Surprise Hidden Heart Cake

Slice this delicious heart cake and find the surprise heart shaped design running through the middle.....how gorgeous can it be!! Just perfect to win anyone's heart over.

This is like something out of Ripleys believe it or not, isnt it? 

At least that is what I thought when I first saw the cake. I was amazed at how a heart shape came to be so perfectly designed inside another cake. This cake left such an indelible mark on my mind that ever since I saw it I have been itching to try it out. It has been on my wish list of things to try out at least once in my lifetime since long and finally I am able to strike it out. Yay!!

But believe me this has no magic trick. In fact when you go through the recipe you will see just how simple it is and yet so effective.

I kind of took a shortcut by using a store bought cake mix as there was just too much going on that day. Aren't we all allowed to cheat sometimes and what really matters is the thought behind the dish. In case you don't want to be lazy like me and want to have the real deal follow this great recipe of Martha Stewart's Classic pound cake and make two times the recipe as we need two cakes.

So here goes; the secret is unveiled to the great magic cake.....Go ahead and surprise your loved ones with this cute little heart baked inside the cake.

Recipe inspired by Martha Stewart's Hidden Heart Cake

Serves 10-12

prep time: 30 mins

cooking time 30 min plus 30 minutes

1 box Betty Crocker super moist devil food cake

1 box Betty Crocker super moist yellow cake mix

1/2 tsp red food coloring gel

A small cookie cutter

A 5 X 9 inch loaf pan

First take the yellow cake mix and following the directions given behind the box mix up the ingredients inside the box. Once that is done add the red coloring gel to the yellow cake mix.

Pour the prepared batter in a 5 by 9 inch loaf pan and bake according to the instructions. Once the cake is baked cooled and removed from the pan, transfer it to the freezer for about 20 minutes as it is much easier to cut a frozen cake.

Take a serrated knife and cut the entire loaf into thick 3/4 inch to 1 inch slices. Then use the cookie cutter to cut hearts from the center of each slice. (I actually managed to get two hearts from  1 slice. You can do that if you position cutter carefully and start from one extreme corner of a slice) 

Once your hearts are done, go ahead and prepare your second batch of chocolate batter following the instructions given behind the box, For best results use the same loaf pan you used for the first cake. Be sure the pan is very clean and re-greased. Place a very thin layer of batter on the bottom of the loaf pan.

Then carefully stack the hearts in an upright position inside the pan in a straight line. Gently press the bottom point of the hearts into the layer of batter on the bottom of the pan. 

Pour the remaining batter on the sides of the hearts and then top of the hearts. make sure that they are completely covered with the batter. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the top surface, then bake as per the instructions given behind the box. To make sure the cake is fully baked insert a toothpick near the centre till it comes out clean.

Once the hidden heart cake is baked, tranfer to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Then remove from the pan and cool it completely, 

Slice and surprise. 

Poached Pears with Chantilly Cream

This Valentine's Day try out this elegant dessert for your loved one or even for yourself. It not only looks exquisite but tastes amazingly delicious too!! 

Though normally the pears are poached in Red Wine,  I altered the recipe a bit and instead poached the pears in pomegranate juice just so that the kids could enjoy it too. The effect was as striking as I got a beautiful dark red color on the peaches after they got poached. 

The melt-in-the-mouth soft peaches poached in the aromatic, velvety sauce leaves your taste buds screaming aloud for more and the best part is that they are so simple to make. These canbe prepared ahead of time and would be great to make for a big gathering.

Served with whipped cream they were delicious and I am already getting requests from my kids to make them again.

Serves 4-6        

Prep time: 15 min               Cooking time: 45 min

Ingredients

4 pears slightly under ripe

1 quart pomegranate juice (you can also use cherry or grape juice)

1 lemon cut in half

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 cinnamon stick

3 cloves

For the whipped cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

Peel the pears and then cut them in half from top to bottom.

 Use a small spoon to remove the seed bail.

Add the lemon halves, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves and place the pot over medium heat.

 Place the pears in a medium sized pot just big enough to hold them.

 When the liquid just begins to steam, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low.

Cook for about 45 minutes and then test the pears to see if they are cooked.

They should be tender but not falling apart.

When the pears are cooked, remove them from the liquid with a slotted spoon and then set them aside.

Reduce the liquid by cooking it over medium heat until it begins to thicken just a little, about 15 minutes.

Return the pears to the liquid and allow to cool.

Finish off with a serving of Chantilly cream on top. 

For the whipped cream combine the whipped cream, powdered sugar and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium high speed until soft peak forms.

Serve the poached pears with the Chantilly cream or Vanilla ice cream,

Strawberry Shortcake with Creme Chantilly: Celebrating Love

"Wine comes in at the mouth,  

And love comes in at the eye;

 That’s all we shall know for truth,  

Before we grow old and die.

I lift the glass to my mouth, 

I look at you, and I sigh."

                                       - (WB Yeats, A Drinking Song)

Its that time of year again when the whole world celebrates Love with Flowers, wine and chocolates. Valentine's Day is just around the corner and "love" is literally on display everywhere you go. 

Card? Chocolates? Flowers? A romantic dinner for two? An expensive gift? It actually can get quite crazy trying to think of the perfect git for your Valentine to show them how much you care for them. Or save yourself the trouble and bake this gorgeous cake for your sweetheart to add sweetness to your Valentine's Day. After all as they say," A way to a man's (or should I say your Valentine's) heart is through their stomach!!" Try out this simple shortcake, filled with layers of whipped cream and strawberries to make a great impression.

By the way, do you know the story about why Valentin's Day is celebrated? Well, long. long time ago there was a selfless priest called valentine who stood up to the Roman emperor Claudius II when he outlawed marriage in 278 AD as he decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and children. Valentine realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Valentine was beheaded for his insolence and before his execution he wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, possible after falling in love with the young girl who visited him during his confinement, which was signed 'From your Valentine'. In 496 AD, February 14 was declared Valentine's day, dedicated to celebrating lovers. 

So here's Cheers to all of you celebrating your love and your loved ones. 

I will leave you here with these beautiful lines from Shakespeare's sonnets:

“Love is not love which alters it when alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; it is the star to every wandering bark whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle's compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out, even to the edge of doom." (Sonnet 116)” 

― William Shakespeare

Prep time: 20 minutes

cooking time: 35 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter cut into chunks

2 large eggs

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, more depending on desired sweetness

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:

For the shortcake: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or by hand. 

Whisk the egg and add to the dry ingredients. 

Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead lightly several times to form a ball. (dough will be grainy). 

Press into a heart shaped cake pan. 

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until barely golden brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

For the strawberries: Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat. Remove half the strawberries and mash them with a potato masher till they are soft and syrupy. Keep aside. Slice the rest of the strawberries horizontally.

For the whipped cream: Combine the whipped cream, powdered sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium high speed until soft peaks form.

To assemble : Cut the cake horizontally into half. Place one half of the sliced cake onto a serving platter. Spoon some of the mashed strawberry syrup on the cake to soak it completely. Top with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.

Carefully put the top layer of cake, cut side down over the strawberries. Spread the Chantilly cream to cover the top completely. Decorate it with sliced strawberries and extra swirls of cream.