I mentioned in a previous post that February is a celebratory month for our family because it includes a lot of events. Two weeks ago we celebrated my daughter's sixth birthday. And for her special day she requested that I invite her entire class plus the class next door as well as all the teachers and other school staff. My husband requested that we invite no one so that he could end up with more cake. Me trying to wrangle 52 kids is the equivalent of a horror show and having a birthday party devoid of friends seemed more like child abuse. Pleasing everyone is a goal not easily achieved. Needless to say, after much discussion (and multiple family meetings involving bribery and various political deliberations akin to the UN summit) we were able to shrink the number down to five kids and a really big massive chocolate heart cake.
It wasn't too hard to find heart shaped pans given that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I had a small 8 inch heart shaped pan but I found a big pan in the bulk barn one day and so I decided to make a two tier heart shaped cake (ambitious, I know). It turned out pretty good. Kids and adults enjoyed it and there was not much left after the day was over.
This would also be perfect as a Valentine's Day cake. ENJOY!
Two Tier Heart Cake (Dairy, Egg & Nut Free)
Serves 24
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
Frosting
1 pack Vanilla instant pudding powder
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 cups Nutriwhip (or any dairy free whipping cream)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
food colouring of choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the big and small heart shape cake pans with dairy free cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil, applesauce, soy milk and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add instant coffee granules to the hot water and pour over mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium/high speed for 1 minute or until no more lumps are present. The batter should be runny. Pour batter into small pan until it is half full. Pour remainder of batter in the big pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check the small cake frequently as it may be done sooner than the larger cake. Let cool in pan for ten minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
When the cake is cooled make the frosting. Combine instant vanilla pudding and soy milk. Whisk until thick. It will be very thick. Set aside then prepare the Nutriwhip. Beat on high speed while gradually adding sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the pudding until thoroughly combined. Frosting should resemble whipped topping in consistency and be fairly stiff in order to pipe easily. Add desired food colouring accordingly.
Assembly:
Place the larger cake layer upside down and cover completely with a thin layer of frosting. Place the small heart layer on top of the big heart, in the centre and cover with a thin layer of frosting as well. Chill for ten minutes while you place the remainder of the frosting into piping bags and choose your desired tip. Set aside. Remove cake from fridge and cover with a thick layer of frosting on top and sides. Smooth out the edges so piping can be more uniform. Decorate cake using a combination of frosting and sprinkles or candy. Store remaining frosting in fridge or freezer.
It wasn't too hard to find heart shaped pans given that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I had a small 8 inch heart shaped pan but I found a big pan in the bulk barn one day and so I decided to make a two tier heart shaped cake (ambitious, I know). It turned out pretty good. Kids and adults enjoyed it and there was not much left after the day was over.
This would also be perfect as a Valentine's Day cake. ENJOY!
Two Tier Heart Cake (Dairy, Egg & Nut Free)
Serves 24
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 cup soy milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/8 cup hot water
1 1/2 Tbsp instant coffee granules
Frosting
1 pack Vanilla instant pudding powder
1 1/2 cups soy milk
2 cups Nutriwhip (or any dairy free whipping cream)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
food colouring of choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the big and small heart shape cake pans with dairy free cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil, applesauce, soy milk and vanilla. Stir until combined. Add instant coffee granules to the hot water and pour over mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients and beat on medium/high speed for 1 minute or until no more lumps are present. The batter should be runny. Pour batter into small pan until it is half full. Pour remainder of batter in the big pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check the small cake frequently as it may be done sooner than the larger cake. Let cool in pan for ten minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
When the cake is cooled make the frosting. Combine instant vanilla pudding and soy milk. Whisk until thick. It will be very thick. Set aside then prepare the Nutriwhip. Beat on high speed while gradually adding sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the pudding until thoroughly combined. Frosting should resemble whipped topping in consistency and be fairly stiff in order to pipe easily. Add desired food colouring accordingly.
Assembly:
Place the larger cake layer upside down and cover completely with a thin layer of frosting. Place the small heart layer on top of the big heart, in the centre and cover with a thin layer of frosting as well. Chill for ten minutes while you place the remainder of the frosting into piping bags and choose your desired tip. Set aside. Remove cake from fridge and cover with a thick layer of frosting on top and sides. Smooth out the edges so piping can be more uniform. Decorate cake using a combination of frosting and sprinkles or candy. Store remaining frosting in fridge or freezer.
