Queen Of Hearts Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 2 x 22-23cm straight- sided, loose-bottomed square tins.
• To make the sponges, put the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale. Add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla, semolina, almonds and poppy seeds, then whisk again briefly to mix.
• Clean your beaters, and beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to stiff peaks. Add a quarter of the egg whites to the other mixture and stir in well to loosen. Add the remaining egg whites and, using a big metal spoon, gently fold in until no big lumps of egg white remain. Divide the mixture between the tins, spread the top to smooth and bake for 20 mins until springy to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave the sponges to cool in the tins.
• When the sponges are cool, start to prepare the filling. Put 400g of the strawberries and the icing sugar in a food processor or blender and whizz to a really smooth purée. Transfer to a saucepan and gently warm. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water.
• When the purée is hot but you can still put your fingers in it, squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine, take the purée off the heat and stir in the gelatine to melt. Pour into a bowl and put in the fridge to quickly cool. Whip the cream until it is thick and holding peaks.
• Halve the remaining strawberries and trim so they're the same length - so when they are sitting on the sponges, they don't come above the top of the tin. Line up the strawberries all the way around the edge of one of the cakes, cut-sides flat against the side of the tin (see step-by-step). When the purée is cool, fold through the whipped cream until evenly mixed, then pile into the tin, spreading to fill all the strawberry corners, and smooth the surface.
• Remove the remaining sponge from its tin and, using a ruler or skewers and a small heart-shaped cutter, cut 8 hearts from alternating 'squares' - as if your sponge is divided into a 4 x 4 grid (see step-by-step). Turn the cake onto the mousse to top, and peel away the paper. Gently press into the mousse to stick and chill for 5 hrs or overnight to set.
• Just before serving, sieve the jam to remove any lumps, then use to cover the mousse in each heart hole - a small piping bag is good for this (see step-by-step). Finish by cutting 8 squares of baking parchment the same size as your grid squares were. Sit over the 8 heart 'squares' and dust heavily with icing sugar. Carefully lift off the parchment squares, leaving a chessboard pattern on the top, and serve immediately with cake forks and dainty cups of tea. Will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening, or spray with cooking spray.
• Make cake batter as directed on boxes (both boxes can be made at one time).
• Spread one-third of the batter in each of 2 cake pans (about 2 1/2 cups each). To remaining one-third of batter, beat in baking cocoa with whisk until well blended. Add food color to desired color. Pour batter into third pan.
• Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Trim off rounded tops of cake layers, if necessary.
• Place small amount of frosting in center of plate to keep cake in position. Place 1 white cake layer, bottom side down, on plate; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with red cake layer; frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining white cake layer. Frost top and side of cake with thin layer of frosting to form a crumb coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Fit decorating bag with medium star tip. Fill bag with frosting. Starting about 1 1/2 inches from bottom edge of cake, pipe center of rosette flower, then apply steady pressure to bag while squeezing frosting, and pipe in tight circle to make flower about 2 inches in diameter. Tap tip to cake to complete flower, and lift off. Continue piping flowers to cover side of cake, staggering up and down sides so no empty spaces show. Refill piping bag as needed. Pipe rosette flowers on top of cake to cover.
• Sprinkle top of cake with heart-shaped candies. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.