This hidden heart Valentine’s Day pound cake recipe is light, fluffy, and buttery, and absolutely perfect for Valentine’s Day with pink hearts in the middle of the slices. This cake makes a beautiful dessert for Valentine’s with the heart in the centre served with cups of tea or coffee, and dollops of whipped cream.
Making the pound cake may look like a challenge, but you will be surprised by how easy it is to make. To make it, first, you make a batter with eggs, sugar, yogurt, butter, vanilla, lemon zest, flour, cornstarch, and baking powder until combined. Then, a portion of the batter gets mixed with red food coloring to make it pink before it gets baked in a cake pan. After that, the pink cake is cut into hearts which get placed in the centre of the remaining batter in a loaf pan before being baked in the oven. The resulting loaf has the most buttery and airy texture while looking perfect to enjoy on February 14th!
What is Hidden Heart Valentine’s Day Pound Cake?
This cake is a traditional pound cake with a twist. This type of cake originated in England and got its name from the fact that it is usually made with just four ingredients including flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, and that you use 1 pound of each of those ingredients.
This Valentine’s Day pound cake is a little different as it has other ingredients like yogurt and cornstarch, but they give it the best texture ever by lightening up the batter and adding moisture. This cake also has cake hearts in the middle of the loaf rather than it being straight white cake.
Pro Tips
- Make sure the melted butter is cooled slightly before you use it in your batter as you don’t want to curdle the eggs.
- When portioning out the batter for the hearts, it is best to weigh it out to ensure that you leave enough batter for the loaf itself.
- Once the dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients, don’t overmix or else the cake may become dry.
- To test the doneness of the cake, it should spring back when you push into it with your finger. You can also insert a toothpick or cake skewer in its centre to see if it comes out clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Secret to a Good Pound Cake?
The secret to a good pound cake is not overmixing it once the dry ingredients are added in as this can produce a drier cake. Earlier in the process, you can thoroughly mix the eggs with the sugar so that the sugar dissolves and the eggs gain volume. Then, you simply add the remaining ingredients and beat them in until the batter is just combined.
Why is it Called Pound Cake?
The term “pound cake” comes from the fact that the original recipe uses 1 pound each of flour, eggs, butter, and sugar.
What are Some Common Pound Cake Mistakes?
One of the most common mistakes that people make when preparing pound cake is not measuring their ingredients accurately as this can result in a cake that is tough or dry. The most accurate way to measure is to weigh your ingredients. This way, you won’t accidentally pack extra flour into your baking cups.
How to Store Hidden Heart Valentine’s Day Pound Cake
This cake can be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you could wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
How to Make Hidden Heart Valentine’s Day Pound Cake
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is frothy.
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is frothy.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving!
Beat in the butter, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon zest until combined.
Sift in the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder, and beat until a smooth batter forms.
Remove 300g of the batter and place it in another bowl. Blend it with red food coloring until it is a bright pink color.
Pour the pink batter into a parchment-lined 19cm x 19 cm square cake pan and bake it in a 338 F (170 C) oven for 15 minutes.
Once cooled, cut the cake into hearts.
Pour half of the remaining batter into a parchment-lined 25 cm x 10 cm loaf pan. Arrange the hearts down the middle.
Top it with the remaining batter and bake in a 360 F (180 C) oven for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving!
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