* Disclaimer: this blog post was created for the purpose of an assignment
Strange, but true. Our task was to create or write something in an area of interest out of the curriculum, while still linking it back to our medical studies. No prizes for guessing what immediately sprang to mind! AND I realised it was perfect timing for a how-to on bleeding heart cakes with Halloween just around the corner. I mean, could you imagine one of these as the centre piece of buttercream-frosted cake, dripping blood (I mean, berries..) down the sides?
To be honest, our family has never been big on Halloween. It is nowhere near as celebrated in New Zealand as it is in America, and what there is seems hugely commercialised – a profit-making venture above all else. Although in America, Halloween began as a Christianized feast initially influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, brought over by Scottish and Irish colonists and has now been celebrated for over 100 years, in New Zealand it has emerged in the last decade or two via American popular culture (Mean Girls, anyone?) – and perhaps because of this seems less authentic, cheaper.
Though you might now see a few groups of small children on the streets, houses are not decorated, pumpkins are not carved (mainly because it is spring!), there are no fall festivals or bonfires, and Halloween parties are only just gaining traction. However, I have experienced that once – fall festivals, trick-or-treating and all – during the months we spent living in Pittsburgh around age seven. I think my brothers and I were a little overwhelmed (or overjoyed, maybe!) by the sheer quantities of treats we managed to collect whilst traipsing around the neighbourhood – it was a whole new world of Halloween.
In saying this, I do appreciate Halloween baking. Growing up with memories of family festivities, scarily decorated cupcakes and homemade costumes is quite different from the mass-produced plastic-y outfits and huge bags of sugary sweets that seem to have dominated the New Zealand market.
It did make this assignment far more bearable than many others. Constructing chocolate heart cakes and getting my brothers to act as models, sinking their hands into the gory ‘blood’ and smearing it across their faces, was highly entertaining for the rest of the family. I think they had fun too – what boy doesn’t dream about getting to stuff cake in their mouths as messily as possible without reprimand?! (just to clarify – the hands making the cakes are mine. The hands ruining the cakes are my brother’s)
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They are made from texas-muffin tin sized chocolate cakes- fluffy, dark and studded with chocolate chunks. You then shape pairs of the cakes into a roughly oval anatomical heart-shape (see the picture with the cakes on top of the fondant), stick them together with smears of smooth chocolate buttercream and wrap the red fondant up and around the them, molding out arteries at the top. Homemade piping gel is surprisingly cheap and simple – sugar, lemon juice, cornflour and water comes together into a glossy, thick paste that can be coloured with red and black food colouring and painted straight onto the fondant for that bloody, straight-out-of-your-chest look. A dark purple berry compote (strained to remove seeds) is the final touch, dolloped into the arteries and down the cake for extra gory, bloody effect.
From a distance, they look scarily realistic.
If you have a person to scare this Halloween, have a show-stopping cake to make, or simply want to have a bit of fun in the kitchen, give them a go! (and don’t be put off by the long instructions – just wanted to explain as much as possible!)
Construction notes:
- You have two options for the heart size: for a realistic heart shape, use 1 chocolate cake + a curved cut-out part of another one stuck together. Using this method you will get a maximum of 4 hearts. If you don’t mind if it is more round (see the ones at the back of my photos), then just use a single chocolate cake – in which case you could make 8 hearts but will need more fondant. You could also make fewer hearts and just eat the extra chocolate cakes!
- Another option if you don’t have texas muffin tins is to make smaller versions in normal muffin tins – they just will be smaller than an ‘anatomical’ heart size. You will have to alter the cooking time of the cakes though as they will bake more quickly.
- Please comment below if you have any questions at all!
- Texas muffin tin tray
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
- 3/4 cup strong , hot coffee
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 170 g butter , softened
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons cream
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup raspberries , fresh or frozen
- 1 cup blueberries , fresh or frozen
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Red fondant - at least 200g per heart you want to construct , possibly more to allow for mistakes
- Red food colouring
- Black food colouring
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Preheat the oven to 180° and grease and flour an 8 hole texas muffin tin
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In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
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In another bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, canola oil and vanilla until smooth.
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Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients until just combined. Gradually add the hot coffee while stirring gently. Finally fold in the chocolate chips.
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Divide between the texas muffin tins.
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Bake in oven for around 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean (make sure you aren’t just hitting the chocolate chips though!). I made these in a temperamental oven, so be careful with cooking time as I can't be 100% sure that mine was at the correct temperature! Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
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Gently remove from tins and set aside to cool completely
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In a small bowl or cup, dissolve the cornflour in 2 tablespoons of the water.
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Place the sugar and remaining water in a small pot over a low heat, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.
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Add the lemon juice and cornflour/water mixture, turn the heat up to medium, and continue to stir constantly until it comes to the boil and starts to thicken.
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Set aside to cool.
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Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan over low heat until combined and defrosted (if your berries were frozen). Cook for about 10 minutes to thicken, stirring occasionally so the compote doesn’t catch.
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Taste to adjust the sugar levels.
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With a fork or spoon, break up the berries as much as you can against the side of the pot, then strain through a fine sieve, getting out as much of the compote as you can. The aim here is to get rid of all the seeds for a smooth, dark red/purple berry compote that you can use as ‘blood’.
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Add the butter and icing sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use held mixer). Beat together until the butter is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
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Add the cocoa and vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes or until there are no streaks of white.
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Add the heavy cream and whip for another 2-4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Set aside.
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See the construction notes as to whether you want to make ovoid/ellipsoid, more anatomical heart shapes (slightly bigger), or just use a single chocolate cake per heart (more spherical), and use the photos above as a guide to making them.
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To make the ovoid heart shape, cut a curved piece out of one of the mini-cakes so it sits snugly against the edge of another. Then, on the cut cake, slice a piece of each side so it comes to a rounded point at the end opposite where it sits against the other cake. See the photo above where the heart-shape is sitting on top of the fondant for this.
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Divide the fondant into 200-250g pieces, depending on the size of your heart.
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Roll out the fondant on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar (not flour!) into an elliptoid/oval shape about 3mm thick (again, see photo above)
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Place the heart-shaped cake into the centre of the oval. Spread some of the chocolate buttercream frosting between the two pieces of cake to keep them together as you wrap it up in fondant.
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Quickly and gently, lift up the sides of fondant and wrap up the cake, bringing the fondant together at one edge (or towards one edge) of the heart cake. (again, see photos).
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Use the edges of the fondant at the top to form three arteries - this is tricky, but I did it differently for each heart. Just mold the fondant gently together into three circles at the top. Don’t worry about creases in the fondant - they look great later on when covered in piping gel.
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Repeat with your remaining chocolate cakes, buttercream and fondant.
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When ready to paint on the blood, carefully colour your piping gel. First gradually add red food colouring until it is dark red, then add a tiny bit of black (seriously tiny) to get the red a dark, bloody colour.
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Using a soft paintbrush, generously paint on the piping gel, making sure to get into all the crevasses of the heart.
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When ready to serve, add the berry compote into the arteries and drip it down the sides and base for a really gorey look.
HOLY CRAP! Claudia these are incredible! By far some of the best Halloween baking I have seen this year. or ever really!!! It would be so much fun to tramp about like a zombie or a vampire queen devouring one of these!!
Aw thank you Ruby, that is so lovely of you to say!! Hahah I think you would freak everyone out walking around holding one of these, you would definitely have to film some reactions! x
Gosh, when I first saw the photo I had a chill down my spine! This is so amazingly realistic, like an actual bleeding heart! I love love LOVE the way you’ve added the creative touch for Halloween! I’d proudly be a vampire if it meant I could bite into these superb cupcakes!
Haha thanks Samina! Halloween is the perfect time to get all creepy with baking, I love it!
OMG I seriously love these in a nerdy sort of way. You make them look so freaky accurate!!! So much talent young lady.
Can’t wait to read more of what you do!
Thanks Erica! I know, my inner nerdy self was loving it too – and really trying to make them as life-like as possible! Thanks so much for stopping by <3
Oh! These look like a perfect halloween treats. So good.
Thanks Anu <3
Claudia, these are the most human-heart-like treats I have EVER seen, I’m kind of freaked out. I mean, it’s almost as though you med students could have just crept into some prac room and stolen these hearts and staged these photos. The only thing that convinces me otherwise is the delicious-looking chocolate cake interior LOL
Almost like that…but they taste a whole lot better haha (ew.. even thinking about that sentence is gross!)! Thanks Hannah <3
These are so awesome! Unfortunately, I think I’d be too grossed out if I saw someone eat them. Ha. Which means that clearly your creation is a success.
Thanks Kristen, it was pretty gross watching my brother eat it for the photos..it was only ok because I had made them myself so knew it was definitely cake under there!!
Ohhhhh my goodness. These literally made me gag at first glance, however I couldn’t take my eyes away…. I was instantly glued. These cardiac cakes literally are the best halloween treat that I have seen this season (or any season)! I showed these to my sister (she is an ER Doc) and she even thought they looked spot on! If i end up going to any parties I am ABSOLUTELY making these. I’ll be sure to post for you 🙂 SO creative.
hahaha thanks Julia!! Would love to know how they go if you give them a try, I am sure they would be a big hit at parties! It is amazing how the layer of piping gel and berry compote completely transforms the fondant into looking super bloody! 🙂
I LOVE these cakes!!! Yeah, Halloween is a huge deal, especially here in New Orleans. It turns into week-long celebration. These cakes look creepy, beautiful, and delicious all at the same time! I wish I was that creative in the cake decorating department!!!!
Thanks Meagan!! That does sound like a lot of fun – New Orleans is one place in the US that I would love to visit at some point. And the cakes actually are much simpler than they might look – the berry compote and red piping gel does wonders for transforming them into creepy hearts! Thanks so much for stopping by x
Wow, what a recipe and those photos! I had to look a couple of times before I finally got what you were holding in your hands. Now I totally wish I had kids to scare with this (no, sorry, that sounded bad ;-)) I might try this on our Halloween party in a few weeks. It’s gonna be a hit.
Thank you for this dramatic recipe!
xx Lynn from Heavenlynn Healthy
Aw thank you Lynn! Hahaha my brothers are old enough that they LOVED it, but I can imagine you could really freak out kids a bit younger haha 😉 Would love to know how it goes if you make it for your party – I’m sure everyone will be super impressed! X
Claudia, I laughed out loud when I first saw these — they’re such a dramatic change from your usual lovely, feminine photos! What a creative, zany idea — these look spectacular! Happy Halloween. 🙂
hahaha I know, I click on the front page of my blog and hardly recognise it at the moment! I’m sure it will be back to photos of much prettier things in the near future though, but in the meantime happy Halloween to you too! X
Ha! These are incredible! Omgosh. You amaze me Claudia!
Thanks Amanda!! X
These are fantastic, Claudia! Seriously gory and perfect. One of the best Halloween treats I’ve seen. I never realized how big Halloween in America was until I went to Europe and spent Halloween there. To say us Americans go overboard is an understatement 😉 But I grew up doing all the Halloween festivities for the month of October since I was a little girl (they go all out in schools here too), so I can appreciate the perfection of these bleeding heart cakes. Well done, doll! XO
Aw thank you Beeta! The Halloween celebrations in the US are pretty special – I definitely need to be there in October again sometime to experience it again. So much fun! X
These cakes are amazing, Claudia! Such a creative idea for Halloween!
Thanks Jessica! X
These heart cakes look absolutely disgusting — which means they’re absolutely perfect for Halloween! This is seriously the most perfect, most realistic, Halloween treat I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Amazing!
Haha thank you!! Disgusting is not normally the aim around here, but when it comes to Halloween anything goes! 🙂
Oh my god I am seriously creeped out by these!! And by that I mean you did an amazing job!! You need to throw a Halloween party with these!
hahaha I guess that is the goal! A halloween party would be perfect – or at least get a friend to host one and then be in charge of catering and bake the hearts as a centrepiece cake for it! X
OMG! These look awesome. Great job! We also don’t celebrate Halloween here, but I would love if we would, so I could (try to) make these for a party.
Thanks Kristina! Europe must be similar to NZ in that respect – the american halloween fever hasn’t quite caught on!! X
OMG! These are spooktastic. I can only image the look on my boyfriends face when I give him one of these heart cakes for dessert.
hahaha you would have to video it to get the initial reaction – before he realises it is edible! Thanks Nicole! x
Now this is freaking amazing!
Thanks Raymund!!
OMG, these are incredible! So unbelievable realistic, I am totally creeped out by these!
Super cool Halloween treat!
Thanks Evi! I know, when I show the photos to friends everyone freaks out a little on first glance before they realise it is cake! <3
I am head over heels for these hearts, Claudia! You’ve somehow made gore romantic. The touch of the berries is a real treat. I’d eat one of these in an instant! ♥
Haha thanks Danielle! Actually the heart cakes I was inspired by were made in London for Valentines day – so I suppose it would be romantic (in a gory, nerdy way) to gift one of these as your ‘heart’ to someone! <3
These are so disgusting!!!!!!!!!
How completely brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a clever and inspired idea!
Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sending these to my sister! She is going to love this recipe!
Aw thank you Claire!! Brilliant yet disgusting was definitely the aim, so glad to know it worked! xx
You must cease what you are doing immediately and become a heart sculptures! (spelling?)
new career path?? haha thanks Erin x
What a fun assignment! I love how you tackled and totally rocked it! It was definitely a shock for me when I moved from the US (where I was born and raised) to Norway a few years back. I always knew Halloween was a distinctly American holiday, but it has been nonetheless amusing watching the horrified looks on friends’ faces as I present them with “bloody” brain cupcakes and painted chocolate fingers. Although I’m pretty sure I’ve been pegged as the weird foreigner for it… totally worth it, though. 😉
Thank you Claire! It is so unusual how Halloween celebrations are so limited to the US yet the rest of the world still knows all about it through TV shows and movies! So impressed that you made brain cupcakes for your friends in Norway too, they sound amazing 🙂
These bleeding heart cakes are perfect for Halloween! They would also be great at a Game of Thrones party. Remember when Daenerys eats a stallion’s heart?
Hahah YES I didn’t think of that but they would work so well! Thanks Rosanna!
Holy crap, Claudia! These cakes completely freaked me out. They’re absolutely fantastic. So cool that you got to experience a Halloween in Pittsburgh (I grew up not too far from there!), it’s definitely a special time of year here. 🙂
Thanks Stephanie! On first glance they do look pretty gory haha. I just wish I had been more into food at the time that we lived there – I think I would get way more out of it now (but I guess we say that about most travel experiences we have as kids!). The whole dressing up and traipsing round with bags full of candy is something I won’t be forgetting though – it was very cool.
These are insane! So realistic! And fabulous photos. Can’t wait to show my boys.
Thank you Cathy!! My brothers loved them too – more of a boy thing than my usual recipes!
SO COOL. They turned out so realistic!! No Khaleesi costume is complete without these…hahha.
haha thank you!! They would be seriously cool as part of a Khaleesi costume – you would definitely freak people out wandering around holding it!
Oh my heck My husband would love these… Well, I kinda actually dig it too. Ingenious girl!
Thanks Ai! <3
these are AMAZING! my daughter is taking a high-school forensics class and i’ve just decided these are a MUST for her forensics class on Halloween since it’s on a monday this year. i can’t wait! thank you for the lovely tutorial.
oh I’m glad to hear! they are pretty perfect for halloween. would love to know how they turn out!
Hi Claudia.
You are amazing!!! I’ve been looking at your photos and I’m just blown away. So-o-o I’m getting
ready to tackle your masterpiece and I’m confused about the temperature of the oven. Is the 180 degrees
centigrade? It can’t possibly be fahrenheit. Also, can the cake be made ahead at all. I have never worked
with fondant before and don’t know if it would dry out if the cake is made ahead by a couple of days. Thanks
for sharing your incredible creation. And also for a quick reply. I’ve only got a few more days before Halloween.
Hi Julia!
Thanks so much!
– It is 180°C (I’m in the southern hemisphere!) so that’s 350°F.
– You can make the cakes the day before – I wouldn’t make them any earlier or you might risk them drying out. Keep them in an airtight container (not the fridge, as the fondant can ‘sweat’ as condensation forms).
– Don’t brush the red piping gel/blood and raspberry coulis on until right before you serve it though so it looks as fresh and gory as possible!
Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
Claudia,
They are THE most disgusting, gory, gut wrenching, things you could put on a table, and I absolutely LOVE them!!! The folks on Cake Wars should have used small versions of them as the taste component. Brilliant execution Claudia!
thanks so much Julie!! they are pretty gross, but they sure got eaten quickly! x