fbpx
My Recipes, RECIPES

Sweets for my sweets

February 13, 2018

Sweets-for-my-sweets-1a

So today I’m really amped to be starting a new series on my site together with an amazing local service that I use called Munching Mongoose who deliver fresh local, organic and SEASONAL produce straight to your front door.  I love being in the kitchen, but sometimes I don’t want to be in there for hours making stuff, so during this series, I’m going to be sharing quick and easy recipes with you for delicious homemade sweet and savoury dishes that won’t take up stacks of your time or use half your pantry!

Ever since finding out about Munching Mongoose and hanging out with my friend Nicole in the kitchen I have definitely become more aware of just how important it is to try to buy organic and as often as possible locally produced goods that are currently in season and not ones that have been picked too early, refrigerated and most likely artificially ripened preventing them from developing their full nutrient profile! I’m going, to be honest here and say that I don’t buy organic or locally all the time, but I am trying to change that and being part of this service has helped a lot. Plus there is just something so awesome about having fresh foods, homemade bread and milk in a glass bottle delivered to your house every week! Wouldn’t you agree?

Sweets-for-my-sweets-4a

So to kick off this series I thought that I would grab some ingredients from my latest delivery, namely the eggs, fresh milk and blueberries and make a Blueberry Heart-Shaped Cake for all three of my Durrant Valentines. I wanted to make something that didn’t require too much effort or ingredients for that matter, so I got out my mom’s friend’s trusted vanilla sponge cake recipe that literally requires eight ingredients, well nine now because I decided to add blueberries and hit the kitchen.

Sweets-for-my-sweets-7

Sweets-for-my-sweets-8

Sweets-for-my-sweets-5

I know that a lot of people think Valentine’s Day is lame, designed to make retailers rich and popular kids more popular, but I actually have a secret crush on it. I like all the mushiness around it the hearts and chocolates the flowers and the cards and I think it’s a really sweet way to just make someones day just a little more fun! So here’s my attempt to do that, hopefully, Shane doesn’t see this post until tomorrow haha!

Happy baking! Oh and if you’d like to perhaps try making something a little more technical then check out my Hidden Heart Cupcake recipe. These were also super tasty and fun to make!

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter  room temp
  • 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 and 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 200 grams blueberries

For the icing:

  • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter – room temp
  • 2 cups sifted icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2-3 tablespoons milk
  • Pink food colourant

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180° and grease two round cake tins. I also always place a piece of baking paper at the bottom of my pans.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, I usually beat my mixture for about 4 or 5 minutes.
  3. Then add the eggs, one at a time mixing well and scraping down the sides and bottom after each addition.
  4. Beat in the vanilla essence.
  5. In a separate bowl whisk together the (sifted) flour, baking powder, and salt.
  6. Add it to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
  7. Gently fold in your blueberries so that they don’t break.
  8. Divide your batter evenly between the prepared cake tins then bake for 28-35 minutes (my oven is fan assisted so my cake was done in 28 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean
  9. Wait about 10 minutes then remove the cakes from the tins and allow to cool completely.
  10. Once cooled cut a 12cm x 12cm square out of the middle of the one half of your cake.
  11. Then using a plate/bowl, by placing it in the middle of your second layer cut a ±11cm circle out of the middle of your cake. Then cut that circle in half.
  12. Take your square and rotate it so that it looks like a diamond and then take one of your half-moons and add it to the top lefthand side of the diamond and then one to the right top side of the diamond and boom you have yourself a heart. Alternatively, you can divide your batter between one round cake tin and one standard square (brownie) cake tin and then you won’t have to do any unnecessary cutting 🙂 I wanted a smaller heart-shaped cake that’s why I used this method. Plus it was fun to cut out!

Sweets-for-my-sweets-9

DIRECTIONS FOR THE ICING:

  1. In a bowl with an electric mixer combine the butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence and one tablespoon of milk. Mix well. If your icing seems a bit stiff just add another tablespoon of milk.
  2. Add whatever colour you’d like your icing to be. I went for pink.
  3. Decorate your cake using a palette knife or ordinary butter knife.
  4. You can make a makeshift piping bag for the writing on top of the cake by filling a ziplock bag with icing and then cutting a small opening in one of the bag’s bottom corners.

Sweets-for-my-sweets-6

Sweets-for-my-sweets-3

heart shaped cake

Sweets-for-my-sweets-5

 

You Might Also Like

6 Comments

  • Reply Robin February 13, 2018 at 11:04 pm

    Love the sound of this service!

    • Reply angie February 15, 2018 at 10:09 am

      It’s so awesome! You should check it out 🙂

  • Reply Best Beef In Satay Sauce This Side Of IllovoLucky Pony February 21, 2018 at 7:11 am

    […] If you missed last weeks recipe for a Heart-Shaped Blueberry Sponge Cake then just click here and if you would like to find out more about the guys at Munching Mongoose and […]

  • Reply Barbara Grobbelaar March 8, 2018 at 9:15 am

    Please subscribe me to your blog/newsletter. Thank you.

  • Reply Dinner and dessert, yes please! - Lucky PonyLucky Pony April 23, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    […] PS: If you missed my previous two Munching Mongoose recipes then just click here for Beef In Satay Sauce with Sticky Jasmine Rice and here for my Blueberry Heart-Shaped Cake.  […]

  • Reply Everyone loves homemade pizza, right? Right. - Lucky PonyLucky Pony April 23, 2018 at 10:43 pm

    […] Heart-Shaped Blueberry Sponge Cake […]

  • Leave a Reply