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heart•string (härt str ng ) n.

1. heartstrings The deepest feelings or affections: a tug at the heartstrings.

2. One of the nerves or tendons formerly believed to brace and sustain the heart.

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CHOCOLATE HEART CAKE

In honor of Valentine’s day and since for February we decided to make all chocolate sweets, I thought I would use the wonderful heart baking pans that Alessa gave me a couple of years ago.   The idea behind the pan is that you bake two layers, fit them together and there is a tunnel you fill with a mixture that becomes the heart shape.    The chocolate cake recipe that I used did not come out as dark of a color as I would have hoped and in hindsight I would have made the “heart” layer vanilla instead of chocolate so that it contrasted better, but the flavor of the cake, frosting and heart filling layer was delicious.    If you don’t have this type of baking pan you could use the “filling” layer between your two cake layers and end up with the same delicious results.

Cake:

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

6 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted

Filling:

1 package instant pudding mix (3.4 ounce) vanilla or chocolate

3/4 cup milk

1 container (8 ounces) Cool Whip, thawed

Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons corn syrup

4 cups powdered sugar

4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted

Combine all dry ingredients for the cake in a mixer bowl.  Add the shortening, milk and vanilla.  Mix about 1 minute.  Add the eggs and chocolate.  Continue mixing until it is well blended and creamy.  Pour the batter into two greased 8 or 9-inch round baking pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

While the cake is cooling make the filling layer and the frosting.

To make the filling:  Mix the pudding and milk together with a wire whisk until it begins to thicken.  Fold in the Cool-Whip and mix thoroughly.  When the cake layers are cool, build your cake using the filling in between each layer or as I did, following the directions with my heart pans, filling the tunnel area with the filling and then placing the second cake layer on the top.

To make the frosting:  Place softened butter in a mixer bowl.  Beat the butter until it is creamy.  Add corn syrup.  Mix well.  Now add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well between each addition.  Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined well.   You are now ready to frost your cake!  Yields approximately 12 to 16 servings.

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