Ingredients
Pink Cake
225g unsalted, softened butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
270g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Few drops of pink food colouring
Chocolate Cake
225g unsalted, softened butter
225g caster sugar
4 eggs
170g plain flour
55g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
Icing
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
600g icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Few drops of pink food colouring
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3.
Grease a 2lb loaf tin with a large strip of baking parchment.
To create the pink cake, in a large bowl cream together 225g butter and 225g caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat 4 eggs together and pour in to the mixture a little at a time, mixing after each addition.
Sift together 270g flour and 2tsp of baking powder then fold in to the butter mixture.
Add a few drops of the food colouring to the mixture to reach your desired colour – mix thoroughly.
Pour in to the prepared loaf tin and bake for 40 – 45 minutes. To test to see if the cake it cooked, insert a skewer and make sure it comes out clean.
Cool the loaf in the tin for around 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
When cool, cut the cake in to even 4cm slices.
Take the 4cm slices and use a cookie cutter to stamp out the heart shapes.
Now to create the chocolate cake, repeat the baking process again starting from step two – although swap the pink food colouring for 55g cocoa powder.
Add the cocoa powder at the same time as the flour.
Stack the pink hearts one behind the other in a row in the loaf tin.
Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the hearts.
Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Once cooked, cool in the cake tin for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and vanilla.
Blend in the sugar, a quarter at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy adding the food colouring in at the end.
Keep icing covered until ready to use.
Products Used
MASTER CLASS NON-STICK 2LB LOAF PAN
NATURAL ELEMENTS LARGE CERAMIC BOWL
COLOURWORKS 3 PIECE PINK ACRYLIC MEASURING JUG SET
KITCHEN CRAFT STAINLESS STEEL 18CM ROUND SIEVE
COLOURWORKS SILICONE MIXING SPOON