This cake is not only incredibly yummy, it’s also in the shape of an adorable heart! Perfect as a Valentines treat, or for all those little princesses out there. This recipe makes enough for six 10cm (4in) heart-shaped cake tins but of course you can use standard shapes and embrace Valentines in the decoration! The number of cakes made therefore will depend on the depth of your tins.
Heart Shaped Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache ingredients:
Cake:
- 150g (5½oz) unsalted butter, softened, plus 1 tbsp, melted
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 200g (7oz) plain chocolate, chopped
- 150g (5½oz) caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs, separated
- 75g (2¾oz) ground almonds
- 2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries (optional)
- Pinch of salt
- Fresh raspberries to decorate! (optional)
Ganache:
- 200g (7oz) dark chocolate (3 of our dark chocolate bars)
- 75g (2¾oz) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp double cream
Heart Shaped Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Coat the insides of the tins with the melted butter and dust with 1tbsp of the plain flour, tapping out any excess.
- Melt the chopped chocolate either in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave on a low setting. Stir until smooth and set aside.
- Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and stir until combined. Add the cooled melted chocolate and stir again. Mix the remaining 2tbsp of plain flour with the ground almonds, freeze-dried raspberries (if using) and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly!
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they reach stiff peaks. Stir one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, and then, using a large metal spoon, fold in the remainder.
- Line the bases of the cake tins with baking parchment and divide the mixture between them. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes. Leave to cool in the tines for 5 minutes, then run a palette knife around the edges to transfer the cakes to a cooling-rack.
- To make the ganache: melt together the chocolate, butter and double cream either using pan method or microwave on low setting. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken slightly. Using a palette knife, spread the ganache over the top of each cake and leave to set before decorating the edges with fresh raspberries or any other treats that take your fancy.
Remember, you can use any of our our delicious flavoured bars for this recipe.