Valentine’s Day Cake
FOR THE CAKE
2-1/2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
FOR THE DECORATION
1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup prepared vanilla frosting
red food coloring
candy sugar hearts
SPECIAL AIDS
2 9-inch heart-shaped cake pans
pastry bag
small writing tip
medium round tip
MAKING THE CAKE
1. Preheat oven to 375 Grease and flour two 9-inch heart-shaped cake pans. In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy; about 3 minutes. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, ending with flour mixture, to butter mixture. Add vanilla; mix until blended.
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter until just combined.
4. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack; cool for 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack; cool completely.
DECORATING THE CAKE
1. Tint can of vanilla frosting with red food coloring until it is light pink. Trim tops of each cake to make level.
2. Place one cake on a serving plate; spread top with 1/2 cup pink frosting. Top with remaining cake; frost top and sides with remaining frosting.
3. Spoon 1 cup white frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a small writing tip. Pipe a squiggle design on cake sides.
4. Fit pastry bag with medium round tip and pipe a pearl design around top edge of cake. Pipe dots of frosting 1/2 inch apart around the bottom and 1 inch toward the center on top of cake. Place candy hearts between each piped dot on top
SERVES 10