Rose-Tinged Valentine's Day Cake Recipe

The way to most people's hearts is through their stomachs. Some people spend Valentine's Day at a fancy restaurant with a five-star meal, while others do something at home, but one thing is for sure — food is usually involved. No matter what, there's always an excuse to have an excellent dessert to finish the evening off. 

Recipe developer Catherine Brookes came up with this simple recipe that literally takes the cake for Valentine's Day desserts. "My favorite thing about this recipe is the easy all-in-one method. Despite the cake being super quick to make, it results in a perfectly-soft, fluffy vanilla sponge with the creamiest vanilla and rose frosting," Brookes raves. "This cake is a great one to make for Valentine's Day with its pretty pink frosting and heart sprinkles. The rose flavor ties in with the theme nicely, too!"

Keep reading to learn how to wow your loved ones with this rose-tinged Valentine's Day cake.

If you bake a lot, you may already have several of these items in your pantry. Be sure to get unsalted butter, sugar, large eggs, all-purpose flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, rosewater, pink food coloring, and heart sprinkles.

Once you have those items, you can make this delicious rose-tinged Valentine's Day cake.

Start by preheating the oven to 350 F. Then, line a 12-x19-inch rectangular cake pan with parchment paper. To make the cake batter, add 1 cup of butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, ¼ cup of the milk, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the speed to medium, and mix until combined. 

If you don't have a stand mixer, you could use an electric hand whisk instead. "The all-in-one method used here is a great trick if you're looking to save time with your bakes," Brookes notes.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and once the oven finishes preheating, bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes. You can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center, and making sure it comes out clean. "If the cake begins to brown a little too much in the oven, you can loosely cover the pan with foil," Brookes notes. 

While the cake bakes, add the remaining 1 cup of butter, and 1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract to the stand mixer bowl. Mix well until the mixture gets nice and smooth. Slowly add ⅓ of the powdered sugar and ⅓ of the remaining milk. Mix until combined, and then repeat 2 more times, until all the powdered sugar and milk has been added.

Next, add the rosewater and the food coloring to the mix. Continue beating at a high speed for a few more minutes, until the frosting is smooth. "The rosewater adds a light floral flavor to the frosting that pairs nicely with the vanilla," Brookes shares.

After you remove the cake from the oven, leave it in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely. Then, spread the frosting all over the top of the cake, and smooth it out. Add the sprinkles on top of the frosting and voila, you've got your frosted cake. 

The only thing left is to slice the cake into squares, and serve. This is great to enjoy on its own, but Brookes also shares a few ways she likes to serve this sweet treat. "This cake is great served with ice cream, fresh berries, or whipped cream," Brookes notes.

And if you have more left, you can enjoy it, even after Valentine's Day. "It should keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days," Brookes shares.