I’m sharing a yellow vintage cake with flowers and butterflies inspired by Vintage Birthday Cakes that conceals a charming surprise you will want to see.

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I still remember the first time I iced a Vintage Heart Cake and felt like I’d found a secret. The yellow crumb looked older than it was, like a sunlit photograph, and the fondant butterflies seemed to float.

With just all purpose flour and unsalted butter at the center of things, this cake teases you into wondering how such a simple base can turn into something people whisper Vintage Birthday Cakes over, or imagine on a table full of Heart Shaped Cakes. Id warn you, its prettiness makes you hesitate to slice it, but when you do, it tells a small surprising story.

Ingredients

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All purpose flour: Main source of carbs and gluten, gives structure but little fiber or nutrients.
Granulated sugar: Pure carbs, makes cake sweet and tender, adds no vitamins or protein.
Unsalted butter: High in fat, adds richness and moisture, some vitamins A and D present.
Eggs: Provide protein and emulsify batter, help with rise and golden color.
Whole milk: Adds fat and calcium, moistens crumb and improves flavor, small protein boost.
Vanilla extract: Tiny calories but big flavor, enhances sweetness without adding sugar.
Fondant or gum paste: Mostly sugar, good for decorations, not nutrient dense and very sweet.
Powdered sugar: Gives sweetness and structure to frosting, mostly empty calories.
Neutral oil: Optional moisture booster, adds fat without flavor, keeps cake softer longer.

Ingredient Quantities

Cake batter ingredients:

2 1/2 cups (312 g) all purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon fine salt

1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola), optional but helps keep it moist

3 large eggs, room temp

1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temp

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

a few drops yellow gel food coloring (optional for vintage yellow tone)

Frosting and filling:

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened (for buttercream)

4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch fine salt

Yellow gel food coloring for tinting frosting (a few drops)

Optional syrup and stabilize:

1/4 cup (60 ml) simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)

Decorations:

About 8 oz (225 g) ready to roll fondant or gum paste for flowers and butterflies

Gel paste food colors (assorted) for tinting fondant

Edible wafer butterflies or premade sugar butterflies, amount as needed

Edible sugar flowers or gum paste flowers, amount as needed

Edible pearl dust or luster dust (small pinch) for shimmer

Pearl sprinkles or nonpareils (small handful) for accents

Optional finishing touches:

Fresh edible flower petals (small handful) make sure they are edible

How to Make this

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a heart shaped cake pan, or if you don’t have one bake two 8 inch round cakes and a small square to make a heart later. Line bottoms with parchment for sure.

2. Sift together 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp fine salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl cream 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar with 1 cup softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup neutral oil if using (helps keep it moist). Add 3 large room temp eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla and a few drops yellow gel food coloring to get that vintage yellow tone.

4. With mixer on low alternate adding the dry ingredients and 1 cup room temp whole milk, beginning and ending with the dry, mixing just until combined. Don’t overmix, stop when there are no streaks of flour.

5. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s) about two thirds full. Tap the pans on the counter to remove big air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on pan size. Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

6. While cake cools make the buttercream: beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter until creamy, then gradually add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar. Add 2 to 3 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk to reach a spreadable consistency, 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of fine salt. Tint with a few drops yellow gel food coloring until you like the shade. If too thin add more powdered sugar, too stiff add a splash more cream.

7. If using, make simple syrup by warming equal parts sugar and water until sugar dissolves, cool. Level cake layers, brush each layer lightly with simple syrup to keep things moist. Place bottom layer on board, pipe a little ring of buttercream to keep filling from sliding, spread a thin even layer of buttercream between layers and stack. Apply a thin crumb coat over the whole cake and chill 15 to 30 minutes until set.

8. Smooth a final thicker coat of buttercream using an offset spatula or bench scraper, chilling briefly if needed to firm it up. Clean up the edges for a vintage, slightly imperfect look if you want it to look old fashioned.

9. Prepare decorations: tint about 8 oz ready to roll fondant or gum paste with gel paste colors, roll and cut flowers and butterflies, dust lightly with edible pearl dust for shimmer and let dry a bit. You can also use premade edible wafer butterflies or sugar flowers. Attach decorations to the cake with a tiny dab of buttercream or water. Add pearl sprinkles or nonpareils for accents and scatter a few fresh edible flower petals if using.

10. Chill the finished cake until set, then bring to room temp about 30 minutes before serving so the buttercream is soft and the flavors shine. Store covered in the fridge up to 3 days, but let it come to room temp before serving.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven plus cake pans: a heart shaped cake pan or two 8 inch rounds and a small square pan, with parchment to line the bottoms
2. Mixing bowls (large and medium)
3. Sifter or fine mesh sieve for flour and powdered sugar
4. Stand mixer or hand mixer (for creaming and buttercream)
5. Measuring cups, measuring spoons and a kitchen scale (if you like more accurate baking)
6. Rubber spatula and a wooden spoon for folding and scraping
7. Offset spatula and a bench scraper for spreading and smoothing frosting
8. Wire cooling rack and a pastry brush for simple syrup
9. Rolling pin, fondant cutters and small modeling tools for flowers/butterflies

FAQ

Q: How do I know when the cake is done? A: Insert a toothpick in the center, it should come out with a few moist crumbs not wet batter. The cake should spring back lightly when you press the top and pull away from the pan edges a little. If your oven has hot spots rotate the pans once halfway through baking. Dont overbake, it dries fast.

Q: Can I make the layers ahead and freeze them? A: Yes. Cool completely, wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap then foil and freeze up to two months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, brush with simple syrup if you want extra moistness, then bring to room temp before frosting.

Q: How do I get that vintage yellow color without ruining the flavor? A: Use gel paste food coloring, just a few tiny drops at a time until you reach the shade you want. Gel gives strong color so go slow. Avoid powders like turmeric unless you want a flavor change. Let the batter sit a few minutes, color often deepens as it rests.

Q: My buttercream is grainy or full of air bubbles, how do I fix it? A: Beat the butter first until very smooth before adding powdered sugar in batches. Use a spatula to scrape bowl sides and beat briefly after all sugar is in. If you have air bubbles, let the buttercream rest in the fridge for 20 minutes then give it a low speed stir. A hot spatula smoothed over the frozen crumb coat also helps get a clean finish.

Q: I dont have a heart pan, how do I make a heart shaped cake? A: Bake two round pans of the same size. Cut one in half and place the flat sides against the whole round to form a heart, then carve gentle curves. Chill the stacked cakes before trimming for cleaner cuts. You can also use a paper template to guide trimming.

Q: How do I store the finished cake and the decorations? A: If decorated with buttercream only keep at cool room temp up to a day, or in the fridge up to 4 days. If using fresh edible flowers add them just before serving or they will wilt and stain frosting. Fondant and gum paste decorations should stay dry; keep the cake in a cool, dry spot so humidity doesnt make them soggy. Bring chilled cake to room temp before serving for best flavor.

Vintage Heart Cake Recipe Substitutions and Variations

All purpose flour: swap for cake flour for a softer, more tender crumb. Use 1 cup cake flour for 1 cup AP, or make your own by replacing 2 tablespoons of each cup of AP with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then sift well. If you want a slightly nuttier, still tender cake try white whole wheat or pastry flour but only replace up to 25 to 30 percent or the cake gets dense.
Unsalted butter (cake and buttercream): you can use salted butter, same weight, just skip the added pinch of salt. For a dairy free option use a stick of vegan baking butter or vegetable shortening 1:1, know that flavor and mouthfeel will change, the frosting will be firmer and less rich.
Whole milk: buttermilk is a great swap, use 1 cup buttermilk for 1 cup milk for extra tenderness and tang. No buttermilk Use 1 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, let sit 5 minutes to sour. Non dairy milks like oat, soy or almond work 1:1 but they can thin the batter a bit and change flavor.
Powdered sugar (for buttercream): if you run out make your own by blitzing 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a blender or food processor until powdery, then sift. Or switch to a stabilized cream cheese frosting (8 oz cream cheese + 1/2 cup butter, beat then add powdered sugar to taste) if you want less sweet, tangier finish.

Pro Tips

– Weigh your dry ingredients, don’t scoop with the cup; scooping packs the flour and makes the cake dry, you’re much more consistent with a kitchen scale, honest.
– Keep everything room temp, especially eggs and milk, they blend faster and give a smoother batter, if one thing is cold it can make the batter look curdled.
– For extra, longer lasting moistness add a couple tablespoons of neutral oil to the batter or brush the cooled layers with simple syrup, or do both if you want it to stay juicy for a few days.
– Chill after a thin crumb coat and warm your offset spatula in hot water then dry it before smoothing the final coat, that gives a cleaner finish; let buttercream firm a bit before sticking on fondant decorations or they might slip.

Vintage Heart Cake Recipe

Recipe by Tina Bueller

0.0 from 0 votes

I’m sharing a yellow vintage cake with flowers and butterflies inspired by Vintage Birthday Cakes that conceals a charming surprise you will want to see.

Servings

servings

Calories

680

kcal

Equipment: 1. Oven plus cake pans: a heart shaped cake pan or two 8 inch rounds and a small square pan, with parchment to line the bottoms
2. Mixing bowls (large and medium)
3. Sifter or fine mesh sieve for flour and powdered sugar
4. Stand mixer or hand mixer (for creaming and buttercream)
5. Measuring cups, measuring spoons and a kitchen scale (if you like more accurate baking)
6. Rubber spatula and a wooden spoon for folding and scraping
7. Offset spatula and a bench scraper for spreading and smoothing frosting
8. Wire cooling rack and a pastry brush for simple syrup
9. Rolling pin, fondant cutters and small modeling tools for flowers/butterflies

Ingredients

Cake batter ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (312 g) all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil (vegetable or canola), optional but helps keep it moist
3 large eggs, room temp
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few drops yellow gel food coloring (optional for vintage yellow tone)
Frosting and filling:
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened (for buttercream)
4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch fine salt
Yellow gel food coloring for tinting frosting (a few drops)
Optional syrup and stabilize:
1/4 cup (60 ml) simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water)
Decorations:
About 8 oz (225 g) ready to roll fondant or gum paste for flowers and butterflies
Gel paste food colors (assorted) for tinting fondant
Edible wafer butterflies or premade sugar butterflies, amount as needed
Edible sugar flowers or gum paste flowers, amount as needed
Edible pearl dust or luster dust (small pinch) for shimmer
Pearl sprinkles or nonpareils (small handful) for accents
Optional finishing touches:
Fresh edible flower petals (small handful) make sure they are edible

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a heart shaped cake pan, or if you don't have one bake two 8 inch round cakes and a small square to make a heart later. Line bottoms with parchment for sure.
Sift together 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp fine salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar with 1 cup softened unsalted butter until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in 1/4 cup neutral oil if using (helps keep it moist). Add 3 large room temp eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in 2 tsp vanilla and a few drops yellow gel food coloring to get that vintage yellow tone.
With mixer on low alternate adding the dry ingredients and 1 cup room temp whole milk, beginning and ending with the dry, mixing just until combined. Don't overmix, stop when there are no streaks of flour.
Pour batter into the prepared pan(s) about two thirds full. Tap the pans on the counter to remove big air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on pan size. Let cakes cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
While cake cools make the buttercream: beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter until creamy, then gradually add 4 cups sifted powdered sugar. Add 2 to 3 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk to reach a spreadable consistency, 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of fine salt. Tint with a few drops yellow gel food coloring until you like the shade. If too thin add more powdered sugar, too stiff add a splash more cream.
If using, make simple syrup by warming equal parts sugar and water until sugar dissolves, cool. Level cake layers, brush each layer lightly with simple syrup to keep things moist. Place bottom layer on board, pipe a little ring of buttercream to keep filling from sliding, spread a thin even layer of buttercream between layers and stack. Apply a thin crumb coat over the whole cake and chill 15 to 30 minutes until set.
Smooth a final thicker coat of buttercream using an offset spatula or bench scraper, chilling briefly if needed to firm it up. Clean up the edges for a vintage, slightly imperfect look if you want it to look old fashioned.
Prepare decorations: tint about 8 oz ready to roll fondant or gum paste with gel paste colors, roll and cut flowers and butterflies, dust lightly with edible pearl dust for shimmer and let dry a bit. You can also use premade edible wafer butterflies or sugar flowers. Attach decorations to the cake with a tiny dab of buttercream or water. Add pearl sprinkles or nonpareils for accents and scatter a few fresh edible flower petals if using.
Chill the finished cake until set, then bring to room temp about 30 minutes before serving so the buttercream is soft and the flavors shine. Store covered in the fridge up to 3 days, but let it come to room temp before serving.

Notes

Below you’ll find my best estimate of this recipe’s nutrition facts. Treat the numbers as a guide rather than a rule—great food should nourish both body and spirit. Figures are approximate, and the website owner assumes no liability for any inaccuracies in this recipe.