EGGLESS HEART SHAPED BLACK FOREST CAKE

Hey all.. This blog is doubly special for me :-) 
as this is my first blog and it is going to be about
 the cake I baked from scratch for my hubby's birthday :-) 
I am very very happy about the end results..
 I did trail runs n tons of experiments before I baked
 this cake.. Many of my friends and relatives asked me
 if I used heart shaped pan to bake the cake.. 
But actually I used a square shaped  and round shaped cake
 pans to bake respective shapes & from those made heart shaped cake.. 
Following pictures will clearly explain how to make a heart shaped cake..
 Trust me if I can bake a cake then anybody can do it..
Cheers :-)

Eggless heart shaped black forest cake recipe:

Recipe cuisine: Indian / Recipe category: Dessert
Prep time: 60 mins / cook time: 35 mins
FOR THE CAKE:
Plain flour / All purpose flour / Maida : 3 cups (1&1/2 cups for square cake / 1&1/2 cups for round cake)
Coco powder : 6 tblsp (3 tblsp for square cake & 3 for round cake)
Sugar : 2 cups ( 1 for square cake & 1 for round cake)
Unsalted butter / Oil (I used olive oil) : 1/2 cup (1/4 for square cake & 1/4 for round cake)
Baking soda : 2 tsp (1 tsp for square cake & 1 for round cake)
Lemon juice / vinegar : 2 tblsp ( 1 for square & 1 for round cake)
Water : 2 cups (1 cup for square & 1 cup for round cake)
Salt : 1/2 tsp (1/4 for square & 1/4 for round)
Vanilla essence (optional) : 2 tblsp (1 for square & 1 for round cake)
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 375 F or 180 deg C. Sieve the flour, 
coco powder & baking soda and mix properly without any lumps.
                                                                                

Mix water  and sugar & make sure sugar dissolves completely in water..
 add salt , vinegar, oil and vanilla essence..
                                                   

                               

Mix dry & wet ingredients without any lumps. 
  Grease baking tray with butter & pour the batter.
Bake for 35 - 40 mins or till a toothpick comes out dry.
Check around 30 mins as oven power may vary..                            

Let the cake cool down on a wire rack for about half an hour.
Once it completely cool down wrap it with aluminum foil 
and place in an air tight container and refrigerate it over night.


FOR THE ICING / FROSTING:
Cream cheese : 450 gms
Whipped topping : 450 gms
Icing sugar /powdered sugar : 450 gms
Vanilla essence: 2 Tblsp
Food color (liquid) Red: 2 drops
Cherries for decoration (Canned / bottled): 25 to 30 pcs
Hershey's kisses chocolates for decoration : 2 nos
Sugar syrup chilled : 1/2 cup
METHOD:
Cream cheese should be in room temperature. 
Mix cream cheese & sugar till it forms a creamy paste.
                                                                       

Then add vanilla essence & then whipped topping 
mix it very lightly with a spoon or spatula.
                                  






             Refrigerate the frosting for an hour.

Now take the cake from fridge and arrange as heart shape 
as per the above mentioned pics.
                                 

Then using a brush apply the chilled sugar syrup on all sides of the cake.
                                         

Then using spatula, spread evenly the cream on the sides and top. 
Add grated Hershey's chocolate by the sides (optional)
                                                       




Now transfer the frosting to zip lock or piping bag and make small circles 
& place cherries on top.
                   




Then with the remaining cream add any food color (liquid) .. 
I used red.. Just two drops will do..

    Then cut the tip of zip lock and write the desired wordings on your cake. 
Sprinkle the grated chocolate on top optional) 



NOTE:
*   Pls don’t adjust the measurements. 
* Pls apply the chilled sugar syrup before applying the frosting 
as it will help to maintain the softness of cake.
* The cake batter is supposed to be watery.
* Pls do not beat the frosting after adding whipped topping
 as it will make the frosting watery.
* Pls do refrigerate the cake and frosting before assembling the same. 
* Pls remove the cherries from the bottle and drain the
 syrup for an hour.
* The cake can be served immediately or refrigerated overnight..
If you plan to refrigerate, then pls take out from the refrigerator 
at least an hour before so that the texture of cake will be soft.
* Normally cakes taste good when we refrigerate and
 consume the next day as all the tastes and flavors come together.

Please do try and give your feedback.. 
Your comments and feedback are really important to me:-) 
Happy happy yummy yummy cooking.. 
See you all soon with more interesting recipes :-)