Heart-patterned cake roll made easier with a CAKE MIX!  It is filled with a cloud-like whipped cream cheese frosting, and unveils a cute ‘lil heart with every slice.

We’re taking a break for all things chocolatey, Nutella-y (ouch!), dripping with sauce, oozing with marshmallows and overflowing with caramel; which has kinda been the theme around here and I’m not sorry for it.

Today we’re getting all lovey-dovey, showered with hearts and seeing PINK everywhere.  Barbie would love it here today!  Don’t worry, we’ll be back to chocolate and sinful desserts before you know it.  But today let’s be cute.  And romantic.  And learn something craftsy, that is actually deeeeeeelicious!

So I’ve been seeing these patterned cake rolls all over Pinterest for the past 2 years, and have been dying to try my hand with it ever since.  Now that I have a blog and it’s turning 3 months today!!!  Woooohoooo!!! I have the perfect excuse to make something special.  And since it’s February and it’s pink and red and hearts and cupid and love is in the air and all that shebang, it was only fitting to make it LOVE themed.   Also, because I wanna say:  “I LOVE YOU GUYS!”  Your support to my blog and all the wonderful comments, encouragement, your trust in my recipes and the amazing feedback I keep receiving, have made this one beautiful journey and turns all the hard work that goes behind the scenes into a LABOR OF LOVE.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Hey!  I warned you that this is going to be one cheesy, smoochy, cutie patootie post. So let’s get on with the recipe before you decide to leave.

So heart-patterned cake roll with a heart on the inside, let’s talk about that…

Cake roll, made from a cake mix, dotted with chocolate hearts and filled with the most delicious and cloud-like whipped cream cheese frosting.  And if the hearts on the outside aren’t enough, we’re stuffing a bigger one made out of even MORE cake in the center.  

So why cake mix?  You see, I’m normally not a big fan of cake rolls because they tend to be very dry and overly eggy, (that is until I tried this one).  I searched recipes high and low, but non of them sounded very promising as a medicine for men’s health.  With tons of eggs and very little to no butter (my cake gotta have butter or ain’t no cake!), I ended the search and turned to the trusty box of cake mix.  I’m all for baking from scratch, but sometimes a shortcut is all you need, so I’m not against them.  Aaaaand I gotta admit that I’m actually fond of their fluffy texture and the taste of the vanilla one in particular is really good.  Mmmmm…artificial vanilla flavor…yummy!  C’mon…admit it…you love it too.  So with that in mind,  I played around with ingredients’ proportions to convert it into a cake roll and IT WORKED!!!  And I couldn’t be happier with the results.  That familiar cake mix flavor we all know and love, no cracks, rolls beautifully, and goes incredibly well with that cloud frosting.

So let me show you how to get that pattern on to the cake, the heart inside the cake, then we’ll discuss the deliciousness of the frosting.

You start by printing out 2 copies of a heart template which you can download here, and I’ve also included a polka dot one here, or you could use any other pattern of your choice.  Cut on any excess paper to fit into your baking sheet.

Then you’ll line it with parchment paper.

Mix an easy paste 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 paste right on top of the parchment paper.  Freeze it when you’re done.

Now grab your cake mix (which my niece was so generous to donate to me) and divide it equally into two bowls.  Exact measurements are in the recipe below.  I used French Vanilla, but use strawberry if you wanna stay away from food coloring, or use chocolate and pipe hot pink or red hearts.  Up to you.

We’ll use the mix in one of the bowls and forget about the other one for a while.  With that we’ll 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 and bake.  Let it cool, freeze or get it really cold if you can.  Its 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 frosting, 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, the 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 or you make it earlier while the square cake is cooling.

That frosting is heavenly you guys!  It’s like the love child of cream cheese frosting and whipped cream.  Its sturdier than whipped cream, stiffer and slightly sweeter, but softer that cream cheese frosting, less tangy and a lot less sweeter.  I tastes like good ‘ole whipped cream with cheesecake undertones.  It feels like a cloud on the tongue and melts in the mouth.  I chose to use this here instead of plain whipped cream, before of its sturdiness.  I wanted something that would stand up to the heart log filling and would keep well for several days in the fridge without weeping or making the cake soggy.  FYI I tried this cake roll with this frosting, and strawberries once before and it was amazing!  Try it, if you’re not that interested in the heart filling.

Lizzy from Your Cup of Cake has a great video tutorial for this frosting, so might wanna check it out if you’re a visual person.

Anywaaaaays, unroll your cake and try so hard to wipe the thought from your head that it looks exactly like a hand towel or a bathroom mat.  Forget it…forget it…forget that I even said it.  Then fill you hand towel cake with that yummy frosting.

Get your heart log for the freezer, place it in the center of the cake, the roll the cake around it.  Now, see these few cracks on the right?  This happened because I got a little too excited with that frosting and added waaaaay more than I need, and the cake roll could take it so it started cracking.  Don’t be like me and 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 any cracks.

See? No harm done!

All you can see is hearts, hearts and more hearts.

Wait till you taste this.  You might never go back to making a cake roll from scratch again.

Which I’m not very proud of.  So sorry, but not really.

And that heart in the center…doesn’t it make your heart wanna sing?

Yield: 1 cake roll

"Love is All Around" Cake Roll

Print

Please note that the heart cake cutouts filling the center of the cake roll, is a little too fluffy to work with, which I was ok with. But if you prefer, you could substitute a denser cake recipe like pound cake or this red velvet cake, for a sturdier finish. In that case, you could either make another cake roll using the other half of the cake mix, or 1 extra large cake roll or save it for later use. The cake roll is a perfect, all purpose recipe that could be used in different ways. For a change, forgo the cake filling and add fruits or make into a classic Yule Log. This recipe is designed for a 15.25oz box cake mix; other ingredients' quantities will have to be altered accordingly if using a different box mix size.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Heart Pattern Paste:

• 1 egg white
• 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (40g) all purpose flour *(for chocolate brown color (which is what I did here), remove 2 teaspoons of flour and replace them with with 2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20g) butter, softened at room temperature
• food coloring of your choice or natural food coloring, like fruit syrup

For the Heart Cake Cut-out Filling:

• 1 3/4 cups (7 5/8oz/ 216g) cake mix, flavor of your choice, I used half of a Betty Crocker French Vanilla 15.25oz box
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• food coloring of your choice or natural food coloring, like fruit syrup, optional

For the Cake Roll:

• 1 3/4 cups (7 5/8oz/ 216g) cake mix, flavor of your choice, I used half of a Betty Crocker French Vanilla 15.25oz box
• 2 1/2 tablepoons neutral flavored oil, like canola, sunflower, corn, or vegetable
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 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:

• 1/2 cup (114g) cream cheese, cold (right from the fridge) and don't use low-fat
• 1/2 cup (57g) powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold (right from the fridge)

Instructions

Print out 2 copies of pattern templates (attached in the post), cut out excess paper, then fit into a 10"X15" (an inch smaller is fine, but don't go bigger) rimmed baking sheet. Top with parchment paper.

To make the Heart Pattern Paste:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the egg white, sugar, flour, cocoa powder (if using), stir until well combined. Add the butter and continue stirring until completely smooth. Add food coloring, if using.
2. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, I used a wilton #3.
3. Using this paste, pipe the pattern, by tracing right on top of the template lined parchment paper.
4. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer until hardened and ready to use, at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the cake components.

For the Heart Cake Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180/C.
2. Line an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper and spray with non stick cooking spray.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake mix, eggs, melted butter, milk and vanilla. Mix in the food coloring, if using, until well combined and evenly colored.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached to it, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then invert on to a wire rack, remove parchment and let cool completely. You could speed cool it in the freezer.
7. Using a small/medium heart cutter, cut out as many hearts as you can from the cake; I was able to get 16. (Tip: a very cold or semi frozen cake, cuts out with a lot less crumbing than a room temperature cake)
8. Take a tablespoon of the frosting and tint it the color of your cake. Working on a long piece of parchment. Apply a little smear of frosting (recipe below) on top of a heart and then stick another heart on to it. Continue adding frosting between each heart, to stick them all together. You should end up with a long log of hearts. Wrap the heart log with the parchment paper and transfer to the freezer to help it firm up, for easier use. Meanwhile, prepare the cake roll.

To make the Cake Roll:

1. Make sure the oven is still heated to 350F/180C.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake mix, eggs, oil, water and vanilla. Mix in the food coloring, if using, until well combined and evenly colored.
3. Take out the baking sheet with the heart pattern out of the freezer. Carefully remove the paper template from under the parchment paper.
4. Working quickly, pour the batter on top of the heart pattern, spreading evenly using a spatula.
5. Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached to it, 8 to 10 minutes. Do NOT overbake, or the cake might crack while rolling.
6. Immediately invert the cake onto a wire rack, peel the parchment paper, then invert (pattern facing down) on to a tea towel, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. Using the tea towel, gently roll the cake into a log. Allow to cool completely wrapped in the tea towel.
7. Once cooled, gently unroll the cake and fill with the frosting (recipe below).
8. Take the heart log out of the freezer, a place vertically upside down in the vertical center of the cake. Roll one side of the cake over the heart log, then roll the other side to cover the log completely. Turn the cake right side up and transfer to a serving platter. Cut a thin sliver off both ends of the cake roll for a neater presentation.
9. Serve right away or store well covered in the fridge until ready to eat. This cake tastes great both cold or at room temperature.
10. Leftover cake, keeps well for several days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

To make the Whipped Cream Cheese Cloud Frosting:

1. For best results, place the bowl of the electric mixer and the whisk attachment in the freezer for a few minutes to get them really cold.
2. In the chilled bowl, place the cream cheese and powdered sugar and using the chilled whisk attachment, beat together until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
3. With the mixer running on low, add the vanilla and stream in the heavy whipping cream. Turn the speed up, and whip together until stiff peaks form.
4. Now the frosting is ready to use as directed or for any other use.

Recipe Notes

Cake inspired by many patterned cake rolls around Pinterest.

Pattern piping paste adapted from Dulce Delight

Whipped Cream Cheese Cloud Frosting adapted from Your Cup of Cake

Measurements Note: All recipes of this site have been developed using weight measurements. Although US volume measurements have been included for your convenience, it is highly encouraged that you weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale to get the best possible results. Due to the sensitive nature of baking, kitchen scales are proven to yield more accurate and consistent results than measuring cups. Enjoy!