mhmm monday

I was in love with my slow cooker this winter. For the past three months I have enjoyed finding and trying new recipes {soups, casseroles, and chilli’s… oh my!} for the crock-pot for supper. Each week had me scouring the Internet to find different dinner recipes for the weekly mhmm Monday and I loved, loved, loved not having to worry about dinner for the rest of the day.

But with the warmer weather coming soon, I thought for the next few months of mhmm Mondays, I’d start to feature other food ideas. Most I plan to make, but some, well some will be to simply enjoy with your eyes..... might still slip in a few crock-pot meal here and there, we‘ll see.

Today’s mhmm comes from this website

Surprise Heart Cake

Ingredients:
butter and flour, for greasing pans
2 + 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 + 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 - 1 teaspoon red food coloring
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8x8 inch square baking pan and a standard loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
Into a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer cream butter for 3 minutes on medium speed, add the sugar and beat 3 more minutes, add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add the egg yolks, beat 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.
Mix milk and heavy cream together. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture alternating with the milk mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down sides of the bowl at least once during the process.
Remove 1 + 1/2 cups of the batter to a small bowl. Mix in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon food coloring. Spread it evenly in the 8x8 pan and bake 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center. Cool on wire rack until barely warm.
Using a 1 + 1/2-inch heart cookie cutter cut out hearts.
Add a thin layer of cake batter to the loaf pan then stand the hearts up in it. Once you have them all stood up gently push the first and last ones together to squish them up against each other.
Gently spoon in the rest of the batter, filling in the sides and gently covering the hearts with a thin layer of batter.
Bake until a toothpick comes out from the cake (not the hearts) clean about 40 - 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack then turn out from pan and cool completely.
Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese (light or regular - not nonfat), at room temperature
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 bottle (5.25 ounces) of Wilton rainbow chip sprinkles
Beat the butter and cream cheese together on medium speed until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
Beat in half the confectioners' sugar until combined, add the remaining half and the vanilla extract. Beat on medium 5 minutes until light and fluffy, stopping to check the consistency every few minutes. If it seems too thick you can add a teaspoon of heavy cream or half & half, too thin add a few more tablespoons confectioners' sugar.
Mix in the rainbow chips by hand. Use immediately to frost the cake. Store in refrigerator and bring to room temperature for serving.
Enjoy!

Blessings