Easy Valentine's Cake
Servings: 14 4-inch slices
I don't mind working from a mix for this cake, but always always use homemade buttercream for the wow-flavor-factor. The cake is a single layer. For more cake and wow, make another set of cakes, build the heart first layer, fill with buttercream or filling, then build another heart for the second layer and proceed. Double the buttercream recipe for that as well.
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Ingredients
- 2 8-inch chocolate cakes, one square and one round baked, removed from the pans, and cooled
- 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter very soft room temperature
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried raspberries
- 3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk room temperature (any fat percentage)
- 1 teaspoon rose water
- Decorations, such as macarons, a variety of berries, ruby chocolate, nonpereils, meringues
Instructions
- Make a heart cake out of the two 8-inch cakes: On a serving board at least 14 inches square, place the square cake on the diagonal in the center of the platter. Cut the round cake in half. Place the round halves at the top of each side of the square diamond, to form a heart. Get more details in my Heart Cake recipe.
- Pulverize the freeze dried raspberries in a food processor (mini-prep works great), or in a mortar and pestle. Sift and discard the seeds.
- In a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat the butter together with the raspberry powder until well-blended, using a mixer or beating by hand. Add the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, along with the milk and rose water to moisten as you go. Beat until well-blended and smooth enough to spread.
- Frost the top of the cake with the buttercream, leaving about 1/2-inch around the perimeter. To decorate with more frosting, place the rest of the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip, and pipe around the perimeter of the heart (there may be some frosting leftover).
- Same day as serving, decorate the top of the cake following the heart shape wiith macarons, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, halved strawberries, ruby chocolate, nonpereils, meringue cookies.
