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Hidden Heart Bundt Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.7 from 120 reviews

This Hidden Heart Bundt Cake is a delightful and visually stunning dessert perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day. It features hidden pink heart shapes made from a strawberry or pink-tinted white cake embedded inside a moist white cake, all baked in a bundt pan. The cake is finished with a luscious cream cheese frosting and optional decorative sprinkles or sliced almonds for an elegant touch.

Ingredients

Scale

Pink Cake

  • 1 white or strawberry cake mix
  • 3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix (dry)
  • 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 4 large eggs or 5 egg whites
  • ½ cup oil
  • 2 teaspoons almond extract
  • Red food coloring (optional, if not using strawberry cake mix)

White Cake

  • 1 white cake mix
  • 3.4 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix (dry)
  • 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 4 large eggs or 5 egg whites
  • ½ cup oil
  • 1 tablespoon almond extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt (a small pinch)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1–3 tablespoons milk (as needed)
  • Sprinkles or sliced almonds (optional for decorating)

Instructions

  1. Prepare Pink Cake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a mixing bowl, combine the white or strawberry cake mix with the dry vanilla instant pudding mix. Add the eggs or egg whites and oil, whisking until smooth. Then stir in the almond extract, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and red food coloring if using white cake mix, until the batter is uniformly pink.
  2. Bake Pink Cake: Pour the pink batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to cool completely.
  3. Cut Pink Heart Shapes: Once cooled, slice off the loaf’s ends to remove the crust. Slice the cake evenly to about the width of your heart cookie cutter. Use the heart cutter to cut as many hearts as possible from each slice, avoiding the crust, yielding 2-3 hearts per slice.
  4. Prepare White Cake Batter: Using a clean bowl, combine the white cake mix and vanilla instant pudding mix. Add eggs or egg whites and oil; whisk until smooth. Mix in almond extract and sour cream or Greek yogurt until well combined.
  5. Assemble Bundt Cake with Heart Shapes: Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Pour half of the white cake batter evenly into the bottom of the pan. Arrange the pink heart shapes, point side up, fanning them from the center atop the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the hearts, smoothing it to cover them fully.
  6. Bake Bundt Cake: Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until the cake springs back to touch and a toothpick shows only a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan before carefully removing it to cool completely on a wire rack.
  7. Prepare Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add softened butter and cream until smooth and light. Mix in vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Gradually add milk and remaining powdered sugar, beating until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
  8. Frost and Decorate: Once the cake is completely cool, either pipe or spread the cream cheese frosting over the bundt cake. Decorate with sprinkles or sliced almonds if desired.

Notes

  • Using egg whites lowers the fat content and can result in a lighter cake.
  • Allow cakes to cool completely before cutting to prevent crumbling.
  • If using a strawberry cake mix, you may omit the red food coloring.
  • Make sure to grease and flour the bundt pan well to ensure the cake releases cleanly.
  • Adjust milk quantity in frosting for preferred consistency.

Keywords: hidden heart bundt cake, cream cheese frosting, heart shaped cake, pink cake, Valentine's Day cake, festive cake

Find it online: https://chefmilacook.com/hidden-heart-bundt-cake-recipe/