Chocolate Vanilla Heart Surprise Cake

Once again, I caved to the heart-shaped tug of Valentine’s Day and decided to do a chocolate version of this pink heart surprise cake from many years ago. I’m still not very sure what this kind of cake is actually called, but Google some combination ‘hidden’, ‘surprise’, ‘heart’, ‘inside’, and you’ll find it! It’s very easy to make, so cute to look at, and a quick chocolate sauce on top finishes it off perfectly. Let’s bake!

First, you make a small chocolate cake, slice it horizontally into two, and cut out tiny hearts. I used a smaller cutter this time and tweaked the batter to make room for cocoa unlike the food colour version I’d made earlier. Because this is a mini loaf, the horizontal slicing make it easier to cut out more hearts. If you prefer to slice the cake normally, you’d need a much smaller cutter though because the slices themselves are small. I like this proportion of heart to the rest of the slice though!

Chocolate chips melted with just a little butter make the easiest topping that sets into a ganache-like consistency. It’s so good with the vanilla part of the cake! All butter cakes dry out faster than oil-based cakes though, so this one is best stored at room temperature and in fact, I like it best when freshly made.

I like this mini size for the perfect cute Valentines/Galentine’s dessert but you can certainly double it for a 9 inch loaf and in that case, it’s possible to cut the chocolate cake into regular slices instead of horizontally since it would then be large enough.

There’s some step-by-step photos after the recipe and lots of details in the recipe itself. I hope you enjoy making and eating this cake!

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Chocolate Vanilla Heart Surprise Cake

A buttery, mini loaf cake with vanilla cake on the outside and a surprise chocolate heart on the inside!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Makes: 6 slices

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Ingredients

  

For the chocolate batter

• 1/4 cup butter, at room temp (55 gms)
• 1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
• 1 egg, at room temp (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40 gms)
• 2 tbsps cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter

For the vanilla batter

• 1/2 cup butter, at room temp (115 gms)
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
• 2 eggs, at room temp
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter

For the topping

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (40 gms)
• 1 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted (15 gms)

Instructions

• First, make the chocolate batter. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 6x4 loaf pan (see notes) and then line it with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy, using a hand mixer on medium speed for best results. This is a small amount of butter and sugar so it won't become super creamy, that's ok. Add the egg and vanilla, beat to combine.
• Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together into the bowl. Fold to combine. The batter is thick and should remain that way for sturdier slices, but if you find it excessively thick, add a tiny splash of milk. Spread into the prepared tin and smoothen the top.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then lift using the overhang and place on a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes.
• Now place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to help firm it up. Then, slice it in half horizontally. Use a 1-inch wide heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the hearts. (See photos below). I got about 10 hearts and ended up fitting 8 of them in the vanilla batter. Place the hearts on a tray and freeze while you complete the next steps. Tip: also freeze the cake scraps and crumble them over ice cream!
• Rinse and thoroughly dry your cake pan, mixing bowl and beaters, along with any spoons or spatulas you plan to reuse. Make sure there is no chocolate batter left on anything. Grease and line your loaf pan again.
• Now make the vanilla batter. Follow the same method as the chocolate batter, (beat the butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, then fold in dry ingredients), except that this time, you're not adding any cocoa.
• Get the frozen chocolate hearts out and spread a thick layer of the vanilla batter on the bottom and sides of the loaf tin, making sure you have enough reserved for the top. Arrange the chocolate hearts close together in one straight line, in the center of the tin. Spoon the remaining batter around the edges and on the top, making sure the hearts are completely covered.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the center or around the sides comes out clean, but start checking for doneness at 35 minutes. If the top is browning too fast, cover it loosely with foil.
• When the cake is done, allow it cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove it using the paper overhang and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the topping, combine the chocolate chips and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high in ten second increments, until melted. Do not over heat the chocolate, stir gently to melt down any lumps that may remain. Spread immediately onto the top of the cake. Slice and dig in!
• This cake is best eaten immediately when it's soft and buttery. It can be stored in an airtight tin at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, but if it's hot and humid, store it in the fridge for a week. Butter cakes can dry up or harden once refrigerated, so bring the slices back to room temperature before eating, or gently reheat to restore softness. Happy baking!

Notes

*Watch this cake come together on Instagram!

*For a regular sized 9x5 loaf cake, double the entire recipe. The difference is that for the chocolate cake, you can slice it the regular way and then cut it into hearts with a 2 inch cookie cutter, since it'll be large enough to do that.

*Here is an eggless butter cake you can try if you don't eat eggs. I haven't tried it in this 'heart surprise cake' form, but the flavours are similar.