Hidden heart cake

• unsalted butter g

  softened

• golden caster sugar g
• eggs↗6
• self-raising flour g

  sifted

• baking powder↗ tsp
• cocoa powder↗3 tbsp tbsp
• ground almond g
• milk ml
• vanilla extract↗3 tsp tsp
• red food colouring↗28ml ml

  or ½ tsp red food colouring gel

• double cream↗100ml ml
• dark chocolate↗200g g

  finely chopped

• unsalted butter↗50g g
• pink sprinkles↗

  (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease a 900g loaf tin and line with a long strip of baking parchment. Cream 175g butter and 175g sugar until light and fluffy. Beat 3 of the eggs and pour in, a little at a time, mixing after each addition. Sift together 140g flour, 1⁄2 tsp baking powder and the cocoa, then fold into the butter mixture along with the almonds. Combine 100ml milk, 1½ tsp vanilla and all the food colouring and add to the batter, then mix until evenly coloured.

2. 2

   Pour into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 1 hr 10 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack. When cool, cut the cake into 4cm slices. Using a 5cm cutter, stamp out the hearts (save any remaining cake for another treat).

3. 3

   Repeat step 1 to make a second cake mixture – you won’t have cocoa or food colour in this batch. Pour 3⁄4 of the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Push the bottoms of the hearts into the batter in a tightly packed row. Spoon over the remaining cake mixture, covering as much of the hearts as possible. bake for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for 10 mins in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. 4

   For the icing, gently heat all the ingredients over a low heat until combined. Leave to cool, then chill until needed. Spread over the cooled cake and decorate with the sprinkles, if using. Will keep for 3 days stored in a cake tin.