An armful of delicate red roses, gargantuan plushies, kitschy talking candies, and homemade baked goods are all tried and true methods for playing Cupid in February. But what if you could combine some of these sweet seasonal staples, while also flaunting to your beloved that you purchased an entire carton of pricy products (a dozen eggs have been a hot and expensive commodity lately)? One viral recipe does just that. Although it’s not Easter or a Disney movie, I was truly shocked to learn just how many eggs are hidden in this conversation heart cake.
The Squeaky Mixer’s designed sheet cake recipe has accumulated over 10 million views and over one million likes on TikTok. The colorful confection features fluffy layers of batter used to create an illustration embedded in the cake, in lieu of icing decorations. Comments on the video marvel at the charming finished product, while others exclaim in horror that those are really a lot of eggs to be using in one little cake. “TWELVE EGGS?! Girl you got money😂,” @myeshasje wrote, while @lessa132_asked “12 eggs? In this economy?”
While egg prices have begun to drop, a dozen eggs is still a lot for one cake, and I contemplated using a boxed cake mix for this project. However, it was clear staying true to the proper texture of this batter was essential to the success of this recipe, so I followed the rules like the good Capricorn I am.
The video makes the recipe look simple, and the instructions on the Squeaky Mixer’s website are relatively straightforward. The Designed Sheet Cakes directions allow for customizable cakes, but I attempted to recreate the popular sweetheart print that had TikTok in a tizzy.
I attempted this recipe twice in order to get satisfactory results, and I learned some lessons along the way that I’m willing to impart upon you. If you do not listen closely you will end up with something similar to the abstract abomination I came up with on my first try (which is fine if you’re going for a Van Gogh vibe, but I was not!).
I laboriously separated the twelve eggs, careful not to leave any traces of the yolk among the egg whites. Then, I mixed the ingredients as instructed. When the recipe says to “whisk until stiff peaks form,” it means to WHISK UNTIL STIFF PEAKS FORM. Perfecting this texture really is key to mastering the steps ahead. To achieve this, I beat the egg white mixture on high for about 4 minutes.
The other important step the creator emphasizes on the site and in the video is to be GENTLE when folding the egg whites into the batter, as if you were tucking a baby mouse into a cloud cradle for the most peaceful winter’s nap. This way, the texture remains fluffy and not runny. If your batter becomes runny, you will curse the day you were born once you reach the piping stage.
Because the recipe on the site is a general guide to illustrated cakes, the instructions don't specify how much batter to save for the food coloring step, so I was winging it once I reached this portion. I decided to color my hearts purple, pink, green, and blue, and dyed another bowl of batter black for the details. I dyed enough to fill about ¾ a piping bag of each color and left the rest of the uncolored dye for the “background.”
The piping will go somewhat smoothly if your batter is fluffy enough to keep its shape and if you have a steady hand. If you thought all that egg cracking was quite the undertaking, you’ll face new pressures trying to keep the batter in line. I mostly held my breath through this process. Once the cake is in the oven, you may breathe again. Pop the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes between every layer of color. This keeps the batter colors from blending and allows you to anxiously pace wondering how it will all turn out.
The recipe also doesn’t say whether you should immediately remove the cake from the pan after baking, or if it should rest before separating it from the parchment paper. I gave mine a five minute break on the counter and then peeled away the parchment. The colors mostly remained vibrant, despite some browning, and admittedly looked pretty cute. The cake is meant to be the decorative top piece of a layered cake, but turned out somewhat thin, even for a fraction of a cake, and may have been better baked in a deeper pan. Unless you’re a storied chef (which I am not), this was a lot of stress (and eggs) for just a portion of a pastry.
While the finished product turned out pretty with some practice, nothing says “i love you” or “call me” quite like the classic conversational candies.