My Top Picks

My True Love Cake

Pretty for Valentine's Day

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 2 c. white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 t. vanilla
  • 1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 c. all-purpose unbleached white flour
  • 4 Tbls. plus 1-1/2 t. baking cocoa
  • 1 t. baking soda
  • 1 c. water
  • 1/2 c. canola oil
  • 1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling, divided

Filling

  • 2 (8 oz.) blocks of low-fat cream cheese
  • 2/3 c. white sugar
  • 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 t. almond extract

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Beat in water and oil until smooth.

Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch heart shaped baking pans (you can also use round ones).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Filling: In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in cream and extract.

Place one cake on a serving plate; spread with half of the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Top with 1 cup pie filling and second cake and spread with remaining cream cheese mixture.

Make a heart-shaped indentation in center of top layer of cake; fill with remaining pie filling.

Refrigerate until serving.

NOTE: Serves 12.