Who wouldn't want a heart shaped chocolate cake this Valentine’s Day? We promise, this cake is as good as it looks! This would be the perfect recipe to make for a special someone or to enjoy with friends! This decadent cake is made up of three parts: fluffy cake, rich pudding, and sweet frosting! Each part is more delicious than the last, and together they make eating this cake a luxurious experience. The heart shape is totally optional, meaning that this cake is great for any event. We know the recipe can be a little bit complicated, so we broke the instructions down for you! This is the perfect recipe to challenge your baking skills with an amazing result! Our favorite part? There’s pure cacao powder every step of the way!

Cake

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of unsalted butter
• ¼ cup of canola oil
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• ¾ cup of KakaoZon Cacao Powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 ¼ cups of cake flour
• 1 cup of buttermilk

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare cake pan (you can decide to use one tall pan or two pans!)
2. Combine the butter and canola oil in a large bowl, mixing until smooth
3. Using an electric mixer, add the sugar and eggs, beating until the mixture becomes fluffy
4. Add vanilla, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mixing again with an electric mixer until the batter is smooth
5. Add cake flour and buttermilk, continuing to blend the batter with the electric mixer, until the batter is a smooth and slightly fluffy consistency
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan(s) and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, once it’s ready let it cool before adding the pudding and frosting on top (if not it will melt!)
7. Move onto the pudding and frosting while the cake bakes!

Pudding

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of water
• 2/3 cup of cornstarch
• 2 ½ cups of granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 cup of KakaoZon Cacao Powder
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Mix ½ cup of water and the cornstarch in a bowl until evenly combined
2. In a pot or large saucepan over medium heat, pour 2 ½ cups of water, sugar, honey, and cacao powder, whisking continuously
3. Once the mixture is even in color, add the cornstarch mixture to the pot
4. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, continuously stirring it so that it doesn’t stick. Continue this process for about 3 - 4 minutes or until the mixture is very thick (don’t forget to keep on stirring!)
5. Remove the mixture from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract while the mixture is still bubbling. Stir until the mixture is even in color and texture
6. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap (make sure the pot has cooled or transfer the pudding to a bowl to ensure that the plastic wrap doesn’t melt)
7. Chill the pudding in the fridge for about 1 hour or until firm and make the frosting while you wait!

Frosting

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of butter
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• ¼ cup of KakaoZon Cacao Powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

Steps:

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy
2. Add cacao powder and vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until it's an even color (it should become fluffier as you continue mixing!)
3. Add the heavy whipping cream and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy or reaches the desired consistency (make sure to taste it while you’re making it, add more cacao powder if you want a more chocolatey frosting or more sugar if you want a little extra sweetness, just remember that adding either will make the frosting thicker!)
4. Once the frosting is just right, gather the other parts of the recipe (once the cake has cooled and the pudding has set) and start building the cake! 

Put it All together!

Ingredients:

• All 3 parts made above
• Your favorite KakaoZon Chocolate Chips!

Steps:

1. Place the cake on a cake platter and carefully cut the cake horizontally to create 2 identical layers (if you used 2 cake pans, you can skips this step or cut both cakes)
2. Of the layers chose the most even one to be the top layer and set that aside
3. On the bottom layer, spread a thick layer of pudding and add the other cake layer on top (if you used 2 pans and cut both cakes, repeat this process until there is no more cake left, or use 3 layers and crumble the remaining layer as a topping for this cake or make some Cake Pops!)
4. Frost the top and sides of the cake as desired (have fun with this part!)
5. Add any left-over pudding to the top of the cake if desired! We recommend adding some extra chocolate chips on top!
6. Once you’re done decorating, chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until you’re ready to enjoy your masterpiece!

We know, this recipe seems like a lot of work, but we promise it’s worth it! Let us know what you think below! 

By Rebeca Gonzalez. Video by Sophia Malcoyannis. Based on Recipe by Half-Baked Harvest