To all mothers out there : Happy Mother’s Day!

To my mummy : Thank you for being so awesome all the time. Caring and loving us unconditionally. Love you very much! (:

I decided to bake a cake for both my mum and my baby’s mum. and was looking through blogs to get inspiration. Then it hit me when I saw a post on I am Baker : Heart Cake .

It’s not literally a cake that looks like a heart. It’s a heart in a cake! What better cake to bake for my mum right? hehe When I saw the steps to making it, I was a little taken aback. Firstly, big cakes aren’t really my thing. Secondly, neither is high layered cakes. haha so yes. I was taking a very huge risk! But I told myself, if I pull this off, it would all be worth it!

Like I am Baker, I used a white cake and filled it with red velvet cake to make the heart in the cake and topped it with buttercream icing. hehe The oohs and ahhs when the cake was cut made me smile, but sadly, the icing was too sweet for anyone’s liking! So I decided that when I do make it again, I should use a cream cheese icing instead. But well, I think the cake was yummy and the sweetness might still be bearable if u eat it with a cup of hot tea! haha but yes. Definitely changing the icing. hehe

The piece that was cut out had a nicer heart shape! haha the bigger piece looked like a butt according to my mum haha. I made a U-bottom heart instead of a V-bottom. Bad cutting skills!

overall, I enjoyed the making process very much. Though it was very time consuming. But the end result was worth every single minute working on it and also the smile on my mum’s face! Plus I found out it was difficult trying to surprise my mum. She would continuously ask questions. haha. (:

So here’s the recipe adapted from I am Baker! I won’t be writing the step by step cause her explanation is very very clear! and she has step by step pictures. hehe So hop over to her blog and give this cute cake a shot!

Red Velvet Cake

3 1/3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature plus 2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.

2. Grease and lightly flour three 9 x 2-inch round cake pans, then line the bottoms with waxed paper.

3. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the egg yolks and mix well.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

5. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour (starting with the flour, and ending with flour). With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.

6. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

7. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the layers cool in the pans for 1 hour. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

8. Using a fork, break up the cake into crumbs. Add a cup of the icing and combine well.

White Cake

(need about 3 portions of these for a 9-inch cake and a 5-inch cake)

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.

5. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into cake pan (one recipe makes 4 8-inch round pans). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Level each cake and they are ready for the icing!

Buttercream Icing

(I needed 2 portions)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Steps :

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.

2. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar.

3. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Thank you for everything again mummy. ♥