Valentine's... Just in Time!

If you could hear the words I'm typing, you'd notice I sound like a large, burly, manly man. Yup, I've been sick. Not just one of those 24 hour things, but the kind of sickness that lasts for a week! So sad... Valentine's day isn't the best time to feel yucky!   ~Listen... ♫ I think I hear violins playing in the background! ♫ ;)

I'd planned to publish this post 4 or 5 days ago but didn't get the frosting made before I got sick. So I put the cupcakes in the freezer and went to bed. These adorable cupcakes, however, are perfect for Valentine's Day. Therefore, I've pulled myself together long enough to finish them up for you!

I saw this cute idea for the first time on the website bakeitinacake.com and I knew I had to give it a try. I wasn't sure if they'd turn out very well but was pleasantly surprised with the results!

First you need to mix together some vanilla cake batter. Remove 1/3 of the batter and put it in another bowl. Color that 1/3 portion with red food coloring. Pour the red batter into an 8x8" pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 min.

After the cake's cooled, remove it from the pan. If you have a small heart shaped cutter, use it to cut out heart shapes. I didn't have a heart shaped cutter that was small enough, so I used a round cutter instead.

After some trial and error, I found the shapes held together and were easier to work with if you compacted them before going on. (Compacted sounds better then saying "smashed". LOL)

After compacting the circle, use the same cutter and cut the circle shape once again.

Using a sharp knife, cut the circle into a heart shape.

Fill a cupcake tin 1/2 full of vanilla cake batter. Push the heart shaped piece of cake into the tin. Then add more vanilla batter until the heart is completely covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. 

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to know which way the heart is facing inside each cupcake. If you cut the cupcake in the wrong direction, instead of a heart, you'll only see a rectangle.

Isn't it cute!!! These cupcakes look complicated and people will wonder how on earth you did it. But in reality... they're pretty simple. Try making them and impress your friends, just don't tell anyone how easy it was!

Now I'm going back to bed....  Happy Valentine's Day!