Raspberry Heart Cake
Ingredients
Cake
280g plain flour
200g sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
250g milk
125g light olive oil or any neutral-tasting oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
160g fresh raspberries
Quick raspberry jam (or use Harris Farm raspberry jam)
95g fresh or frozen raspberries
20g sugar, or to taste
7g flour
Buttercream
225g butter (room temperature block butter or chilled spreadable)
400g icing sugar, or to taste
2 ½ tablespoons freeze-dried raspberry powder, strawberry powder or beetroot powder, to colour and taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
30g milk, as needed
Fresh berries, to decorate
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (conventional oven) or 160°C (fan oven). Line 2 x 15cm round cake tins with baking paper.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Add the milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla and mix until just combined and there are no big lumps. Fold through the raspberries.
3. Divide the batter between the cake tins, making sure the raspberries haven’t clumped together. Bake the cakes for 43 to 48 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the centre and it comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. To make the quick jam, add the raspberries and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Mash the berries with the back of a fork and cook until the raspberries have broken down.
5. In a small bowl, mix the corn flour with a dash of water until combined. Add the slurry to the raspberry mixture and stir immediately. Cook the mixture until thickened. For a thinner jam, add a dash of water or lemon juice. For a thicker jam, cook for longer. Allow the jam to fully cool.
6. To make the buttercream, add the butter to a large bowl (if using a hand mixer) or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar, any fruit/vegetable powders and vanilla and whip until well combined. If desired, add some milk for a softer buttercream or more powder to colour.
7. If your cakes have any domes, trim them off with a serrated knife.
8. To assemble the cake, cut two ‘edges’ off both cake layers, so the edge will have a point (this is the bottom of the heart). Place one cake layer on a serving plate and use a little frosting to stick the edges on the other side of the cake. Cut a little triangle between the two ‘edges’ to make a heart shape. Top the cake with the frosting and jam and sandwich with the remaining cake. Repeat the process with the second cake to make another heart shape. Spread the buttercream on top and the sides of the cake and decorate with fresh berries.
9. Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge on a hot day, or at room temperature or a cooler day.
