Heart Shaped Cakes Little House Food

HEART-SHAPED CAKES (LITTLE HOUSE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and nutmeg.
• With cold fingers (dipped in cold water and dried), rub the cold lard into the dry ingredients.
• Make a well in the center, add buttermilk, and work with one hand into a dough that can be rolled out.
• Dust rolling surface with flour. Shape the dough into a ball and roll it out into an 8 inch circle.
• With a table knife dipped in flour, cut the circle in half, then the halves in thirds, to produce six equal wedges. Shape each wedge into a heart.
• Grease baking sheet and place hearts on it so they do not touch. Bake for 15 minutes, until cakes are puffy and nicely browned.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle tops immediately with sugar (the crystals will melt slightly and stick).
• When cool, wrap with blue tissue paper, the traditional wrapping of white sugar crystals, for gift giving.

MINI HEART-SHAPED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, butter parchment, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1/4 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and shortening on high speed until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Into another medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
• In a small bowl, mix together vinegar and baking soda until baking soda dissolves; mixture will fizz. Add to batter and mix until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
• Cook cake completely on a wire rack. Using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 hearts.
• Place 4 strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy susan. Place 1 layer on the cake plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake; top with another heart, bottom side up. Cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
• Remove cakes from the refrigerator and cover each cake with a generous layer of frosting, smoothing as you go around to create a flat surface.
• Place chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip; decorate as desired.

EASY HEART-SHAPED CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan and an 8-inch round pan. Line bottoms with parchment or wax paper. Grease paper and dust lightly with flour.
• Beat white sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined.
• Stir flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in another bowl.
• Beat 1 cup dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined. Add 1/2 cup milk; beat until combined. Continue adding 1 cup dry ingredients and 1/2 cup milk, beating after each addition, until all are used and batter is smooth. Divide evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
• Beat butter and vanilla together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating after each addition and adding milk as needed, until frosting is fluffy, smooth, and spreadable.
• Remove 1/3 cup frosting and divide between 2 small bowls. Tint 1 dark pink with red food coloring. Tint the other orange-pink with red and yellow food coloring. Tint remaining frosting light pink with red food coloring.
• Set square cake on a work surface and rotate 45 degrees so that it resembles a diamond. Spread a little light pink frosting on left and right top sides of the diamond. Cut round cake in half crosswise to make 2 half-moons. Attach half-moons to top left and top right sides of diamond, gently pressing cake pieces together to adhere. Spread remaining light pink frosting over the assembled cake. Drop spoonfuls of dark pink and pink-orange frosting onto cake. Drag an offset spatula through frosting to create a marbled look.
• Pat sprinkles onto the sides of the cake. Chill, covered, for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing into 16 pieces.