Sweet Valentine - Human Heart Cake

This one goes for all you romantic souls out there!

We don’t really celebrate St. Valentine’s Day but that doesn’t mean I’d let escape the opportunity to do some crazy baking. My brain cake was such a success that I made it several times and this time I though it was time for some new organ. It was my intention to make an original Valentine's Day cake that would look like an authentic human heart (and yes - freshly torn out of a human chest) and I think I succeeded since I was told by several people this was a disgustingly looking piece of cake :-)

As you might already know, I take pride in the fact that my cakes not only look good, they also taste delicious. That’s why I avoid fondant as much as I can, because it doesn’t taste like anything but sugar. This human heart cake is actually cinnamon biscuit with marmalade and the heart is modeled from chocolate.

I apologize to all the doctors, medical staff and other people who know about the human heart anatomy, I know my cake is not 100 % accurate.

And I will make an exception and ask you to visit the original tutorial I wrote on my blog Creative Mom CZ and my facebook page here. I put so much effort in the photos and in writing all the steps and especially if you like this instructable, I would very much appreciate you to visit my blog, where I sell absolutely nothing, I just write and share everything I make so you can make it, too.

If you like this instructable, you might want to check out also my Bloody Valentine Cake.

Tools

- cake springform, diameter 16 – 18 cm

- silicone rolling mat

- rolling pin

- brushes

- tools for cake decoration – not absolutely necessary but they make the work so much easier

- If you have a 3D model of human heart at home, use it. If not, look up some pictures and videos online.

Cake

- 2 cups of sugar

- 3 cups of all-purpose flour

- 2 tbsp of ground cinnamon

- 6 eggs

- 4 tsp of baking powder

- 4 tbsp of white yogurt

- some red gel colorant

- pinch of salt

- any marmelade

Chocolate and topping

- tutorial on How to make modelling chocolate

- 400 g of white chocolate

- 130 g of agave syrup (or rice etc.)

- red gel food colorant

- red marmalade – black currant, strawberry, raspberry…

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, beat the whites to snow and leave them in the fridge. Mix the yolks with sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and few drops of the colorant. The add yogurt and flour. In the end, mix in the egg whites very slowly and carefully. Grease the spring form and cover the grease with flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the form. Pour half of the batter into the form. Preheat the oven to 165 °C and bake 60 minutes. Take the cake out and let it cool down. Bake the other half of the batter.

2. So now you have 2 same sponge cakes.

3., 4. Cut off the top and the bottom of both of them.

5. Cut both biscuits horizontally in half.

6. Put one of the cake top parts upside down, this will be the bottom of the heart. Cover it with marmalade – I used sour cherry jam. Put a flat cake part on top of the marmalade and cover it with marmalade again. Put another cake top on top of the whole thing. Now you are left with one flat part which you can use for another project like cake pops. Or if your sponge cakes came out rather flat, just use all of the layers.

7. Then use the knife to shape the cake a bit like a heart. I start with cutting off all the surface and then I cut off the sides and make the cake narrower towards one side.

It’s time to make modelling chocolate! Find the tutorial HERE and use the measurements in this recipe. I used rather soft chocolate for covering the cake and for all the rest I used chocolate from the fridge that I knead a little on the table. As always – you need to find the consistency that’s comfortable for you to work with.

1. First, make some veins. There don't need to be too many, as you will see later, it might be that you'll have to re-do the tiniest ones but it's good to make at least the thick ones before you cover the cake.

2. Roll out a part of the chocolate inside the rolling mat (it prevents the tearing).

3. Flip the chocolate on the mat on the cake and then carefully peel the mat off.

4. As you see, it’s not necessary to cover the whole cake with one piece.

5. Smoothen out the chocolate, especially over the veins.

6. Then cover the rest of the cake.

7. Where the layers of chocolate overlap, smoothen the seams out with a wet brush.

8. If some of the smallest veins aren't visible under the cover, make them on top of it.

1. Form the pulmonary vein by making a barrel and then making a hole with my finger in it. Then bend it a little.

2. Now to the way of attaching it to the heart – I used the same way to attach all the other parts as well - this is how I did it, maybe you find another way that you prefer but if not, I recommend the following: I placed the end of the vein on the heart and kind of rubbed the chocolate from the end of the vein into the chocolate covering the heart. The I rolled out a piece of chocolate to make a tiny “snake” and wrapped it around where the vein meets the heart. I flattened the "snake" and again rubbed it in the heart and the vein.

3. Smoothen the connection with a wet brush.

4., 5. Last two pictures show the heart with the pulmonary vein attached.

1. Another part I made was the left atrium with veins, so here's how you make it: first, make the flat part that is shaped almost like a heart. Then attach two smaller veins to it that you make the same way like the pulmonary vein, just instead of your finger use something thinner like a chopstick.

2. Attach the atrium next to the pulmonary vein.

1. Next is the aorta with two veins. Make it the same way like the pulmonary vein and attach two smaller veins to it. Then attach the aorta next to the pulmonary vein.

2. If you think some of the attached parts could fall off, put something under it and place the cake in the fridge. When the chocolate hardens, the attachment gets stronger.

1. The last part to make and attach is the right atrium – that’s the small thing on the left from the aorta.

2. Look at the pictures to see all the angles of the heart with the four elements attached.

1. To make the blood mix some red marmelade with some red gel colorant. You can try any kind of red marmelade for your human heart cake but I recommend black currant. With seeds or without, both give the blood a little different texture, so just experiment!

2. Paint the whole heart using a brush.

3. Let the blood drop around the cake.

4. Fill the aorta and the other veins with blood.

Here are some more photos to help you get the idea - also of the inside of the cake. It was really delicious!

Tell me how you like this instructable, every comment is appreaciated, even if this is not your cup of tea:-)