• Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch heart shaped cake pans and lightly dust them with flour. This will help the cakes release cleanly when they're done baking.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, eggs, food coloring and cocoa powder.
• Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. The batter should be smooth with no lumps.
• Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

For frosting

• While the cakes cool, make the frosting. Beat together 1 cup butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2-3 tablespoons milk until smooth and spreadable.