Description
This Hidden Heart Cake Recipe creates a delightful surprise inside a classic pound cake. Featuring vibrant red heart shapes embedded within a moist vanilla pound cake, this dessert is perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion. The cake is baked in two stages, with a red pound cake formed into heart shapes chilled before being encased in vanilla batter and baked again. A simple powdered sugar glaze and festive Valentine’s sprinkles finish this charming treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Red Heart Pound Cake
- 1 box (16-ounce) pound cake mix
- Ingredients listed on the box (typically eggs, water, and butter)
- Red food coloring gel, as needed
- Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
Vanilla Pound Cake Batter
- 1 box (16-ounce) pound cake mix
- Ingredients listed on the box (typically eggs, water, and butter)
- Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
- Parchment paper, for lining pans
Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Decoration
- Valentine’s sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal later.
- Prepare Red Cake Batter: Mix one box of pound cake mix with the eggs, water, and butter as specified on the package until smooth. Add red food coloring gel gradually, stirring until you achieve a vibrant red color.
- Pour and Bake Red Cake: Pour the red batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top carefully. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Red Cake: Remove the red cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then lift it out using the parchment and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Cut Heart Shapes: Once cooled, slice the red cake into ½ to ¾-inch thick slices. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out heart shapes from each slice. You might get two hearts from larger slices. Place hearts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes until firm.
- Prepare Vanilla Batter: Prepare the vanilla pound cake batter by mixing the other box of pound cake mix with eggs, water, and butter as directed. Lightly spray and line another 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Assemble Hidden Heart Cake: Remove chilled hearts from the refrigerator and arrange them tightly in a straight row down the center of the prepared loaf pan. Use scrap cake pieces as wedges if needed to stabilize the hearts.
- Pour Vanilla Batter Around Hearts: Slowly pipe or spoon the vanilla pound cake batter around and over the arranged hearts, starting from the bottom and moving upward. Ensure the hearts are fully covered without shifting.
- Bake Assembled Cake: Bake at 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the sides and pressing the top lightly to see if it springs back. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly during the last 15 minutes.
- Cool Assembled Cake: Let the pound cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out with parchment and cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
- Make Glaze: Whisk powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla extract until thick and pourable. Add up to 1 more tablespoon milk if needed to thin the glaze.
- Decorate Cake: Drizzle glaze generously over the cooled cake. Immediately sprinkle Valentine’s sprinkles before the glaze sets. Slice carefully to reveal the hidden heart design inside.
Notes
- Chill the hearts to keep their shape and ensure the heart design stays crisp.
- Keep the row of hearts tight in the pan to avoid gaps that could break the heart line when slicing.
- Fill the pan gently with vanilla batter around the hearts to prevent shifting and distortion of the heart shapes.
- Check cake doneness by inserting a toothpick; it should come out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before glazing to keep the glaze thick and prevent it from running.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 1/12th of cake)
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
