Tunnel of Love Bundt Cake

Valentine's Day is just a few days away and this Tunnel of Love Bundt Cake is just what you need to celebrate. A rich and fudgy chocolate bundt cake is cut open to reveal vanilla heart cut outs in every bite.

This Tunnel of Love Bundt Cake has three elements: the vanilla cake for the heart centers, the chocolate bundt cake, and the super simple chocolate glaze.

You'll make the vanilla cake first and use a heart cookie cutter to cut out the heart shapes once it's cooled. Then you can get started on the chocolate bundt cake, which is were the heart cake cut outs will be added.

Once the cake has been baked and is starting to cool you can make the chocolate glaze to add on top.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Eggs: You want to make sure that your eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
  • Buttermilk: It's also best for the buttermilk to be as close to room temperature as possible so it is evenly incorporated into the batter.
• Measuring Your Ingredients:
  • I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature:
  • Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 350º F. Coat a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until well combined, 3-5 minutes. With the mixer on low-medium speed add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the sour cream, flour mixture, and a few drop of pink food coloring and mix just until combined. Transfer to the baking pan and use an offset spatula to level the batter out. Bake for 32-34 minutes.

Cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edges and center of the pans, topping the cake with another cooling rack, and carefully turning the cake out to cool completely.

Use a serrated knife to level out the top of the cake. Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut as many hearts as possible. You should be able to get around 14 or so.

Once the vanilla cake is cooling, coat a 10-12 cup bundt pan with nonstick spray and cocoa powder. Make sure to shake out any excess cocoa powder. Whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and hot coffee in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

Carefully pour a somewhat thin layer of batter into the pan. Place the cut out heart shapes upside down in the pan so their points are on top. Do your best to keep them as close together as possible, but there will be some gaps.

Gently add the remaining batter so it covers the rest of the hearts. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 45 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edges and center of the pan, topping the cake with another cooling rack, and carefully turning the cake out.

While the cake continues to cool, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place the heavy cream in a smaller heat safe bowl and microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring in between until the cream is hot.

Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until combined. Reheat for 10 seconds if the chocolate isn't fully melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

Let the glaze cool slightly before drizzling the desired amount of it onto the mostly cooled cake. The cake is best served slightly warmed. Enjoy!

Make sure to take special care when cutting into the cake as it is possible to cut it right at a gap between two hearts.

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