Hidden Heart Cake
While the rest of the country may be in a deep freeze, LA has come under an odd heatwave and it’s currently 80 degrees and sunny. To warm up my friends back east I baked up some special cakes and mailed them off in hopes that it would cheer up their cold, snowy days.
See, it’s no ordinary cake. No, when you cut into this glorious Hidden Heart Cake you’re greeted with a happy little pink lemon heart, slice by slice. Simply present them to a friend and watch them gaze in wonder, that alone should warm up a cold winter’s day!
Hidden Heart Cake
Ingredients:
cake ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
pink gel dye
glaze ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions:
Here’s what’s going to happen, you are going to make TWO batches of this cake. The first cake batter you will dye pink, these will become your hearts.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. prep a 9×12 rectangular pan with buttered parchment. Set aside.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs and lemon zest.
Alternate the flour mixture with the buttermilk until combined.
Stir in the lemon juice, vanilla and add the pink gel dye.
Pour the pink batter into the prepped rectangular pan and bake for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven, until toothpick tested and done. Let cool.
Once the cake is cooled use a heart cookie cutter to cut out pieces of cake. Remember to use a small size cutter that will make sure to hide the hearts in the cake.
Now start the plain batter. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs and lemon zest.
Alternate the flour mixture with the butter milk until combined.
Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
Line two loaf pans with buttered parchment. Use a small amount of the plain batter to hold the cut out hearts up in a long row from front to end of the loaf pan.
Continue to spoon the rest of the batter over the pink hearts until covered.
Bake for 35-45 minutes depending on your oven, until done. Make sure you toothpick test the sides of the cake, remember the cooked hearts are already in the center! Let cool.
Make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Pour over the cooled cakes.
Slice for magic!
Will this work with just regular yellow cake mix?