Perfect Valentine's Day Cakes

I was so indecisive this year about what to bake for my hubbie for Valentine's Day, and picking up some gimmick 'valentine' cake moulds in my local Lidl supermarket didn't help me with my choices. So I decided to just make two cakes. Valentine's falls on a Friday this year so we will worry about the diet on Monday.

I used the same basic cake recipe for both cakes, the recipe is adapted from an earlier blog from my Donna Hay adapted recipe http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2013/04/quick-apple-blueberry-almond-cake.html

The first cake is a pink and white chocolate rose shaped cake, using a flower cake mould; and the second is my Triple Chocolate Heart cake. I think you will agree the heart cake totally stole the show. Here's how I made both cakes; they are surprisingly easy to make, and it was made start to finish during baby's morning nap!

Pink White Chocolate Chip Rose Cake

Ingredients

Cake Mix

• 225g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 125ml milk
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 drops of red food colouring
• 100g of white chocolate chips
• icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease the cake mould with some butter.
2. In a food mixer, add all the dry cake mix ingredients and mix on low for a couple of seconds.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave for a minute. Add the butter to a jug with the milk, eggs, vanilla, and food colouring.
4. With the food mixer on slow, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, do not over mix.
5. Scrape it into the cake mould and level it out evenly
6. Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
7. Check that the cake is fully baked with a skewer before removing from the oven (Insert skewer to centre of cake if it comes out clean it's done, if not bake for a further 5 mins and try again)
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack in the mould until completely cooled.
9. Invert the mould onto a plate to dislodge it from the mould and dust with icing sugar.

Triple Chocolate Love Heart Cake

Ingredients

Cake Mix

• 220g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 125ml milk
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 25g of cocoa powder
• 100g of dark chocolate chips
• 1 can of Dr Otker Chocolate flavoured cupcake buttercream
• 50g of raspberries
• Icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease the cake mould with some butter.
2. In a food mixer, add all the dry cake mix ingredients and mix on low for a couple of seconds.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave for a minute. Add the butter to a jug with the milk, eggs, vanilla.
4. With the food mixer on slow, pour in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, do not over mix.
5. Scrape it into the cake mould and level it out evenly
6. Bake in the oven for 45 mins.
7. Check that the cake is fully baked with a skewer before removing from the oven (Insert skewer to centre of cake if it comes out clean it's done, if not bake for a further 5 mins and try again)
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack in the mould until completely cooled.
9. Invert the mould onto a plate to dislodge it from the mould.
10. Frost the cake with the ready made chocolate buttercream, decorating however you like. I scattered the raspberries in a heart shape in the centre for the extra 'cheezy' factor.
11. Dust with icing sugar.