Recipe Index

Ingredients

• cake release spray, for greasing
• 11½oz plain flour, sifted
• 11¼oz caster sugar
• 1½ tbsp baking powder
• 6oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 6¾fl oz whole milk
• 1½ tsp good-quality vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 5½oz egg whites
• 7oz caster sugar
• 14oz butter, softened
• gel food colouring (optional)
• cocktail cherries (optional)

Method

1. Grease two 8-inch round tins with cake release spray and heat the oven to 350°F for the vanilla sponges.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together, then beat in the room-temperature butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
3. Beat the eggs into the crumb mixture, followed by the milk and vanilla, mixing for 2 to 3 minutes until the batter turns smooth and paler.
4. Divide the batter between the tins, level the tops and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick from the centre emerges clean, then cool the layers in their tins for 10 minutes before turning them onto a rack.
5. Warm the egg whites and sugar for the buttercream over a pan of simmering water for about 5 minutes, whisking until the grains dissolve, then whip the bowlful to stiff peaks.
6. Beat the soft butter into the meringue until a fluffy buttercream forms, then stir gel colouring into portions of it for light and dark coral shades, keeping a little white aside.
7. Stack the cooled layers with buttercream, spread a thin crumb coat over the outside and chill the cake for about 10 minutes to firm it.
8. Score the top into quarters, trim away the curved edges of the lower two quarters and attach those pieces to the upper quarters with buttercream so the cake takes a heart shape, then chill it again for 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Cover the heart with a final smooth coat of light coral buttercream, pipe dark coral ruffles around the base and top edges, add a white shell border and finish with cocktail cherries.

Prep: 1 h · Cook: 1 h

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data