Name: Hidden heart cake
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 2 h 20 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Yield: Cuts into 8-10 slices
Ingredients: 2 x 175g unsalted butter softened; 2 x 175g golden caster sugar; 6 large eggs; 2 x 140g self-raising flour sifted; 2 x ½ tsp baking powder; 3 tbsp cocoa powder; 2 x 85g ground almond; 2 x 100ml milk; 3 tsp vanilla extract; 28ml bottle red food colouring or ½ tsp red food colouring gel; 100ml double cream; 200g dark chocolate finely chopped; 50g unsalted butter; pink sprinkles (optional)

For the cake

2 x 175g unsalted butter
softened
2 x 175g golden caster sugar
6 large eggs
2 x 140g self-raising flour
sifted
2 x ½ tsp baking powder
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 x 85g ground almond
2 x 100ml milk
3 tsp vanilla extract
28ml bottle red food colouring
or ½ tsp red food colouring gel

For the icing

100ml double cream
200g dark chocolate
finely chopped
50g unsalted butter
pink sprinkles
(optional)

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with a long strip of baking parchment. Cream 175g butter and 175g sugar until light and fluffy. Beat 3 of the eggs and pour in, a little at a time, mixing after each addition. Sift together 140g flour, 1⁄2 tsp baking powder and the cocoa, then fold into the butter mixture along with the almonds. Combine 100ml milk, 11⁄2 tsp vanilla and all the food colouring and add to the batter, then mix until evenly coloured.
step 2
Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hr 10 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, cut the cake into 4cm slices. Using a 5cm cutter, stamp out the hearts (save any remaining cake for another treat).
step 3
Repeat step 1 to make a second cake mixture – you won’t have cocoa or food colour in this batch. Pour 3⁄4 of the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Push the bottoms of the hearts into the batter in a tightly packed row. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, covering as much of the hearts as possible. bake for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
step 4
For the icing, gently heat all the ingredients over a low heat until combined. Leave to cool, then chill until needed. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with the sprinkles, if using. Will keep for 3 days stored in a cake tin.