Rich and chocolatey with a nice close textured crumb which keeps its shape when cut. The cakes are sandwiched and topped with a delicious rose flavoured white chocolate icing. If you don't fancy hearts, this recipe will make twelve cupcakes instead.
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Total Time50 minutesmins
Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: cake, chocolate, frosting, icing, valentine's day, white chocolate
Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods and grind them with a pestle and mortar.
6 cardamom pods
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar and cardamom together until light and fluffy.
150 g unsalted butter - softened, 150 g golden caster sugar
Melt the chocolate, with the milk, in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling water. Leave to cool slightly.
125 g dark chocolate, 3 tbsp milk
Beat the eggs into the creamed mixture one at a time. If it looks like it's going to curdle at any point, mix in a spoonful of the flour.
3 free range eggs
Beat in the chocolate mixture.
Sieve the remaining flour, cocoa, baking powder and bicarb of soda into the bowl and stir until everything is just about incorporated.
200 g wholemeal flour, 1 tbsp cocoa powder, ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 tsp baking powder
Divide the cake batter between 4 x 10 cm heart shaped silicone moulds or 12 lined cupcake holes. Or, you can do as I did and use half of the batter for two heart shaped moulds and the rest as six cupcakes/
Bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for 25 minutes or until the cakes are well risen and firm to the touch.
Allow the heart cakes to cool for five minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Turn the cupcakes out onto a wire rack more or less immediately.
Slice the cooled heart cakes in half.
Sandwich them together with some of the white chocolate icing.
Spread the remaining icing over the tops of the cakes and over the cupcakes.
If liked, use a heart shaped cutter as a guide and sprinkle some pink sugar crystals over the cakes.
Scatter some sugar crystals over the cupcakes.
White Chocolate Icing
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling water.
100 g good quality white chocolate
Cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
140 g unsalted butter - softened, 140 g icing sugar
Beat in the white chocolate along with the rose water.
2 tsp rose water
Notes
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.