Surprise Heart Chiffon Cake

Need a sweet surprise for a celebration or just enjoy an afternoon tea for two? Why not make a pretty surprise heart chiffon cake that’s perfect for Valentine’s day or those special Anniversaries?  Here’s a healthy recipe to share.

Made with soy milk, no yolks, and less flour, this cake is high in protein, low in fat and sugar and also suitable for the lactose intolerant! If you don’t like the taste of soy, you can substitute it with almond, oat or regular milk.

The Pomegranate seeds also add additional fiber, Vitamin C & K, folate, and potassium! Oh! Did I mention that its also great as an afternoon tea snack for those diet cheat days when you absolutely just…. need….. cake….? ^_^

Decorated with beautiful jewel-like pomegranate seeds sitting on top of pink hearts set in fluffy white chiffon; this cake could not look any more stunning. So anyway, less talk now and let’s get started!

Watch our Instagram reel of the Surprise Heart Chiffon Cake (without pomegranate) here!  

POMEGRANATE SURPRISE HEART WHITE CHIFFON CAKE

Makes 1 x 17cm chiffon cake

INGREDIENTS

A: Pink Hearts Chiffon

8g        Granulated sugar
35ml    Unsweetened Soy Milk
20ml    Vegetable Oil
½ tsp   Vanilla Extract
20g      Cake Flour sifted
10g      Corn Starch sifted
2          Egg yolks (Optional)
Red or Pink Food Colouring
(Reduce milk to 20ml if using yolks. You may also need to add more colouring to achieve the shade of pink that you want)

Meringue
2          Egg Whites (30-35g / egg white) or whites from 55-60g eggs.
¼ tsp   Cream of Tartar
25g      Granulated sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Line a baking tray 25 x 25cm with baking paper.
• In a small bowl, mix the sugar (8g), (optional: egg yolks), soy milk, vegetable oil & vanilla extract till well combined.

• Add red or pink food colouring to the mixture.
• Fold in the dry ingredients and then mix till there are no more lumps. The mixture should form ribbons that disappear back into the batter.
• Meringue: In another bowl, beat egg whites with sea salt and cream of tartar till bubbly or soft peaks. Add in sugar (25g) in 2 batches then continue to beat on high speed till medium soft peaks.

• Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the wet mixture and mix till well combined. Then fold in the rest of the meringue gently till no more whites are seen.

• Pour cake batter into baking tray and even out with an off-set spatula.
• Give the tray a few bangs on the table to remove any large air bubbles.
• Bake for 15-18 mins.
• Remove baking paper and cool cake on a cooling rack.
• Once cooled, use a cookie cutter to punch out heart shapes. You will need about 35 pieces for assembly later. Recommended size: 3.5cmL x 2.5cmW.

Note: If using egg yolks, decrease soy milk to 20ml.

B: White Cake Chiffon

10g             Granulated Sugar
50ml           Unsweetened Soy Milk
30ml           Vegetable Oil
1 tsp           Vanilla Extract
30g             Cake Flour
15g             Corn Starch
2-2½ tbsp   Pomegranate Seeds

Meringue:
4                 Egg whites (30-35g / egg white) or whites from 55-60g eggs.
50g             Granulated Sugar
½ tsp          Cream of Tartar
Pinch of fine sea salt

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius.
• In a mixing bowl, mix sugar (10g), soy milk, vegetable oil & vanilla extract till well combined.
• Fold in the dry ingredients and then mix till there are no more lumps. The mixture should form ribbons that disappear back into the batter.
• Add in Pomegranate seeds and mix. Do not over mix.
• Meringue: In another bowl, beat egg whites with sea salt and cream of tartar till bubbly or soft peaks. Add in sugar (50g) in 3 batches then continue to beat on high speed till firm peaks.

• Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the wet mixture and mix till well combined. Then fold in the rest of the meringue gently till no more whites are seen.
• Assembly: Arrange some cut out hearts at the base of the chiffon tin.

• Scoop some cake batter and spread it around, covering the hearts.
• Next, invert and arrange the rest of the pink hearts around the baking tin making sure they are packed tight. You will need around 26-28 hearts.
• Pour the rest of the cake batter over the hearts.

• Remove any trapped large air bubbles by lightly giving the tin a couple of bangs on the table. Or gently run a chopstick through the top of the batter keeping in mind not to knock over the hearts.
• Bake for 40-45 mins till brown or when the sides start to pull away from the tin.
• Invert the tin and let cool.

• Once completely cooled, remove cake from tin using an off-set spatula.

• Brush away any browned crumbs

• Decorate & place a fresh pomegranate seed above each heart on the top design.

• Serve as it is or with whipped cream if preferred.

NB: I highly advocate reducing food waste. For this recipe, you can re-use the cake scraps after punching out the pinks hearts and make them into cake pops, or just eat it on its own! As for egg yolks, turn them into something else –  lemon curd, Hollandaise sauce, Homemade Mayonaise, Creme Brulee, Pastry Cream for Choux Puffs and more!

– Recipe by Candice Cheong, our Behind-the-Scene Marketing Think-Tank / Midnight Baker!- 

About the author:

Candice Cheong heads Marketing at Spoonful. She stems from an Advertising and Marketing Communications background having graduated from the University of Canberra, Australia and has been working in the media industry for more than 15 years. Her passion for food led her to Spoonful and she’s inspired by teammates here, further fueling her hobby in baking. As a mom of two young kids, Candice works in the day and bakes at night, earning her the nickname The Late Night Baker. Besides baking, she has an innate passion for all things Japanese, travel, and a keen interest in photography.  Follow Candice on Instagram @dice97