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Nothing says ‘I love you’ on Valentine’s Day like baking something special for someone you love – and my Gluten Free Hidden Heart Cake is just the thing! This rich and chocolatey gluten free loaf cake has a hidden surprise. Cut into it to reveal the secret heart centre.
This Hidden Heart Cake is one of those recipes that looks super complicated but is actually surprisingly easy to make.
Cut into the rich, chocolate loaf cake to find a hidden pink heart in the centre. It looks like magic – but I’ll let you in on the secret of how to make this!
Because the best thing about this Valentine’s Day cake is that it looks super complicated, but it’s not!
The idea is simple, but with a stunning effect. You basically bake a pink sponge, cut out a load of hearts, line them up and then bake them into a second, chocolate sponge.
Super easy, and the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert – why not make my Marry Me Chickpeas for a date night and serve this up for afters?
Ingredients
There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free hidden heart cake below. But for the shopping list here are the main ingredients you’ll need:
For the pink sponge:
- Butter: For a dairy free cake, use a vegan margarine like Stork Baking Block.
- Caster Sugar: In the US you’ll need baker’s sugar or superfine sugar.
- Eggs: I use large UK eggs, in the US you’ll need XL eggs.
- Self-Raising Gluten Free Flour: If you don’t have self rising flour you can make your own by adding 1 tsp gluten free baking powder per 100g plain gluten free flour.
- Ground Almonds: These are usually gluten free but double check for ‘may contain’ warnings. For a nut free cake, simply substitute with an equal weight of gluten free self-raising flour.
- Milk: Use dairy free milk like soya milk or almond milk for a dairy free cake.
- Vanilla Extract
- Cocoa Powder
- Pink Food Colouring: I recommend the Sugarflair food colouring as it creates a gorgeous vibrant colour and is gluten free.
- Cocoa Powder
- Icing Sugar
- Heart Sprinkles: Some sprinkles contain wheat, so be sure to use gluten free ones.
How to Make a Hidden Heart Cake
This recipe may seem complicated but trust me, it’s not! Here are some step-by-step phots to talk you through how to make this hidden heart cake.
First make the pink sponge as this is what you will cut the hearts from for the centre of the finished cake.
Pre-heat the oven to 180’C / 160′ Fan / Gas 4 and grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. Sift in the flour, add the ground almonds and beat again until it forms a thick cake batter.
Add the milk and a couple of drops of food colouring and mix until fully combined. Add as much or as little food colouring to achieved the desired colour.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for approx 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the sponge to cool completely before the next step.
Once the cake has cooled, take a small (approx 5cm) heart-shaped cutter and cut as many hearts as possible from the pink sponge.
You will need to be able to line these up next to each other to fill the length of a 2lb loaf tin. Don’t throw away any offcuts – use them to make gluten free cake pops!
Next make the chocolate sponge. If you have turned the oven off, preheat it once more to 180’C / 160′ Fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 2lb baking tin and set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and add the ground almonds and milk, and beat again until it forms a thick cake batter.
Spread a little of the cake mixture into the lined loaf tin, until the bottom is covered. This will help keep the hearts upright.
Next, line the hearts up, one against the other, stood upright in the batter. You’ll need a little space either end as well for the cake batter.
Carefully spoon the rest of the cake mix around the hearts until they are completely covered.
Gently bang the cake tin against the worktop to get rid of any bubbles, before placing in the oven.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and cool on a baking rack.
Once cooled, make the frosting by beating together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter until smooth. Use a small palate knife to smooth the frosting over the cake.
Decorate the cake with heart-shaped sprinkles and leave to set before slicing to reveal the secret heart inside!
Storing and Freezing
This hidden heart cake can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week. Don’t put it in the fridge as this can cause gluten free cakes to go stale quicker.
You can freeze this hidden heart cake too. I recommend slicing the cake up then freezing the slices between sheets of baking paper.
This will stop them sticking together and means you can defrost a piece whenever you fancy a bit of cake!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some FAQs about this hidden heart cake recipe. If you can’t find the answer to your question here or in the post above, please comment and I’ll try answer!
Don’t waste any offcuts when you’ve cut out all your hearts! Use them to make my gluten free cake pops – they are SO delicious! You can also crumble some of the pink sponge on top of the frosted cake, instead of sprinkles.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. You can also share your creations in my Facebook group! And please do leave a 5* review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me and really helps support my website.
Gluten Free Hidden Heart Cake
Ingredients
For the pink sponge:
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 115 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 85 g self-raising gluten free flour, (see notes for substitutions)
- 35 g ground almonds
- 1 tsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel pink food colouring
For the chocolate sponge:
- 175 g unsalted butter
- 175 g caster sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 100 g gluten free self-raising flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 50 g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp milk
For the frosting:
- 175 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 90 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- heart sprinkles, (gluten free)
Instructions
To make the pink sponge:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180'C / 160' Fan / Gas 4 and grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. Sift in the flour, add the ground almonds and beat again until it forms a thick cake batter.
- Add the milk and a couple of drops of food colouring and mix until fully combined. Add as much or as little food colouring to achieved the desired colour – I wanted my pink vibrant, but a little goes a long way!
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for approx 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the sponge to cool completely before the next step.
- Once the cake has cooled, take a small (approx 5cm) heart-shaped cutter and cut as many hearts as possible from the pink sponge. You will need to be able to line these up next to each other to fill the length of a 2lb loaf tin (approx 8-9 hearts).
To make the chocolate sponge:
- If you have turned the oven off, preheat it once more to 180'C / 160' Fan / Gas 4. Grease and line a 2lb baking tin and set aside.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat again until combined. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and add the ground almonds and milk, and beat again until it forms a thick cake batter.
To construct the hidden heart cake:
- Spread a little of the cake mixture into the lined loaf tin, until the bottom is covered.
- Next, line the hearts up, one against the other, stood upright in the batter (see photo in blog post above). Carefully spoon the rest of the cake mix around the hearts until they are completely covered.
- Gently bang the cake tin against the worktop to get rid of any bubbles, before placing in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the cake is well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and cool on a baking rack.
- Once cooled, make the frosting by beating together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter until smooth. Use a small palate knife to smooth the frosting over the cake and add some sprinkles to finish.
Video
Notes
- Weighing Scales vs Cups: You can toggle this recipe card to convert the ingredients into cups. However, I always recommend using weighing scales – these are cheap to buy and much more accurate. And in gluten free baking, a tiny variation can make a huge difference!
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos to show how to construct this hidden heart cake. It’s easier than you think!
- Storing and Freezing: This cake can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container, and can also be frozen. See the post above for tips.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* review and tell all your gluten free friends about this Hidden Heart Cake!
Nutrition
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Leave a comment here if you try this recipe and love it! It would mean the world to me 🙂