Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line two round 8" cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom and grease the sides of the pans.

In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (sugar through salt).

Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.

Mix until combined, and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be very thin. Do not add more flour!

Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. That’s 692 grams per pan when using Bob's GF flour or 680 grams if using the other listed options.

Bake for 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but no uncooked liquid.

Let cool for 10 minutes in the pans, and then turn out onto a rack to cool. Let cool completely before frosting.

You can make these a few days in advance. Wrap them in plastic wrap, place in a bag, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Freezing them will make them easier to handle when assembling the cake.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together with an electric hand mixer at medium speed until well combined. It's okay if it looks a little crumbly.

Gradually beat in the powdered sugar until totally combined, and then beat in the vanilla and salt.

Beat in the cocoa powder until well combined.

Get out a cake plate that’s big enough for the heart.

Transfer a cake layer to the cake plate - you want the first layer of cake to be towards the bottom of the serving dish (and not right in the middle) because the cut-off bits will be added towards the top of the cake to form the rounded top of the heart. If you put the cake plate on top of a cake layer (which is on the cooling rack) and flip everything over, the rounded part will be on top. If you have a different preferred way of transferring cake layers, do whatever you like. It doesn’t really matter if the rounded part of the cake layer ends up on top in the end, as it’s not very domed.

Spread 3/4 cup (173 grams) of frosting on top.

Add the other layer on top, flat side up.

Use a ruler and measure out two 5” (12.7 cm) lines, forming a right angle. This will be the bottom of the heart.

Cut away those curved bits, but be careful with them as they’re going to help form the top of the heart.

Use about 2 tablespoons of frosting to help attach the rounded cut-offs to the main cake piece to form a heart shape. You’ll have to bend them a little.

My heart shape looked pretty bad at this point, so I cut away a little bit at the very top, in the middle, and then the heart looked very nice.

Use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup (76-115 grams - you’ll probably need closer to 1/3 cup) as a crumb coat. Spread the frosting over the sides and top of the cake.

Place in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes or the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the frosting is very firm.

Frost the rest of the cake. I used about another 3/4 cup (175 grams) on top and then about a cup on the sides.

If needed (it probably won't be), chill or freeze the cake again to allow the frosting to firm up before piping on the decoration.

Pipe on the LOVE and the heart with a round tip, and then pipe on the small shell border. To do that, fit a decorating bag with Wilton tip 32. Fill the bag with the remaining frosting. Make sure to push the frosting down to eliminate any air bubbles and twist the top of the bag to secure it.

Place your cake on a rotating cake stand or turntable if you have one. This will make it easier to pipe consistent and even shells around the border.

Position the tip slightly above the surface of the cake at the point where you want to begin your shell border. Hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle to the surface of the cake.

Apply steady pressure to the piping bag while moving your hand in a half-circle motion. As you squeeze, the frosting will come out in a wave-like pattern, creating a shell shape. Continue squeezing as you move the piping bag to the right (or left, depending on your preference) to form the first shell.

Slightly overlap the next shell with the tail end of the previous one. This will create a seamless border around the perimeter of your cake. Try to maintain consistent pressure on the piping bag and maintain a consistent speed as you pipe each shell. This will ensure that all the shells are uniform in size and shape.

Continue this motion, slightly overlapping each shell as you move along the edge of your cake. Maintain consistent pressure on the bag to ensure uniform shell sizes and shapes.

Once you've piped shells around the entire perimeter of the cake, gently release pressure on the pastry bag and lift it away to finish the border.

Some sprinkles can bleed. For this reason, I always recommend putting on sprinkles as soon to serving as you can. I had my cake in the fridge a few days, and there was no bleeding, but I can't guarantee every brand will work the same.

Cover and refrigerate the finished cake for up to 4 days. It also freezes great for up to 3 months.