Method

• 1.
  Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) fan-forced. Grease an 18 cm (7 inch) round cake tin. Line the base and side with baking paper. Using a hand-held mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the oil, sugar and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until frothed.
• 2.
  Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until just combined. Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa until just combined. Add the buttermilk and red food colouring and mix until the batter is combined and as red as you like it, adding extra food colouring if you want a deeper shade. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
• 3.
  Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes, before turning out onto a baking rack to cool completely. Using a cake leveller or a long, thin knife, carefully divide your cake into two even layers.
• 4.
  For the buttercream, place butter in the large bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attached. Beat for 3 minutes on high speed until it becomes pale and fluffy. Add half the icing sugar and cocoa powder. Beat for 3 minutes - start slow and increase to high speed. Add remaining icing sugar and cocoa powder.
• 5.
  Beat again for 3 minutes. Add milk and beat again for 1 minute on high until buttercream is fluffy. Cover and set aside at room temperature for assembly.
• 6.
  For the bloody jam glaze, place jam in a microwave safe bowl and gently melt in microwave for 30 seconds. Add drops of food colouring and mix until combined. Cover and set aside until cake assembly.
• 7.
  To assemble and decorate, using a sharp knife, carve your cake into a rough heart shape, making sure to save the cake offcuts for later.
• 8.
  Place the first layer of cake onto a cake board or platter, and use an offset spatula to spread over a generous amount of chocolate buttercream (approx 1 cm in thickness). Place second layer of cake on top. Spread another layer of chocolate buttercream over the top, and use the cake offcuts to form a rough ‘mound-like’ shape across the top right section of the cake. This doesn’t have to be perfect!
• 9.
  Cover the entire outside of the cake in another generous layer of chocolate buttercream. Don’t worry if the surface isn’t smooth, as this will be covered with fondant and can easily be shaped afterwards. Place cake in refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
• 10.
  To cover cake in fondant, lightly dust a clean kitchen bench surface with soft icing sugar or corn starch. Use a rolling pin to roll out fondant approximately 5 mm in thickness. To transfer the fondant from kitchen bench onto cake, loosely roll up the fondant around the rolling pin and unroll once the rolling pin is positioned over the cake. Use your hands to help guide and smooth the fondant over the cake. Use a sharp knife to trim away excess fondant from the bottom edge of the cake. Save leftover fondant for decorating.
• 11.
  To make the heart ‘valves’, roll out fondant and cut out rectangles in different sizes. Simply roll the rectangle shape back onto itself and pinch the seam together to create a tube. Once you are happy with the placements, glue the ‘valves’ onto cake using melted apricot jam. To create major arteries and veins, roll out fondant into thin strips and press onto cake. Gently reheat apricot ‘blood’ glaze in the microwave, and use a pastry brush to generously cover the entirety of the cake. This part is optional, but if you’d like to add any further details to the human heart cake, tint leftover apricot glaze with a small amount of blue food colouring and paint over some of the valves and arteries.