Easy Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake

4 from 1 ratings

What says true love better than a dessert in the shape of a heart? This simple cake recipe requires no special baking pan, just a little ingenuity and a lot of love.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder, plus more for pans
1½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ cup sugar
1½ teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
3/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoon safflower oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2¼ cup confectioners' sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
6 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
9 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup creme fraiche, or sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans (2 inches deep); dust with cocoa. Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer. Beat on low speed until just combined. Raise speed to medium, and add eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes. Bake two 8-inch cakes, placing part of the batter in a round pan, the rest in a square pan.
Divide batter between pans. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Turn out from pans. Transfer, face up, to wire racks. Let cool completely, level the tops, and cut the round cake in half. Arrange as shown, leveled sides down, then frost to finish
Sift together sugar, cocoa, and salt.
Beat cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Reduce speed to medium-low; gradually add sugar-cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Pour in chocolate in a slow, steady stream. Add crème fraîche; beat until combined.
Spread 2 cups chocolate frosting onto top of 1 cooled layer. Top with remaining layer; frost top and sides with remaining 2 cups frosting.