Valentine's Sweetheart Pound Cake

By msippigrl

Impress your hunny (or anyone) with this pretty cake that has a hidden heart in the center. Easy recipe using 2 boxes of pound cake mix, red food coloring, and a simple icing.

Ingredients

• Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing:
• 2 (16 oz) boxes Betty Crocker Pound Cake mix
• 1 stick unsalted butter, divided, softened
• 4 large eggs, divided
• 1 1/3 cups milk, divided (I used skim)
• Red liquid food coloring
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners powdered sugar
• 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk or cream
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan.

Prepare your red pound cake;
Beat together with a hand mixer, 1 box of the cake mix, 1/2 stick (1/4 c) softened butter, 2 eggs, and 2/3 cup milk in a large mixing bowl for time listed on package. Beat in food coloring until you reach the desired color. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for time listed on box. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen edges with a thin knife and invert onto the rack to cool completely. Cut cold cake into slices the same thickness of your cookie cutter. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut heart shapes from the slices of cake and stack in stacks of about 4 slices each, aligning them evenly. Set aside.

Prepare your second box of pound cake mix the same as the first, except omit the food coloring. Grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan; spoon just barely enough batter to cover the bottom of pan. Align your stacks of red cake hearts down the center, keeping them tightly together and pressing them slightly into the batter. Spoon in enough batter to fill in the sides and to cover the hearts, being careful to not overfill so the batter won't overflow. Bake 50-60 minutes or as directed on the box. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then loosen sides with a thin knife and remove to rack to cool completely.

When cake is completely cool, prepare your icing:
In a medium bowl, beat all of the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Add more confectioners sugar if it appears too thin or more milk if it appears too thick, until desired consistency is reached.

Set cake aside until the icing has hardened. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream or prepared whipped cream / whipped topping.