(We found on Pinterest and had to try it - Thanks Cleobuttera!)

 

For the Heart Pattern Paste:

1 egg white

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

⅓ cup all-purpose flour *(for chocolate brown color (which is what I did here), remove 2 teaspoons of flour and replace them with 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder)

1½ tablespoons (3/4oz) butter, softened at room temperature

food coloring of your choice or natural food coloring, like fruit syrup

For the Heart Cake Cut-out Filling:

1¾ cups (7⅝oz) cake mix, flavor of your choice, I used half of a Betty Crocker French Vanilla 15.25oz box

2 eggs

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

½ cup whole milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

food coloring of your choice or natural food coloring, like fruit syrup, optional

For the Cake Roll:

1¾ cups (7⅝oz) cake mix, flavor of your choice, I used half of a Betty Crocker French Vanilla 15.25oz box

2½ tablespoons neutral flavored oil, like canola, sunflower, corn, or vegetable

2 eggs

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon vanilla, optional

food coloring of your choice or natural food coloring, like fruit syrup, optional

Powdered sugar, for dusting

For the Whipped Cream Cheese Cloud Frosting:

½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, cold (right from the fridge) and don't use low-fat

½ cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold (right from the fridge)

 

Directions:

    You start by printing out 2 copies of a heart template which you can download on our blog, but you could use any other pattern of your choice.  Cut on any excess paper to fit into your baking sheet.  Then line the pan with parchment OR wax paper. Mix the easy paste (we doubled it) of simple ingredients and tint it the color of your choice.  I added cocoa powder to mine to make it brown because I just love that white, pink and brown color combination.  You know…Neapolitan ice cream inspired.  Then you’ll trace the heart pattern by piping that pastes right on top of the parchment paper.  Freeze it when you’re done. Grab a cake mix and divide it equally into two bowls.  Exact measurements are in the recipe above.  I used French Vanilla, but use strawberry if you want to stay away from food coloring, or use chocolate and pipe hot pink or red hearts, it’s totally up to you. Use the mix in one of the bowls and forget about the other one for a while.  With that, make the batter for the heart in the center.  Add to the cake mix, a couple of eggs, melted butter, some milk, a little food coloring, dump into a square pan (9x9 - and we ended up cutting in in half horizontally because we had short cookie cutters) and bake.  Let it cool, freeze or get it really cold if you can.  It’s just easier to work with when its cold because it’s firmer. Cut out as many hearts as you can.  Then get some of the frostings, tint it close to the color of the cake and use it to glue the hearts together.  You should end up with one long heart log.  Freeze that until you finish everything else. Now comes the other half of the cake mix’s turn.  Add to that a little oil, a couple of eggs, some water and a touch of food coloring.  Here’s where you gotta be quick!  Grab that baking pan with heart pattern from the freezer, then quickly pour the batter all over it. Spread it well into the corners and evenly.  You really don’t wanna give the hearts a chance to melt or things will get messy.  Bake it for about 8 to 10 minutes, then immediately invert on to a wire rack, peel the parchment and gasp at the beauty of your design. While the cake is still hot, turn it on to a tea towel, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and started rolling.  The towel should roll with it.  Wrap it really well and allow it to cool completely in that position.  While that’s happening, make the frosting, unless you made it earlier while the square cake was cooling. Unroll your cake.  Then fill your cake with that yummy frosting.  Get your heart log from the freezer, place it in the center of the cake, then roll the cake around it. If you get a few cracks because you get a little too excited about the frosting and add way more than you need, it will be ok. Don’t be like me, stick to the frosting quantity stated in the recipe and ‘you shall have no cracks’.  But even if, once you turn the cake the right side up, no one’s gonna notice any cracks.