Valentine's Day Cake Recipes

 

Want to bake something sweet for your loved one on Valentine's Day? These recipes – from chocolate to berry-filled and covered in dulce de leche – make it a piece of cake.

 

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Raspberry Cakes

Roses are red, chocolate is divine and hearts are pure romance. This Valentine's Day dessert has all of the essentials with devil’s food layers, raspberry cream and a glossy chocolate ganache.

Get the Recipe: Heart-Shaped Chocolate Raspberry Cakes

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake

Peppermint Pattie fans will go crazy for this super-rich cake, which actually has chunks of the candy in the batter. The refreshing mint flavor offers a nice balance to the intense ganache topping (and serves as a breath refresher for potential post dinner kisses).

Get the Recipe: Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Cake

Grandma's Red Velvet Cake

Layer on the love with this red velvet stunner smothered with pecan-studded frosting.

Get the Recipe: Grandma's Red Velvet Cake

Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Ground almonds and amaretti cookies lend their distinct flavor to this cake's batter, which has subtle citrus notes thanks to grated orange peel.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Treat your loved one to a taste of spring (it's just around the corner!) with Ree Drummond's strawberry shortcake recipe. Covered with sweet-and-tangy cream cheese frosting and filled with fresh strawberries, it's a sweet and festive choice for any berry lover.

Get the Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Flourless Chocolate-Almond Cake

This chocolate cake is made with almond meal instead of flour, which makes it supremely rich and creamy – perfect whether or not your valentine eats gluten-free.

Get the Recipe: Flourless Chocolate-almond Cake

Red Velvet Cake

This classic cocoa and cream-cheese-frosting cake is perfect for Valentine's Day, holidays or, really, any ol' day.

Get the Recipe: Red Velvet Cake

Tres Leche Cake

This popular Latin American sponge cake contains three kinds of milk – condensed, evaporated and heavy cream – which provide moisture without making the cake soggy.

Get the Recipe: Tres Leche Cake

Sweet and Salty Cake

This signature cake at the popular NYC bakery Baked is the shop's most requested recipe. The alternating layers of rich chocolate and salted caramel will simultaneously satisfy all of your valentine's taste buds.

Get the Recipe: Sweet and Salty Cake

No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Fresh, sweet berries and creamy cheesecake are layered on top of a rich graham-cracker crust – and no, there's no baking required, so it's a foolproof recipe for Valentine's Day.

Get the Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

Chocolate Truffle

This recipe amps up famous baker Sarabeth Levine's already-decadent Chocolate Orange Cake by adding layers of whipped rich ganache and a chocolate glaze topping. It's a silky and sensual dessert that's sure to put your S.O. in the mood for love.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cake

New York Style Chocolate Cheesecake

This picture-perfect cheesecake has a crisp chocolate wafer crust and packs 8 ounces of decadent, melted semisweet chocolate.

Stack Cake

Ready to tie the knot? Send a subtle message to your valentine by making them a vintage wedding cake. In the Appalachian Mountains region, a bride's family would stack cake layers brought by friends with layers of homemade preserves in between.

Get the Recipe: Stack Cake

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Ina Garten's chocolate cake has a subtle mocha flavor thanks to the cup of freshly brewed coffee in the batter, but the best part of this cake is the thick chocolate buttercream icing on top and between its layers. Your S.O. will fall in love with you all over again.

Get the Recipe: Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Ice Box Cake

Play it cool on Valentine's Day with this recipe that riffs on the retro icebox cake. Made with caramel whipped cream (and store-bought wafers), it's even more delicious than from-the-box recipes of yore.

Get the Recipe: Icebox Cake

Chocolate Cake

With a little imagination, you can easily adapt this naked chocolate cake, which has frosting only between its two layers. Add orange zest or coffee powder for different flavors, or decorate it with a sweet Valentine's Day message.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cake

Ricotta Orange Poundcake with Strawberries

Giada's dense pound cake is not fussy, but with orange zest and amaretto flavors, it's certainly not plain. Top it off with sweet, refreshing strawberries for a simple Valentine's Day treat.

Get the Recipe: Ricotta Orange Pound Cake with Strawberries

Cherry Cheesecake

Kitchen vixen Nigella Lawson knows a thing or two about desserts and sex appeal, so you can trust that her sweet-and-tangy cherry cheesecake will satisfy on Valentine's Day.

Get the Recipe: Cherry Cheesecake

Mom's Banana Cake

Surprise your favorite banana cake lover with this one-of-a-kind treat, passed down from Mom – a homemade cake filled with sweet banana flavor and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing.

Get the Recipe: Mom's Banana Cake

Ice Cream and Cookie Dough Cake

Ice cream cakes aren't just for kids' birthdays. Alternate layers of custard-style ice cream, chocolate cake and raw chocolate chip cookie dough for a Valentine's Day dessert that's as playful as it is indulgent.

Get the Recipe: Ice Cream and Cookie Dough Layer Cake

Angel Food Cake

If your angel is trying to watch his or her waistline, be a darling and bake this innocent, low-calorie cake. Topped with a bit of whipped cream and strawberries, it’s still an indulgent offering.

Get the Recipe: Angel Food Cake

Molten Chocolate Cake

Chuck Hughes' warm and oozy molten chocolate cakes are sure to make your valentine melt for you.

Get the Recipe: Molten Chocolate Cakes

Cranberry-Raspberry Upside-Down Cake

Turn your love's world upside-down with this ruby red cake that's full of fresh cranberries and raspberries.

Get the Recipe: Cranberry-Raspberry Upside-Down Cake

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with Dulce De Leche Frosting

Make your valentine feel a little naughty with this sinfully rich devil's food cake that's covered in a luscious, whipped dulce de leche frosting.

Get the Recipe: Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with Dulce De Leche Frosting

Apple-Studded Brown Sugar Streusel Coffee Cake  

Chock-full of apple chunks and topped with an insanely scrumptious streusel, this addictive coffee cake just might inspire a food crush from your special someone.

Get the Recipe: Apple-Studded Brown Butter Streusel Coffee Cake

Chocolate Cream Cake

This  bittersweet, fudgelike cake will definitely get you in touch with your dark and sultry side. Decorate the top with rose petals for that extra romantic touch.

Get the Recipe: Chocolate Cream Cake