This strawberry vanilla cake is the perfect treat for special occasions. I usually make this romantic cake for my husband on Valentine's Day or anniversary. Not only is this cake a showstopper, but the combination of white cake and strawberry buttercream frosting is just so good. Red hearts appear when cutting the cake and a surprise is guaranteed. By the way, have you tried my Easter cake yet?
Step-by-step video tutorial
Note: The video shows different amounts of vanilla beans than indicated in the recipe. Please refer to the recipe for the correct number of vanilla beans.
Jump to:
- Step-by-step video tutorial
- What is white cake?
- Best vanilla for cake
- How to make the red heart-shaped pattern in the cake layers
- Is the red cake dry?
- Tips for the perfect strawberry buttercream frosting
- Can I use strawberry jam for the buttercream?
- Occasions to serve this cake
- Make-ahead instructions
- Can I freeze it?
- More cake recipes for special days to try
- Recipe
What is white cake?
White cake is a vanilla cake made only with egg whites instead of whole eggs. White cake is often preferred for its neutral white color to make wedding cakes or birthday cakes. The white color of the cake is also great for colored cakes to achieve true colors without offsetting the yellow tint of regular yellow vanilla cake.
What to do with the leftover egg yolks? Here are some of my favorite recipes for using up egg yolks: eggnog, bee sting cake, banana cream pie, chocolate mousse, and crème brûlée!
Best vanilla for cake
For the best possible flavor, I recommend using real bourbon vanilla beans. The vanilla flavor is the standout flavor in a vanilla cake. Hence, you want a superior pure vanilla flavor. You can use either 100% vanilla powder (ground vanilla beans) or the seeds of vanilla beans.
How to make the red heart-shaped pattern in the cake layers
The pink and red heart pattern in the white cake layers is created by cutting out pieces of colored cake and baking them in the white cake layers. Use a 1.5" (3.8cm) heart-shaped cookie cutter to have enough white cake batter to completely cover the colorful hearts. If the hearts are too big, they will stick out of the cake layers. Arrange them closely together and in a circle to reveal a red heart with almost every cut. You can use the rest of the red cake for halloween cake pops.
Is the red cake dry?
Because the colorful cake is baked twice, it's a little drier than the white cake, but not too dry. It's important not to overbake the red and white cake. You can also make this strawberry vanilla cake without the baked pieces of pink-red cake if you prefer.
Tips for the perfect strawberry buttercream frosting
- Use fresh strawberries for the best strawberry flavor possible. If you use frozen strawberries, thaw them first.
- I recommend pressing the strawberries through a fine-mesh strainer and discarding the solids for the smoothest and creamiest strawberry icing.
- Reduce the strawberries to ¼-1/3 cup. Otherwise, the buttercream could be too soft.
- If the pink frosting is too thick, you can add 1-2 tablespoon of milk to make it softer.
Can I use strawberry jam for the buttercream?
Yes. If strawberries are not in season or you just want to skip a step of the recipe, you can simply add ¼-1/3 cup strawberry jam to the frosting.
Occasions to serve this cake
This festive strawberry vanilla cake is perfect for serving on special days, including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, baby showers, or any other occasion where you want to bake something special for your darling. You can also replace the hearts with any other shape and the red color with any other color to make it suitable for any special occasion.
Make-ahead instructions
- Vanilla cake - You can prepare the cake layers in advance and keep covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
- Strawberry frosting - The frosting can be safely stored in the refrigerator for or up to 2 days.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, this cake freezes well. Flash freeze for 1 hour. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in freezer bags for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and place on the counter for 1-2 hours or covered in the refrigerator overnight.
More cake recipes for special days to try
No matter what occasion you want to bake a cake for, I've got you covered. Here are some of my favorite cake recipes for you to try.
- Rainbow Cake
- Mirror Glaze Galaxy Cake
- Halloween Cake
- Tiramisu Cake
- Black Forest Cake
- Sacher Torte
- Esterházy Torte
Recipe
Strawberry Vanilla Cake (Pink and White Valentine's Day Cake)
Ingredients
Red cake hearts
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 6 large egg whites*
- 1 vanilla bean**
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar
- a few drops pink and red food coloring gel or paste
White cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 6 large egg whites*
- 2 vanilla beans**
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups granulated white sugar
Strawberry frosting
- 1 heaping cup strawberries
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- pinch of salt (to taste)
- 1 vanilla bean**
Instructions
Red cake hearts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Then line a 9x13" (23x33cm) baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Whisk together the milk, egg whites, and vanilla and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, for about 2 minutes.
- Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix them in on a low speed and just until combined, for about 1-2 minutes.
- Divide the batter into 2 bowls and add the pink food coloring to one bowl and the red coloring to the other. Stir until evenly colored and combined.
- Alternately spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and draw a few swirls with a knife to create an irregular pattern. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Then remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Once the cake has cooled, cut out hearts with a 1.5" (3.8cm) heart-shaped cutter. You will need about 24-26 hearts.*** Set aside.
White cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Then line two 8" (20cm) baking pans with parchment paper by cutting out circles for the bottoms and strips for the sides. Use a little baking spray under the paper so that the paper adheres to the pan. Set aside.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- Whisk together the milk, egg whites, and vanilla and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, for about 2 minutes.
- Alternately add the dry and wet ingredients. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix them in on a low speed and just until combined, for about 1-2 minutes.
- Spoon a few tablespoons of batter into both pans just to cover the bottoms of the pans with batter. Arrange about 12-13 red cake hearts upside down in a circle on top of the batter in each pan. Spoon the remaining batter over the hearts to cover them completely.
- Bake for about 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Then let cool completely.
Strawberry frosting
- Using an immersion blender (or food processor), blend the strawberries until smooth.
- Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stove and set a fine-mesh strainer on top of it. Pour the strawberries through the strainer into the saucepan. Using a spatula, push the fruit through the strainer and discard the solids.
- Bring the strawberries to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to about ⅓ - ½ cup, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely for about 1 hour.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Alternately add the powdered sugar and strawberry puree and mix on low speed until combined.
- Add the salt and vanilla and mix until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoon milk to achieve the desired consistency. If it is too thin, add more powdered sugar.
Assemble the cake
- Place the bottom cake layer on a decorating turntable or cake plate. Spread evenly with ⅓ of the frosting. Then place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining frosting evenly on top and on the sides to completely cover the cake. For the most accurate results, I recommend using an offset spatula.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Then serve and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
**First, cut off the straight end of the vanilla bean. Then place the tip of your sharp knife below the curled end and cut the vanilla bean through the middle of the bean lengthwise. Although you don't need to cut it all the way through, it's ok when you do so. Then open the vanilla bean and scrape out the flavorful seeds with the back of your knife and just use the seeds. If you prefer using vanilla extract, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for 1 vanilla bean.
***To minimize food waste, you can make cake pops with the leftover cake.
Video
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cakespy
I've seen a lot of happy desserts in my time, so I feel that I am well qualified to make this assertion: THIS IS A HAPPY DESSERT. <3
Sabine
Awww, this is so nice ❤️ thank you very much! Happy Valentine's Day.
Amanda
This recipe, post, video, story of your husband, and pictures--basically everything about your site--deserves a huge dose of acknowledgement and admiration. What you do with your website, Sabine, is just spectacular. I hope you get a million visitors because they could learn a lot from your artistic eye. Everything about this page is beautiful--and your recipe! No words, just pure YUM. I hope you know how gifted you are. You're husband is a lucky guy. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the rest of us not-so-talented Earthlings.
Sabine
THANK YOU SO MUCH, Amanda! I really appreciate your words, and I'm beyond happy that you like my recipes and my blog. I love to share all my recipes with you. I'm far away from a million visitiors but the only thing that counts is that every one of them like what they see. Have a great weekend, Amanda.