L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

I’m entering my L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s) to A Heart For Your Valentine should you wish to submit your own entry of a homemade "edible heart" click on the link above.

For the round-up and to view many beautiful creations you will find the [link here] please do go and take a peek of all those wonderful "edible heart's".

L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

I brought a mini heart shaped silicone 8 holed mould on my last visit to Lakeland Store. I had been contemplating what sort of sponge cake to make using this. Then I thought chocolate being the obvious for valentine hearts with a hidden center of chocolate for that little extra pleasure in life!! The topping could have been a chocolate ganache but I opted this time for buttercream with pretty sugar sprinkles and sugar dragees, must be the girly side in me *giggle*.

One bite my friends and you’ll be in raptures of sheer indulgence of wickedness do you dare to bake some for yourself I ask *grinning from ear to ear*!?!

L’Amour Valentine’s Heart(s)

Makes 10 heart shaped little cakes

Ingredients
For The Sponge
100g (4 oz) butter, softened
100g (4 oz) soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
2 large eggs
75g (3 oz) self –raising flour
25g (1 oz) cocoa powder, use a good quality one
10 squares of milk chocolate
For The Butter Icing
50g (2 oz) butter, softened
100g (4 oz) sieved icing sugar
Few drops of milk
For Decoration
Sugar sprinkles of choice like heart shapes, stars, pink & silver sugar balls


You will need a heart shaped mini cake tin or muffin cases if making them into cupcakes. Piping bag and star tip nozzle for the icing

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/Fan 160°/350°F/gas mark 4.

In a large mixing bowl add the butter and sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Next add the soft brown sugar and beat until all combine. Add one egg at a time beating in well each time, then add the vanilla extract and beat in. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder and add this to the mixture folding in with a large metal spoon until all traces of flour have gone.

Place a teaspoonful of mixture into the bottom of each heart shape in the mini heart tin. Take a square of chocolate and place one on top of each heart mixture, then place another teaspoonful of the sponge mixture on top of each heart covering the square of chocolate. Making sure the mixture is no more than three-quarters full or the sponge will overflow when baking.

Place into the oven to bake for 20 –25 minutes or until firm to touch in the middle or a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.

Leave to cool for 5 –10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to fully cool.

To make the buttercream, add the soft butter into a large mixing bowl with the sieved icing sugar, gradually work the butter through the icing sugar adding a few drops of milk until the buttercream is pale and creamy. Place into a piping bag and pipe little stars around the top of the heart cakes. Finally, sprinkle over your choice of sugar sprinkles.