Beautiful and surprisingly easy to make, this ombre heart buttercream cake lesson is ideal for Valentine’s Day or any other time you want to express your love. A mouthwatering chocolate cake stuffed with raspberries and adorned with a beautiful ombre heart buttercream design is the star of this dish. Following this step-by-step instruction will teach you all you need to know to make a moist sponge and properly whipped buttercream. Whether it’s a particular someone or just a treat for yourself, it’s a great way to show love through cake.
Recipe Details
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Dessert
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Servings: 12-16 (for a 6-inch cake)
- Prep time: 60-90 minutes
- Cook time: 22-24 minutes
- Calories per serving: Approximately 300-400+ calories
Chocolate Cake Ingredients:
- 4 Large Eggs
- 260ml Vegetable Oil
- 300ml Buttermilk
- 300ml Cold Coffee
- 480g Caster Sugar
- 435g Plain Flour
- 80g Cocoa Powder
- 1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Buttercream Ingredients:
- 500g Soft Unsalted Butter
- 800g Icing Sugar
- 1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3-4tbsp Whole Milk
- Raspberry Goo (optional, or use jam)
Instructions:
- Preheat Oven & Prepare Cake Batter:Set your oven temperature to 170°C with a fan assisted or 190°C without a fan. Mix the eggs, veg oil, buttermilk, and iced coffee in a mixing bowl until combined. Combine sifted ingredients: salt, cocoa powder, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and caster sugar. The chocolate batter should be smooth after whisking.
- Bake the Cakes: Make sure that four 6-inch cake pans are greased. Spoon the batter into each of the pans. After 22–24 minutes of baking, remove the skewer from the center. Allow them to cool entirely.
- Prepare Buttercream: Whip the unsalted butter in a bowl until it turns pale while it’s still soft. Add the powdered sugar in two parts and mix well after each addition to make the frosting frothy. Add the whole milk and vanilla essence, whisk until combined, and then beat until light and fluffy.
- Make Raspberry Buttercream: Add a spoonful or more of raspberry jam or goo to one third of the vanilla buttercream for a lovely pale pink frosting.
- Prepare Cake Layers: Use a cake ring to neatly trim the edges of each cooled cake layer. Put a cake leveler to the top of every cake.
- Assemble the Cake: Spread a little buttercream on a cake board and use it to attach the top layer of cake. Before you go around the edges, even out a big blob of raspberry buttercream. Insert raspberry goo into a “reservoir” you made in the center by delicately scooping out buttercream with an angled palette knife. After you’ve piled all the cake layers, turn the last one upside down to make a level top.
- Crumb Coat: Using a thin and even layer, cover the cake with white vanilla buttercream. After you’ve iced the cake, use a cake smoother to remove any excess and make the edges smooth. Use the cake smoother to trim the top edges, making sure to wipe clean after each stroke.
- Chill the Cake: Place the crumb-coated cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up.
- Prepare Ombre Buttercream: Segregate the leftover vanilla buttercream into four equal parts. To achieve an ombre effect ranging from baby pink to rich pink, paint them with different amounts of pink food coloring or by progressively applying the darkest pink buttercream to lighter areas.
- Apply Top Coat (Light Pink): Once the cake is firm, apply a top coat of the lightest pink buttercream all over the cake. Smooth the sides and top edges with a cake smoother, as this will be the base for your piped hearts.
- Score Guidelines: Use a ruler and toothpick to score faint horizontal guidelines around the cake. Divide the cake’s height into four equal sections. This helps keep your piped hearts consistent in size and alignment.
- Pipe Ombre Hearts:
- Top Row: Using the lightest pink buttercream and a star nozzle, pipe hearts in the top section. Start at the middle of where the heart would be, pipe upwards, then come back downwards, releasing pressure as you pull away. Ensure consistent sizing.
- Second Row: Using the next darkest pink, pipe upside-down hearts in the section below, interlocking them with the first row by piping into the “V” gaps.
- Remaining Rows: Repeat the process for the remaining sections, using progressively darker shades of pink and interlocking the hearts.
- Final Touch: Admire your beautiful ombre heart cake!
Ombre Heart Chocolate Cake
Rich chocolate layers with raspberry buttercream & piped ombre hearts
- 4 large eggs
- 260ml vegetable oil
- 300ml buttermilk
- 300ml cold coffee
- 480g caster sugar
- 435g plain flour
- 80g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 500g soft unsalted butter
- 800g icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3–4 tbsp whole milk
- Raspberry jam/goo
- Pink food coloring (various shades)
Mix Batter
Preheat to 170°C (fan) / 190°C. Whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk, coffee. Add sifted dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
Bake
Divide into 4 greased 6″ pans. Bake 22–24 min until skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
Whip
Beat butter until pale. Add icing sugar in 2 parts. Add vanilla & milk, beat until light and fluffy.
Raspberry Buttercream
Mix 1 tbsp+ raspberry jam into ⅓ of the buttercream for pale pink filling.
Layer
Trim & level cakes. Stack with raspberry buttercream + jam “reservoir” between layers. Flip top layer for flat finish.
Crumb Coat & Chill
Apply thin vanilla buttercream layer. Smooth with cake scraper. Chill 30 min until firm.
Ombre Prep
Divide remaining buttercream into 4 parts. Tint from baby pink to rich pink. Apply lightest as top coat, smooth well.
Pipe Hearts
Score guidelines into 4 sections. Pipe hearts with star tip: lightest at top, darkest at bottom, interlocking rows.
The combination of mouth-watering ingredients and breathtaking aesthetic appeal in this Ombre Heart Buttercream Cake elevates it beyond the status of a mere dessert. An elegant and uniquely you touch is added with the ombre piped hearts to the rich chocolate cake and tangy raspberry filling. The detailed instructions make it surprisingly doable even for amateur bakers, despite its somewhat complicated appearance. To get the perfect heart form, practice piping on parchment paper first. Then move on to the cake. This cake will be the talk of the town whether you’re celebrating an anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or just want to show someone how much you care.
FAQs about Ombre Heart Buttercream Cake
How do the bakers achieve the pink color for the filling?
They use a natural “raspberry goo” (a quick, runny jam) mixed into the vanilla buttercream, which provides a soft pink color without the need for artificial food coloring.
What size cake tins are required for this recipe?
The recipe is designed for a six-inch cake, and the batter is divided evenly between four tins.
At what temperature and for how long should the sponges be baked?
The sponges should be baked in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for approximately 22 to 24 minutes.
What is the purpose of a “crumb coat”?
A thin layer of buttercream is applied to the cake to “lock in” crumbs, ensuring that the final decorative top coat remains smooth and clean.
How to create the “tangy raspberry pocket” inside the cake?
After spreading a layer of buttercream, she uses a palette knife to scoop out a small reservoir in the center and fills it with raspberry goo.
Is there a trick for getting a perfectly flat top on the cake?
turning the final layer of sponge upside down so that the flat bottom of the sponge becomes the top of the cake.
How is the ombre effect created for the heart decorations?
start with deepest pink buttercream and progressively adds white buttercream to it to create four distinct shades, ranging from dark to light.
Why is a top coat of icing applied before piping the hearts?
The cake is given a light pink top coat so that any small gaps between the piped hearts will blend in with the background rather than showing the crumb coat.
What piping tip is used to create the heart shapes?
star nozzles can be used to pipe the hearts, though a small round nozzle could be used for a “chubbier” heart look.
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