Cook With Brie. : sugar

As valentine’s day is rapidly approaching, I thought it would be right to post something festive. So here is a cute cake and although not the easiest, it is rather impressive!

Ingredients you will need:

(Cake 1)

150g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar
175g unsalted soften butter
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
85g ground almonds
100ml milk
2 tbsp cocoa power
Red food colouring
1 1/2 tsp strawberry flavouring - you can use vanilla instead if you wish

(Cake 2)

175g self-raising flour
175g caster sugar
175g unsalted soften butter
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
85g ground almonds
100ml milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C if fan assisted). Now grease a 900g loaf tin and line with greaseproof baking paper.

Step 2: Next put the sugar and butter for cake 1 into a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy, it is easiest to do this either in a electric mixing bowl or using a hand held electric whisk.

Step 3: Then beat together the 3 eggs and add to the butter and sugar in small amounts, mixing in-between until all is combined.

Step 4: Now sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa into the bowl, add the almonds and gently fold into the mixture.

Step 5: Now combine the milk and flavouring (either strawberry or vanilla) and add to the batter. Then add small amounts of food colouring until the mixture is evenly coloured and at the colour you want.

Step 6: Then pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. You will know it is baked if you insert a skewer into the middle of the cake and it comes out clean. Now cool for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Step 7: When cool, cut the cake into about 4cm slices and then using a 5cm cutter, stamp out the hearts.

Step 8: Now for cake 2. Use the same loaf tin as before and grease and line it again. Now repeat what you did for cake 1 but you won’t have cocoa or food colouring in this batch and your strawberry flavouring will also be vanilla. Stop when all the ingredients are combined in the bowl.

Step 9: When you have got to this stage pour 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Next push the bottoms of the hearts into this batter in a tight row. Then cover the hearts with the rest of the mixture covering the hearts as much as you can.

Step 10: Bake for 1 hour at the same temperature as before and again use the skewer technique to check it has baked properly. Cool for around 10 minutes in the tin and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 11: Decorate however you choose! Dust with icing sugar and valentines sprinkles for a simple but effective look or smother in chocolate icing, its really up to you!

Step 12: Enjoy!