Juliet's Mother's Day cake made from the heart
What could be better than an edible Mother’s day gift?
With just a few simple cheats, Juliet helps us give the gift of love in the form of a heart-shaped cake.
Easy to do and sure to impress - this Mothering Sunday will be sweeter than ever.
Mother's Day heart cake
Makes 1 cake to serve about 12-16 portions
Ingredients
For the sponge cake
200g salted butter, softened at room temperature
200g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or bean paste
4 medium eggs
200g self raising flour
Frosting - this makes enough for the piped cake, but if you are making the truffle and chocolate finger biscuit version, you’ll only need half of this amount
500g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1kg sifted icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
Jam, optional
Yellow strong food colouring gels
To decorate
Chocolate fingers, enough to cover the edge of cake
Mum’s favourite truffles
Alternatives
Ganache
Berries or chocolate dipped strawberries
Gold leaf
OR
Easy buttercream, to pipe shapes
Method
1. Grease, base and side line 2 x 20cm round cake tins. Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time until incorporated, add the flour slowly until mixed.
3. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden and cooked through and a cake tester comes out clean in the centre, leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely
4. Make the frosting by beating the butter and vanilla until creamy then add the icing sugar gradually, combining on slow speed until the powder disappears, then beat on high until fluffy and light.
5. Sandwich the cakes together with buttercream (and jam if you like) crumb coat all over with a thin layer of frosting and chill until firm.
6. Once set, use a large bread knife to mark a cross in the middle of the cake, so you have marks around the edge at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock positions.
7. Now cut off a half moon shape from the top on each side, so once between 12 and 9 and then another between 12 and 3. Remove the pieces. You’ll be left with one side pointed. When you now assemble the cake it’s best to do this on a cake stand, board or plate, whatever you’re using as it will be tricky to move, unless you use a sheet of baking paper underneath then it can be moved it you set it in the fridge again
8. Using extra frosting, spread some around the rounded edges of the sponge
9. Take the off cuts and place them against the large cake, rounded sides outwards and using your palms press them onto the cake to form the rounded humps of the heart shape, then spread over with extra frosting to smooth over and join, filling any cracks.
10. To decorate, divide the buttercream into three and tint to your mum’s favourite colours. Load into individual piping bags then decorate to create the piped effect.
11. This cake could also be covered in ganache or frosting or rough iced. You could even place chocolate fingers around the edge, then allow to chill and fill with mixed berries or chocolates of your choice. It’s a great cake to customise for your mum or mother figure as you can tailor it to their favourite fillings.