A Easy to make Fancy Valentines Dessert

Valentines is typically very low key in our home, but I always make a Valentine dessert of some sort.  Each year I make something different and special.  I found some sweet Valentine bracelets at the dollar store and knew instantly I was going to make a cake for Valentines this year. This chocolate strawberry cake is a really easy dessert, and the candies make it easy to decorate as well.

As Valentines is typically just the two of us, I chose to make our cake small and tall, but it can easily be made using regular round cake pans instead.

Making the Chocolate Cake

For this cake you need either two 6 inch spring form pans, or you can use to regular 8 inch round cake pans.  My cake is made with 6 inch spring form pans.  It makes for a very high cake, which is fun to serve for special occasions.

You can use a chocolate cake mix, or make your own chocolate cake. I have included an easy one bowl fudge cake for you in the recipe section, but any chocolate cake recipe you like works.

Fancy Strawberry Butter Cream Icing Recipe

In my opinion its not the cake, or the always delish strawberries that make this Valentines cake special, its the icing.  The flavouring is not only natural it is amazing I promise.  Trust me its spoon licking good.

2 cups butter softened

4 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup strawberry pancake syrup

Place 2 cups of butter into the mixer bowl.  Beat on high for three or four minutes until the butter is light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the icing sugar, 1 cup at a time. Once the icing sugar is incorporated turn the mixer onto high and whip for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the half cup of strawberry syrup, whip on high for another two minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

You will end up with approximately five cups of icing.  When I mention the measurements for decorating the cakes I am doing guesstimates.  I don’t actually measure the icing, I just take  a scoop of about the same size.

Strawberry Cake Filling

Wash hull and cut and half pound of strawberries. About two cups.

Place the cut strawberries in a bowl.  Add a cup of icing to the bowl.  Mix them together.

Once your cake is baked, let it cool completely.  Remove from the pans.  If your using the 6 inch pans, slice each cake in half, you will end up with a four layer cake.  If your using regular pans, don’t split the cakes.

Ice the top of each cake layer with the strawberry mixture. Make the layer between the two cakes thicker.

Place the cakes on top of each other.  If your making the tall six inch cake I suggest placing a skewer in the middle to hold the cake steady.

Decorating the Valentines Cake

Place 1 1/2 cup of icing on top of the cake and working downwards. Ice the cake with a thin crumb layer.  This makes the cake much easier to decorate.

Place the cake in the fridge until the icing hardens. I left mine over night.

Once the icing is hardened, remove the icing from the fridge and let soften.  Whip the icing to soften it.

Place 1 1/2 cups of icing on the top of the cake, ice the cake down the sides first, and then the top.  Once I had a thick layer of icing, I used my cake spatula to smooth the entire height of the cake.  This made my cake as  smooth as possible, but I didn’t fret about it too much.  The cake is for my family, I am not catering. I just made it as smooth as my own skills allowed.

You should have a cup of icing left over.  Place this in a icing bag fit with a  Wilton 21  tip.  Make large twirls along the top of the cake.  Just piping in a mound with the bag straight up.  If you have icing left make a shell edge along the bottom using the same tip.

If you don’t have a cake tip, go ahead and just place heaping teaspoons of icing along the top of your cake.  They are basically covered with the candy anyways.

If your just wanting to have a delicious Chocolate Strawberry Cake, skip the candy. The cake is still gorgeous but not holiday themed.

Adding the Valentines Candy

I had two dollar store packages of valentines bracelets.  I ended up using 10 of the bracelets.  Place the central valentine on top of the icing swirl, and place the bracelet portion in the middle.  Repeat all the way around.

To decorate the bottom of the chocolate strawberry cake I snipped three bracelets and just placed each little candy around the bottom of the cake.

Hubs is away at work, his one week turned into three.  So I sent him a picture of the cake, wrapped it in cellophane and popped it in the freezer until he gets home.

Bumbleberry and Lemon Custard Pie for Valentines