Valentine Cake

It is fast and easy, and looks nice for a Valentine Party

Ingredients:

• 1 white cake mix
• 1 bottle of red food coloring
• 1 bottle of maraschino cherries
• 1 can of white frosting
• 1 square 9 inch pan
• 1 round 9 inch pan
• large square board to put the cake on
• 1 tube of red icing for writing "Happy Valentine's Day" or other message, if desired.

Directions:

Remove 22 cherries and set to one side. Chop remainder of cherries.

Mix cake mix according to directions,using food coloring and cherry juice for liquid, adding water or milk to get proper amount. Add chopped cherries to batter.

Divide batter, half in square pan and half in round pan and bake as directed. Cool before decorating.

When cake is ready to ice, cut the round layer in half, and place one half against one side of the square layer, and the other half against the adjoining side of the square, forming a heart. I usually place my cake on a square cardboard which has been covered with aluminum foil.

Frost with white frosting.

Cut the remaining cherries not all the way through in the shape of a plus sign. They will open like a four leaf clover. Put these evenly spaced around the cake about a half inch from the edge.

Using the tube of red icing, write your message inside the cherry border.

You can also cut white paper doilies in half and place them under the edges of the cake if you want to.

You don't see the red cake until it is cut--it looks like a white cake with cherry decorations. When it is cut it makes you take a second look.

This can be doubled if you need two cakes for a special get-together, by making two layers of each shape, making the heart double layered.

Source: When I was in grade school we had a Valentine's Day parties. Mother always made a heart cake and brought it to school.

By Clynn Altemus from Inglis, FL

Answers:

Valentine Cake

This one takes me back many years. I never had any fancy cake pans and this is one that can be made without a specialty pan. I used to make it for our Valentine Day treat. I haven't done so for a very long time, but guess I'll plan to do this again this year. Thanks for the reminder. (02/03/2010)

By Harlean