Heart Shape Cake Recipe

Bake the red wine chocolate cake. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and line two 6-inch square and two 6-inch round baking pans. (See notes 1.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, instant coffee granules, cinnamon and salt.

In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer, beat the butter, dark brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, until well incorporated.

Stir in the vanilla extract and red wine and mix until well combined.

Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Evenly divide the batter into the four pans. Bake for 18-23 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10-15 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. (See notes 2.)

While the cakes are cooling, make the Swiss meringue buttercream. Fill a medium pot with an inch of water and bring to a strong simmer. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk egg whites, sugar and salt together.

Place the bowl over the pot of simmering water and whisk the egg whites and sugar mixture continuously until the mixture becomes lighter and no longer grainy, about 5 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the pot and transfer the bowl into the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Mix on high until mixture becomes white and fluffy and completely cool. Check for this by seeing if the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch. (See notes 3.)

Add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until a silky smooth frosting forms.

Add the vanilla extract and food coloring, if using. Mix until well combined. Set aside.

Prepare the fresh raspberry whipped cream filling. In a small bowl, add the cold water and sprinkle the powdered gelatin. Let the gelatin bloom for 5 minutes.

Once the gelatin has bloomed, microwave the gelatin in 5-second intervals until the gelatin melts into a liquid. Do not overheat.

Stir in one teaspoon of heavy cream and set aside.

In a cold bowl, add eight ounces of heavy cream. Whip on medium speed until foamy.

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Whip until the soft peaks form.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the gelatin mixture. The gelatin should still be in liquid form. If it has turned back into a solid, stop the mixer and microwave the gelatin for 3-5 second increments until it turns back into a liquid.

Once the gelatin is completely incorporated, add the mascarpone cheese and mix until stiff peaks form. Do not overmix or the mixture will clump.

Assemble your heart shape cake. If desired, cut the rounded domes off of the top of all the cakes. Slice the two round cakes in half.

On a cake board, place a square cake layer in the center, with a corner pointed south so the square looks like a diamond. Place two round halves on either side.

Use an off-set spatula to smooth a layer of the whipped mascarpone cream and place fresh raspberries on top, with the pointed side facing up.

Layer the second layer of whipped mascarpone cream on top of the raspberries until smooth. Top with the remaining square cake and two round halves, with the flatter, bottom-side of the cake facing up. 

Crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of Swiss meringue buttercream. Place the cake in the freezer until the buttercream is firm, about 10 minutes. When you touch the cake, it should feel solid.

Remove the cake from the freezer and completely frost the cake with buttercream. The finish should be smooth. Place the cake in the freezer until the buttercream is firm, about 10-15 minutes.

Pipe the rosettes. With a piping bag fitted with a star tip, fill it with the buttercream. Hold the bag straight with the tip slightly above the cake. Squeeze to form the center of the rosette and move in a circle to create your rosette. Decrease the pressure as you come full circle to avoid creating a tip. 

Repeat the steps, covering the top entirely with rosettes. If there are gaps in between the rosettes, pipe little stars in between to close it. If you want a smooth edge, use an off-set spatula around the cake to smooth out any buttercream that was piped beyond the border of the cake. (See notes 4.)

Slice, serve and enjoy!