Valentines Heart (easy) Cake

OK! I have a pet peeve. So many times standing in the checkout line at the store I have looked at magazines to see something I know is absolutely impossible for most people to accomplish with out training. First let me state my credentials: I am a Wilton certified cake decorator and instructor. I have about 7 years of experience at wedding and event cakes. So I know what I am looking at when I see photos of cakes on magazines. I know when special tools are needed, when special recipes, or knowledge of techniques are needed, and I know when a cake should only be attempted by a professional. 
So it makes me mad to see these amazing cakes used to sell magazines by fooling people into believing that somewhere in the magazine there are simple step by step instruction on how to make the cake on the cover.
So that being said, here IS a cake that people normal people who are not obsessed with cake making CAN make. (Sorry fellow cake makers, but manipulating powdered sugar and butter to look like flowers is not normal. ;)


Tip: If you do not have a heart shaped pan you can use a square or rectangle pan and then cut a heart shape out.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (For cakes this is a very important step).
2. Cut a piece of waxed paper, or baking paper to fit your pan. Butter the pan, lay the paper in, and then butter the paper.
3. Add a bit of your cake mixture to flour the pan. I still use mixes because I am a decorator, not a baker (yes, there is a difference). But if you make cake from scratch, just a little of the dry mixture before adding wet ingredients will do.

4. Fill the pan 3/4 full.

5. Bake!

6. Use a large knife to cut off the rounded cake top.

7. Give cake top to the nearest kid you can find.

8. Frosting: 1c. butter or cream cheese, 4c. powdered sugar, dash of vanilla, and milk added by the tablespoon till it is a good spreadable consistency will make a good buttercream frosting.

9. Put a little frosting on your cake plate to fix the cake to the plate.

10. For the first frosting layer do not worry about crumbs. Spread the frosting somewhat thinly and make sure crumbs on your spatula do not end up in the frosting bowl.

11. Let set for a few minutes so the frosting will set up.

12. Apply another layer of frosting to the sides. The top does not need another layer of frosting as we will be covering it with cherries. Use the back edge of a knife to smooth the sides.

13. Use a fork to give the sides texture.

14. Put some frosting in a zip loc bag and make a small cut a one corner.

15. Use this like a pastry bag to make a raised edge all around the top of the cake.

16. Add cherry pie filling to top of cake.

17. To make a ruffle around the cake you will need wired ribbon.



18. To ruffle wired ribbon cut a piece a bit larger than you will need. Make a hook from the wire on one edge of the ribbon. Pull the other side of the wire out a bit until ribbon is gathered on one side.

19. Carefully tuck around the cake.

20. Enjoy! This cake tastes as good as it looks!