Once again I gave in to the Valentine’s Day spirit and made a chocolate version of an old pink heart surprise cake. I’m not sure there’s a single name for this — search for “hidden”, “surprise”, “heart” and “inside” and you’ll find similar cakes. It’s simple to prepare, delightfully cute to serve, and finished with a quick chocolate topping that sets into a ganache-like glaze. Let’s bake!
Start by baking a small chocolate loaf, slicing it horizontally, and cutting out tiny heart shapes with a small cookie cutter. This time I used cocoa in the batter (instead of food colouring) and a smaller cutter to get more hearts. Because these are mini loaves, slicing horizontally gives you thicker slices and makes it easier to cut out more hearts — if you bake a larger loaf you can slice normally and use a bigger cutter.
For the topping, melt chocolate chips with a little butter for an easy finish that firms up like a ganache. It pairs perfectly with the vanilla portion of the cake. Note that all-butter cakes tend to dry out faster than oil-based cakes, so this loaf is best eaten fresh and stored at room temperature for a couple of days.
I love the mini size for a cute Valentine’s or Galentine’s treat, but you can easily double the recipe for a 9 x 5-inch loaf. With the larger loaf you can cut the chocolate cake into regular vertical slices and use a 2-inch cutter for bigger hearts.
Below the recipe you’ll find step-by-step photos and extra details. Enjoy making and eating this cake!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Chocolate Vanilla Heart Surprise Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate batter
- 1/4 cup butter, at room temp (55 gms)
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
- 1 egg, at room temp (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40 gms)
- 2 tbsps cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp milk
For the vanilla batter
- 1/2 cup butter, at room temp (115 gms)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms)
- 2 eggs, at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 gms)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
- 2 tbsps milk
For the topping
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate (40 gms)
- 1 tbsp butter, salted or unsalted (15 gms)
Instructions
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First, make the chocolate batter. Preheat the oven to 175 C. Grease a 6×4-inch loaf pan and line it with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
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Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy using a hand mixer on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla; beat to combine.
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Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Fold to combine into a thick batter, then stir in the milk. Spread into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
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Bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tin 15 minutes, then lift out and cool completely on a wire rack for about 20 minutes.
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Chill the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm it, then slice it horizontally. Use a 1-inch heart cutter to punch out hearts. I got about 10 hearts and used 8 in the vanilla loaf. Freeze the hearts on a tray while you prepare the next steps. (Tip: freeze the scraps and crumble them over ice cream.)
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Rinse and dry the pan, mixing bowl and beaters to remove any chocolate batter. Grease and line the loaf pan again.
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Now make the vanilla batter. Follow the same method as the chocolate batter: beat butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, fold in dry ingredients, then stir in the milk. Do not add cocoa.
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Spread a thick layer of vanilla batter on the bottom and sides of the tin, reserving enough for the top. Arrange the frozen chocolate hearts in a straight line through the center of the tin. Spoon remaining batter around the edges and over the hearts so they are fully covered.
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Bake 30–35 minutes, until a toothpick near the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil and bake another 5–10 minutes.
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Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove using the paper overhang and cool completely on a wire rack.
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For the topping, melt chocolate chips and butter in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between bursts until smooth. Spread immediately over the cake. Slice and enjoy.
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This cake is best fresh. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for 2–3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week in hot, humid weather. Bring to room temperature or gently reheat slices before serving to restore softness.
Notes
*If you prefer an eggless version, try an eggless butter cake recipe as a base and adapt the same method; I haven’t tested this exact version eggless but the flavours are similar.
