How to Make a Gorgeous Heart-Shaped Cake Without a Special Pan

Valentine's Day is right around the corner... which is the perfect excuse to ignite your inner cupid and bake a heart-shaped cake. If you have a heart-shaped cake or springform pan, you're all set. If not, don't worry—you don't need one! With a little ingenuity, you'll have a beautiful heart cake using the pans you already own.

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Bake Two Cakes

Using your favorite cake recipe or box mix, create your batter and pour it into prepared round and square pans with identical diameter and width, respectively. For example, you could use a 9-inch round pan and a 9-inch square pan.

Cut the Round Cake

After they're done baking, let the cakes cool completely, then remove both of them from their pans and gently cut the circular cake in half.

Assemble Your Heart

Add the two circle halves to two adjacent sides of the square to create a heart shape, as shown below. You may want to add frosting to the crevices to keep it intact and to avoid becoming broken-hearted (hopefully making this cake for someone will prevent that).

Frost That Baby

Frost the cake with a smooth coating; the frosting (we prefer to use pretty pink buttercream) will hide the crevices and create the appearance of a full, beautiful heart.

The Finale

Garnish your cake with sprinkles, sparkles, glitter, sugar flowers... maybe even the name of the person you've given (and are giving) your "heart" to. Or, just celebrate the holiday itself with friends over cups of hot coffee to offset the delicious sweetness of the cake crumb and buttercream frosting. The choice is yours—either way, no one will deny that your cake is lovely.

And remember, as you relish in your final creation, 'twas you who brought together circle and square for the most epic of love affairs. Happy Valentine's Day!

More Cake Hacks:

• 8 Tricks That Make Boxed Cake Mix Taste Like Homemade
• These Cake Hacks Are So Damn Pretty You'll Have to Eat Another Cake
• How to Slice a Cake for Long-Lived Freshness, According to Science
• How to Frost Your Cake Like a Pro
• The Formula to Making a Perfect Cake Without a Recipe

Photos by Nick & Bay Nigro/Food Hacks