Chocolate Heart Cakes

Valentine’s Day is finally here! Can you feel the love in the air?? I know, kinda hokey,  but it’s a pretty cheesy holiday. Cute, but cheesy. So in honor of the day that we celebrate love, I decided to make chocolate heart cakes. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not a cookie decorator, so what shall a baker do with her cookie cutters? Use them to make cute cakes. Genius! I know, I know.   To accomplish these cute little cakes, I made a chocolate layer cake and cut out the hearts with my cookie cutter and topped with a delicious chocolate frosting. The final touch was a light dusting of red sugar crystals. Easy and decadent.

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Cake  slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, very soft

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup  milk (I used buttermilk)

1/2 cup brewed, cooled coffee, or water (I used 1/2 tsp. of expresso powder dissolved in1/2 cup of hot water in place of the brewed coffee)

4 large eggs

 

Place a strainer over a large mixing bowl. Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and sugar. Sift/shake the dry ingredients through the strainer into a mixing blow, to eliminate any lumps. Add the butter and mix at low speed for 1 mine. With the mixer running, add the oil and continue  mixing until the mixture looks like sand. Combine the vanilla with the milk and coffee or water, and add all at once. Mix for 1 minute at low speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well at medium speed between additions. The batter will be thin.

Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 pan lined with parchment paper with a slight overhang. Bake at 350 for 34 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10-20 minutes. Once the cake is cooled, turn the cake over onto wax paper or a cutting board. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out approximately 6 cake hearts. Ice with the chocolate frosting then sprinkle with red, pink or white sugar. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Chocolate Frosting  from Hershey’s

1 stick butter or margarine

2/3 cup Hershey’s Cocoa (naturally unsweetened)

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter and stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk beating on medium speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.

 

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