Little Debbie Valentine Snack Cakes

Learn how to make a copycat version of sweet Little Debbie Valentine snack cakes. Heart shaped cakes are layered with a vanilla white creme filling inside and covered with a pink shell on the outside. They're the perfect treat for a Valentine's Day party!

Little Debbie Valentine Cakes… Who doesn't love these scrumptious little cakes covered in a sweet pink shell?

Along with Christmas Tree Cakes, these heart snack cakes are one of my favorite Little Debbie treats. I say treat because they are an every once in a while treat, something to look forward to.

That being said, my boys have been trying to get me to try making more than a few Little Debbie copycat recipes for not just one but a few of our favorite Little Debbie treats. Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, what better time to try making Little Debbie Be My Valentine Snack Cakes than now?

If you're looking for more heart shaped treats, you'll love these heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes and heart shaped Rice Krispie treats.

Ingredient Notes:

Let's talk about a few of the ingredients…

• Cake Mix – While I prefer to use cherry chip cake mix because it gives a slightly pink tone to the cakes and I love the flavor of cherry chip, you can use any flavor you want. White cake mix or strawberry cake mix are a couple of yummy options that come to mind. You can even make Little Debbie Valentine chocolate cakes; use a chocolate cake mix or use this homemade chocolate cupcakes recipe for a moist chocolate snack cake.
• Cream Cheese – I recommend using full fat cream cheese vs. low fat.
• Butter – Use real salted butter rather than margarine; margarine will change the texture and outcome of your cakes.
• Marshmallow Fluff – You can use any marshmallow cream, but I love actual Fluff brand. Holy cow, the creamy factor that Marshmallow Fluff adds to frosting is ah-mazing.
• Candy Melts – If making pink Valentine's Day Little Debbie cakes, you'll want pink and white candy melts… Pink for the coating, white for the little decorative dribbles on top.

How to Make Little Debbie Valentine Snack Cakes

I had to think about this recipe for quite a while before attempting to make it; if you think of it like cupcakes, it's really pretty simple to make.

First, Make Heart Shaped Cakes:

1. Mix the cake mix according to the package directions.
2. Spray a heart shaped mini cakes pan with cooking spray. Then fill the heart shapes in the pan with batter, about 2/3 of the way full.
3. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
4. Remove the cakes from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Next Mix the Filling:

1. Mix together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla.
2. Add the powdered sugar, mixing well.
3. Then add in Marshmallow Fluff, making sure all the ingredients are mixed.
4. Once the cakes have cooled, slice them in half horizontally, add a layer of creme, and sandwich them back together.

Now Coat the Snack Cakes:

1. Melt the pink candy melts, according to package directions. Note: It can be difficult to shake excess candy coating off the cakes as you're dipping and rolling, and the coating may need to be just a bit thinner; it may help to add a tablespoon of shortening to it during the melting process.
2. Gently dip (or roll) the cake sandwiches, one at a time, in the melted candy coating.
3. Set each dipped cake on wax paper. You may need to spoon a bit of candy coating on top of each cake once you've set it on the wax paper.
4. Once all the heart cakes have been coated, allow them to chill in the refrigerator until the coating has hardened.
5. Then melt the white candy melts, according to package directions.
6. Drizzle over the top of each cake in whatever pattern you desire. I used a bottle with a cake tip for this step.
7. Again, allow to chill until the candy coating has fully hardened.

These sweet little snack cakes were a hit with my boys, which is really what mattered. The cakes were gone in no time.

More Valentine's Day Recipes

• Heart shaped whoopie pies
• Chocolate peanut butter hearts
• Valentine cake pops
• Valentine cookie pops

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