Food
The black velvet heart cake on TikTok is going viral.

How To Make The Viral Black Velvet Heart Cake From TikTok

Anti-cuffing season vibes only.

by Olivia Cigliano
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You’ve heard of red velvet cake, and you may have even heard of blue velvet cake, but chances are you haven’t seen a pitch black cake — unless you’ve been scrolling TikTok or aesthetic IG feeds lately. The viral heart-shaped black cake is undeniably edgy and cool, and it demands a photo shoot for whatever occasion it’s made for. Whether you’re baking for a Sagittarius or Capricorn’s upcoming birthday, celebrating a successful breakup, or just looking for a sweet treat that matches your own black heart, this unexpected cake is sure to be a show-stopper. Here’s how to make the black velvet heart cake recipe on TikTok to recreate it yourself.

This TikTok cake looks completely bakery-quality, but it’s actually simpler to create than it may look. You can always go all out and make every element from scratch, from the cake batter to the black buttercream, but this recipe keeps it easy and just calls for your favorite boxed cake mix. Whether you like chocolate, vanilla, or Funfetti, you can use whichever flavor you want to uncover under the thick black layers of frosting. However, if you want the heart cake to be a total blackout, whip up some Black Forest cake mix or drop black food dye in with rich red velvet.

@chantalmariexo

The key to this heart recipe is the specialty shaped cake pans, which you can find on Amazon as a set of multiples for creating cake layers or as a single springform pan that has easy removal. Then, decorating is the fun part. You just need to combine white frosting with a few drops of black dye for the dark and smooth finish. Once you’ve got the basics down, the aesthetic possibilities are infinite. You can add an elegant frosting border to contrast the trendy color, maybe sprinkle some edible glitter, dot the sides with small candies, and, of course, add a funny or celebratory message across the top with white icing. If it’s someone’s birthday, you can write the usual memo, or you can take inspo from @backinthekitchenwithbae and write “HBD Bad B*tch” or “Scorpio Baby” a la @sweetsbydeya. This cake would also be the perfect way to celebrate a divorce or breakup with a simple “Bye” in the center, or you can serve it up at a New Year’s party by piping a big “2023.”

How To Make The Black Velvet Heart Cake On TikTok

@backinthekitchenwithbae

Here’s what you’ll need for the Black Velvet Heart Cake.

  • 1-2 heart-shaped cake pan(s)
  • Box cake mix box, flavor of your choice
  • Black food dye
  • 2 cans pre-made buttercream frosting
  • Optional: piping bag for decorations
  1. Preheat the oven, according to cake mix instructions.
  2. After greasing two heart-shaped cake pans, evenly pour in the batter, and bake according to box instructions. Remove from oven and let cool.
  3. In a small bowl, combine frosting and a few drops of black food dye, stirring until color is even and rich.
  4. Place the first heart cake on a platter and spread a layer of black frosting (this will be the cake filling) on the top.
  5. Add the second heart cake on top and spread a thick layer of black frosting on the top and sides, making sure the texture is smooth.
  6. Using a baker’s piping bag, pipe a border of black frosting on the base and top of the heart cake. To finish, using white frosting, pipe a small message for the occasion. Snap a photo, slice, serve, and enjoy.
@sweetlovelycreations

There are a few ways to modify this recipe if you want to get creative. One option is to fill the layers with just about any spread you like, whether it’s tart jam (as shown by @sweetlovelycreations), chocolate fudge, or a special flavor of frosting. The two cake layers also don’t have to be the same. You could do a base cake of devil’s food below a layer of red velvet, for example. If you can’t get your hands on two heart-shaped pans, you can also bake the layers one at a time. This TikTok even shows how to sculpt a heart shape out of a normal sheet cake. Whatever calls to your black heart, bookmark this black velvet layered heart cake recipe for a sweet and edgy treat.