer
- Piping Bag
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยฐF and line two 9×13 baking sheets with parchment paper.
To Bake the Cakes:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter into two equal portions and pour onto your prepared baking sheets, spreading into a thin, even layer. If using a half sheet pan, you’ll pour all the batter onto the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350ยฐF, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Once cool, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out mini heart cakes from both baking sheets.
To Make The Frosting Filling:
- Beat softened butter in a mixing bowl until creamy.
- Add the marshmallow creme, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, mixing until light and fluffy.
Assemble & Decorate The Cakes:
- Spread frosting on top of one heart cake and place another heart cake on top to form a sandwich. Repeat until all the heart-shaped cakes are used.
- Melt the white chocolate candy melts according to package instructions. Scoop a couple Tablespoons of the plain white chocolate into a piping bag or a small bowl. Stir pink food coloring into the larger bowl of melted white chocolate until it is a smooth shade of light pink.
- Dip each heart cake into the melted pink chocolate, coating it completely. Place on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to dry.
- Take the white melting chocolate that you set aside and pipe or drizzle on top of your heart cakes.
Video Demo:
Prep Tips
- Yield – Depending on the size of cookie cutter used, this recipe will make between 10-15 Valentine cakes.
- Food Coloring – You can use either pink or red food coloring. If using red, start with one drop and work your way up from there. You can always add more food coloring, but it’s harder to fix if you add too much.
- Cookie Cutter – To make these cakes a similar size to the original, you’ll want to use a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is about 2 inches in size. It doesn’t have to be exact, anything in the range of 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches should work.
- Pan Size – You don’t want to bake these in a regular cake pan, but rather a baking sheet, because these cakes are going to be thin. You can use TWO 9×13 inch baking sheets or ONE 18×13 inch half sheet pan.
More Valentine Dessert Recipes To Try
- Valentine Fudge
- “Cupid Crunch” Valentineโs Puppy Chow
- Valentine Pretzel Hearts
- Valentine Swirl Cookies
- Very Cherry Dump Cake
- Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
- Red Lips Valentine Cookies
- Conversation Heart Marshmallow Pops
- Valentine Milkshakes
- Pink Hot Chocolate
Copycat Little Debbie Valentine Cakes Recipe (Printable Recipe Card)
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Copycat Little Debbie Heart Cakes
With this easy copycat recipe, you can re-create classic heart-shaped Little Debbie Valentine Cakes at home!
Servings: 15
Calories: 376kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- 2 9×13 Baking Sheets (or ONE half-sheet pan)
- Parchment paper
- Piping bag
- Mixing bowls
- Electric mixer
- Heart shaped cookie cutter 2 inch
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Frosting Center
- 7 ounces marshmallow creme
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Coating
- White Chocolate Candy Melts melted
- Pink food coloring
Instructions
- To Prep: Preheat oven to 350ยฐF and line two 9×13 baking sheets with parchment paper.
To Bake the Cakes:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, flour, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter into two equal portions and pour onto your prepared baking sheets, spreading into a thin, even layer. If using a half sheet pan, you’ll pour all the batter onto the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350ยฐF, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- Once cool, use a hear-shaped cookie cutter to cut out mini heart cakes from both baking sheets.
To Make The Frosting Filling:
- Beat softened butter in a mixing bowl until creamy.
- Add the marshmallow creme, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy cream, mixing until light and fluffy.
Assemble & Decorate The Cakes:
- Spread frosting on top of one heart cake and place another heart cake on top to form a sandwich. Repeat until all the heart-shaped cakes are used.
- Melt the white chocolate candy melts according to package instructions. Scoop a couple Tablespoons of the plain white chocolate into a piping bag or a small bowl. Stir pink food coloring into the larger bowl of melted white chocolate until it is a smooth shade of light pink.
- Dip each heart cake into the melted pink chocolate, coating it completely. Place on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to dry.
- Take the white melting chocolate that you set aside and pipe or drizzle on top of your heart cakes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only.
Prep Tips:
-
- Yield – Depending on the size of cookie cutter used, this recipe will make between 10-15 Valentine cakes.
- Food Coloring – You can use either pink or red food coloring. If using red, start with one drop and work your way up from there. You can always add more food coloring, but it’s harder to fix if you add too much.
- Cookie Cutter – To make these cakes a similar size to the original, you’ll want to use a heart-shaped cookie cutter that is about 2 inches in size. It doesn’t have to be exact, anything in the range of 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches should work.
- Pan Size – You don’t want to bake these in a regular cake pan, but rather a baking sheet, because these cakes are going to be thin. You can use TWO 9×13 inch baking sheets or ONE 18×13 inch half sheet pan.
- ย
Nutrition
Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 396mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 456IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 1mg
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Stacey is the creator of The Soccer Mom Blog, a Houston Texas mom blog that focuses on positive living for women and families. She loves to share real food recipes, money-saving tips, parenting encouragement, kids activities, DIY tutorials, home hacks, fitness, and so much more! To get to know Stacey even better, click here.
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