Melting Heart Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• For the cake: Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan and a quarter sheet pan (13 by 9 inches).
• Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, milk and vanilla together in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add the granulated sugar 1/4 cup at a time until well combined. Turn the machine off and scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat the butter mixture on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Turn the machine off and scrape the sides of the bowl again. Turn the mixer to its lowest setting and gradually add in the flour mixture 1/4 cup at a time until just combined. Slowly add the egg mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape any batter off the paddle and make sure the batter is well combined. (Take care not to overmix.)
• Divide the batter in half. Fold the red food coloring into one half and the green into the other half with a rubber spatula until no streaks remain.
• Pour the red batter into the prepared quarter sheet pan and bake until set, but slightly under-baked, about 18 minutes.
• Turn the cake out onto a parchment-lined surface. Let cool slightly, then cut 12 hearts out of the sheet cake with a 2- or 3-inch heart cookie cutter.
• Pour enough green batter into the prepared loaf pan to just cover the bottom. Nestle the hearts point-end down in a row down the center of the batter, so that they snugly fit the length of the pan. Spoon the remaining batter on top and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly pressed, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• For the glaze: Meanwhile, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla in a medium bowl to make a thick but pourable glaze.
• Cool the cake in the pan on a rack set into a rimmed baking sheet, 10 to 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate. Re-invert the cake and set it right-side up on the rack. Pour the glaze over the cake while still warm, allowing excess glaze to drip into the pan below. Allow the cake to cool completely. Slice into the cake to reveal the heart inside.
• The cake will keep wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, and freezes well for up to 1 month.
• Combine the beet juice, beet powder and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Combine the matcha powder with 3 tablespoons water in another small bowl and whisk until smooth. Use the beet coloring in place of red food coloring and the matcha coloring in place of green coloring in the Hidden Heart Cake.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Coat a 9-inch round and a 9-inch square cake pan (2 inches deep) with cooking spray. Prepare the cake mixes as directed; divide between the pans. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool, then remove from the pans. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level. Cut the round cake in half as shown.
• Working on a cake board (you can cut the board into a heart shape to fit the cake) or a cutting board, position the 2 half circles of cake against 2 sides of the square cake to make a heart.
• Cover the cake with the white frosting, using the frosting to fill in any gaps between the cakes.
• Combine the marshmallows and water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring with a rubber spatula, until melted and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the green food coloring and stir until smooth.
• Transfer the marshmallow mixture to a stand mixer. Gradually add all but 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar and beat until combined. Beat in the butter.
• Scrape the marshmallow fondant onto a sheet of parchment and knead in confectioners' sugar until it's no longer sticky. Dust the parchment with more sugar; roll out the fondant until it's large enough to cover the cake, at least 13 by 16 inches.
• Carefully flip the parchment and fondant onto the cake; peel off the parchment. Gently press the fondant against the sides of the cake and smooth with your hands; trim the excess. Brush off the extra sugar.
• Use the wide end of a chopstick to press letters into the fondant (it's best to do this before the fondant dries out). Use a small brush to paint hot pink or red food coloring in the letter indentations.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan and an 8-inch round pan. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Grease paper and dust lightly with flour.
• Beat white sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined.
• Stir flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl.
• Beat 1 cup dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Add 1/2 cup milk; beat until combined. Continue adding 1 cup dry ingredients and 1/2 cup milk, beating after each addition, until all are used and batter is smooth. Divide evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
• Beat butter and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating after each addition and adding milk as needed, until frosting is fluffy, smooth, and spreadable.
• Remove 1/3 cup frosting and divide between 2 small bowls. Tint 1 dark pink with red food coloring. Tint the other orange-pink with red and yellow food coloring. Tint remaining frosting light pink with red food coloring.
• Set square cake on a work surface and rotate 45 degrees so that it resembles a diamond. Spread a little light pink frosting on left and right top sides of the diamond. Cut round cake in half crosswise to make 2 half-moons. Attach half-moons to top left and top right sides of diamond, gently pressing cake pieces together to adhere. Spread remaining light pink frosting over the assembled cake. Drop spoonfuls of dark pink and pink-orange frosting onto cake. Drag an offset spatula through frosting to create a marbled look.
• Pat sprinkles onto the sides of the cake. Chill, covered, for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing into 16 pieces.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and line a muffin tin with eight paper cases. Melt the butter in a small pan, then leave to cool for 5 mins. Tip the sugar, cocoa and flour into a food processor and whizz to get rid of any little clusters of sugar that are sticking together. Tip in the melted butter and eggs, and blitz to make a smooth batter.
• Scoop a little of the mixture into each muffin case, then lightly press a white chocolate truffle in the centre. Spoon over the remaining mixture, making sure that the truffles are covered. Bake for 15-20 mins until the mixture has firmed up. Leave to cool.
• To decorate the muffins, tip the butter and sugar into a large bowl, add the vanilla and beat with an electric hand whisk until really smooth. Thinly spread a little of the vanilla mixture over the top of the cakes to cover them, taking the icing down the sides to meet the paper case. Beat the cocoa powder into the rest of the icing, then put in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe hearts onto the top of each cake. Add a chocolate heart to decorate for the final flourish.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with a long strip of baking parchment. Cream 175g butter and 175g sugar until light and fluffy. Beat 3 of the eggs and pour in, a little at a time, mixing after each addition. Sift together 140g flour, 1⁄2 tsp baking powder and the cocoa, then fold into the butter mixture along with the almonds. Combine 100ml milk, 11⁄2 tsp vanilla and all the food colouring and add to the batter, then mix until evenly coloured.
• Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hr 10 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, cut the cake into 4cm slices. Using a 5cm cutter, stamp out the hearts (save any remaining cake for another treat).
• Repeat step 1 to make a second cake mixture - you won't have cocoa or food colour in this batch. Pour 3⁄4 of the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Push the bottoms of the hearts into the batter in a tightly packed row. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, covering as much of the hearts as possible. bake for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the icing, gently heat all the ingredients over a low heat until combined. Leave to cool, then chill until needed. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with the sprinkles, if using. Will keep for 3 days stored in a cake tin.