37 Swoon-Worthy Valentine's Day Cake Ideas

These romantic Valentine's Day cake recipes are the perfect way to spread love this Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day Cake
Photo: Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar

If there is ever a time to whip up an extra special dessert, Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse. Beyond making the day all about spoiling your significant other, it's also a wonderful opportunity to treat your family and friends to a decadent Valentine's Day treat by trying your hand at one of these delicious cakes. Sure, you have your tried-and-true layer cakes, but why not celebrate the day of love with something new? 

These cakes are bound to scrounge up some serious secret admirers—and not-so-secret ones too! Featuring classic Valentine's Day flavors like rich chocolate, romantic red velvet, and swoon-worthy strawberry, these dreamy Valentine's Day cakes are sure to spread the love.

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Strawberry Icebox Cake

Strawberry Icebox Cake
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

No baking is required to pull off this chocolate and strawberry creation. There are only five ingredients in this cookie wafer and jam icebox cake. Leave at least five hours for this cake to chill in the refrigerator.

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Valentine's Day Cake

Valentine's Day Cake
Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar

There's never been a better sheet cake for Valentine's Day. This festive cake is large enough to feed a crowd. Fill your sweetie's heart with strawberries and buttercream frosting.

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Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

This rich and fudgy dessert is reminiscent of a chocolate-covered strawberry. The fluffy buttercream gets a pretty pink hue from blending fresh strawberries in a food processor. To make the cake crumb extra light, make sure to cream the butter and sugar until the color is almost white.

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Reese's Cake

Reese;s Cake
Alison Miksch

If Reese's are your Valentine's candy of choice, take it one step further and try making this Bundt cake. This cake turns your favorite treat into a decadent dessert. After all, chocolate and peanut butter are the ultimate pairings.

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Red Velvet Cake Balls

Red Velvet Cake Balls
Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

Help make this romantic day memorable with these bite-sized minis packed with red velvet flavor. These cake balls are made simpler by using a box of cake mix. Combine the cake with a cream cheese frosting, then coat the balls in white chocolate.

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Classic Chocolate Pound Cake

Chocolate Pound Cake
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck; Food Styling: Erin Merhar

Sometimes simple is best, and this no-fuss recipe proves just that. The decadent cake is so rich it doesn't need any frosting. If you want an extra sweet dessert, pair it with some ice cream or add a chocolate drizzle.

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Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake_WD0156-S
Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar

We had to invite at least one cheesecake into the Cupid Shuffle. A creamy strawberry cheesecake filling covered in chocolate is the ultimate decadent bite. Garnish with whole strawberries for a beautiful presentation.

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Molten Red Velvet Cakes

Molten Red Velvet Cakes, red velvet cake recipe
HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ

End Valentine's Day on a sweet note with these single-serving cakes. You can make the chocolate mixture and whipped cream a day in advance. When ready to serve, dust the cakes with powdered sugar and top with cream cheese whipped cream.

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White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake

White Chocolate Raspberry Loaf Cake
Photo: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Styling: Kay Clarke, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This loaf cake can work for a lovely Valentine's Day brunch with your S.O. It's easy to frost and doesn't require any layers. Serve slices with even more fresh berries.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton

If you've never made a cake with mayonnaise, trust us. The rich chocolate flavoring, enhanced with coffee, balances the light, fluffy buttercream frosting. Allow the layers to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling.

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Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake

Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos

If you need to cater to specific dietary restrictions, this flourless showstopper is dairy-and-gluten-free with no shortage of flavor. This cake gets its rich texture, without flour, from using coconut cream. Be sure to use canned coconut cream, not coconut milk or water.

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Honey Bun Cake

Honey Bun Cake
Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Rishon Hanners, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck

A honey bun-inspired cake for your honey bun. Need we say more? Expect a cozy, cinnamon-spiked Bundt.

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Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Jennifer Davick

Pound cake is a Southern classic. Premade strawberry glaze helps quickly achieve a marbled look for an elegant presentation. To complete the marbled look, dollop the glaze in layers throughout the pound cake batter.

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Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake
Alison Miksch

Chocolate cake, chocolate chips, and chocolate icing are the perfect trio. The instant espresso enhances the chocolate flavoring as if there isn't enough chocolate already. Try alternating buttermilk and chocolate glaze for an even more spectacular presentation.

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Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake

Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake
Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham    

A sheet cake makes icing and serving a breeze. Large enough to feed a crowd, this strawberries-and-cream cake is perfect for parties and easy to transport. Garnish with fresh strawberries for even more strawberry flavoring.

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Mousse Cake
Micah Leal

This ultimate chocolate creation starts with a layer of velvety cake, topped with a layer of rich mousse, and then covered with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache. Silky mousse pairs perfectly with the saltiness in dark chocolate.

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Red Velvet Layer Cake

Red Velvet Layer Cake
Jennifer Davick

This layer cake is just as fitting for Valentine's Day as it is for Christmas. You won't find any cake as festive and delicious as a pretty slice of this red velvet cake. Letting each cake cool entirely on a wire rack helps when frosting each layer.

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German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting

German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

If you haven't already, it's time to make this Southern classic that is the definition of decadent—thanks to chocolate, coconut, and pecans. How could anyone resist? Strong brewed coffee helps keep each cake layer moist.

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Lemon Raspberry Cake

Lemon Raspberry Cake
Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford

Fresh berries give the icing in this layer cake a pink hue, making it fit for the occasion. Raspberry and lemon are a refreshing pairing, combining zesty and sweet flavorings. The thick layer of frosting in the center of this cake will be a pleasant surprise.

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

Chocolate Bundt Cake
Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Boxed brownie and cake mixes are the secret ingredients that make this dessert easy to pull off. Use a piping bag to help achieve the draped-on topping. Look for edible flowers at your specialty grocery store for an elegant presentation.

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Caramel Cake

Caramel Cake
Jennifer Davick

There's a good chance you already have all the ingredients you need to make this old-fashioned favorite. Smothering this decadent cake in icing puts it in a new sweetness category. Plus, it requires just 15 minutes of hands-on time.

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Little Layer Chocolate Cake

Ivy Odom 18-Layer Chocolate Cake Still

Ivy Odom

These 18 thin cake layers are a labor of love. It's hard to believe this height-defying cake is complete in under two hours. After all the baking and icing, wait at least 30 minutes before slicing to ensure you get the perfect slice.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Micah A. Leal

Cookie cake is always a good idea. Milk powder gives this cookie cake an extra milky taste in every bite. This cookie cake, paired with just the right amount of frosting, is a classic.

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Old-Fashioned Pound Cake

Old Fashioned Pound Cake
Jennifer Davick

Serve this classic cake with whipped cream and fresh berries of your choice. Pound cake should be sweet and rich but also light as a cloud. Follow this recipe for the perfect cake, including creaming the butter and sugar.

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Chocolate Marble Cake

Chocolate Marble Cake
Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Christine Keely

This cake is simple enough to make, which is a massive win in our book. This chocolate cake is ideal for those last-minute Valentine's Day treats. We promise its flavor composition is anything but boring.

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Raspberry Snack Cake with Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting

Raspberry Snack Cake with Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

We're big fans of cake you can eat at any point in the day. This raspberry variation certainly falls in that category. Lightly salted chocolate frosting tops off a moist vanilla cake dotted with fresh raspberries.

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Bourbon-Chocolate Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting

Bourbon-Chocolate Cake with Browned Buttercream
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell

This cake contains irresistible flavors: bourbon, chocolate, and buttercream. Yes, we're swooning too. This boozy dessert is guaranteed to deliver a spirited holiday.

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Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Southern Living

We all have that special someone who is a notorious sweet-and-salty dessert lover. This cake will fix their cravings and let them know how much you care on Valentine's Day. You'll want to use this peanut butter frosting on all your desserts.

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Chocolate Éclair Cake

Chocolate Éclair Cake
Micah A. Leal

We don't even need to explain ourselves with this cake. It just makes sense. While this cake may take a little more time than your average, it is worth it.

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Chocolate Italian Cake

Chocolate Italian Cake

Southern Living

This chocolate version of a classic Italian Cream Cake is almost better than the original. They may argue that it's better if you ask a chocolate lover. Encircle the cake with pecan halves as an elegant garnish.

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Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

After letting the cake chill in the freezer and the ganache to set, the buttercream frosting will spread quickly over the top. This cake is ideal for Valentine's Day, as it is ultra-decadent and fudgy. The caramel flavoring adds an extra decadence to this cake's buttercream frosting.

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Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake

Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This cake may be a birthday tradition in New Orleans, but this labor of love is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day. Store-bought lemon curd and chocolate pudding help this cake's layers assemble quickly.

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Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake

Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas: Food Styling: Torie Cox

This cake is no ordinary chocolate cake. Even without the cake toppers, it's sure to impress your Valentine. If you want to impress, try making homemade Magnolia Flower toppers from vegetable shortening, edible luster dust, food coloring, and ready-to-use gum paste.

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Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake

Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake
Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford

Serve this cake alongside a cup of coffee to top off your home-cooked Valentine's Day meal. This slow cooker recipe, starting with a box of cake mix, couldn't be more straightforward. Add a package of dark chocolate morsels between cake layers.

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Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake
Johnny Autry; Food and Prop Styling: Charlotte L. Autry

Enjoy this updated version of a classic recipe. The fresh strawberries balance perfectly with the biscuit base, with a delicate, light texture. Top the sheet cake with a whipped cream and mascarpone mixture.

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Strawberry-Rosé Snack Cake

Strawberry-Rosé Snack Cake
Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

This recipe is the ideal sweet treat for your galantines. Get a classic pink hue in this dessert by using freeze-dried strawberries and rosé wine. Substitute freeze-dried raspberries for strawberries if you prefer.

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Hallmark's Honey Almond Cake with Berries and Mascarpone Cream Fraiche

Crowne Media
Crowne Media

A cake created in Hallmark's The Secret Ingredient inspired this dessert. Have your own Hallmark moment and watch a movie marathon with your Valentine this year. Vanilla and honey add a simple yet refreshing glaze.

If you want to make an entire homemade meal this Valentine's Day, check out these romantic dinner recipes for date night at home.

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