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Tunnel of Love Bundt Cake

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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.

  • Author: Marisa Guerra
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes
  • Yield: 10-15 servings
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

  • 360 grams (3 cups) flour
  • 2 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 8 oz unsalted butter, softened
  • 346 grams (1 3/4 cup) sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 226 grams (1 cup) sour cream, room temperature
  • pink food coloring

Chocolate Bundt Cake

  • 270 grams (2 1/4 cup) flour
  • 63 grams (3/4 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for coating pan
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 396 grams (2 cups) sugar
  • 148 grams (3/4 cup) vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 170 grams (3/4 cup) buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup freshly brewed coffee

Chocolate Glaze

  • 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 113 grams (1/2 cup) heavy cream

Instructions

Vanilla Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
  2. Coat a 13 x 9 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment.
  3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Add the sour cream, flour mixture, and a few drop of pink food coloring and mix just until combined.
  7. Transfer to the baking pan and use an offset spatula to level the batter out. Bake for 32-34 minutes.
  8. 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.
  9. Use a serrated knife to level out the top of the cake.
  10. Use a small heart cookie cutter to cut as many hearts as possible. You should be able to get around 14 or so.

Chocolate Cake

  1. 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.
  2. Whisk together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
  3. Whisk together the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and hot coffee in a medium bowl.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
  5. 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.
  6. Gently add the remaining batter so it covers the rest of the hearts.
  7. Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. 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.

Chocolate Glaze

  1. While the cake continues to cool, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
  2. Place the heavy cream in a smaller heat safe bowl and microwave for 10 second intervals, stirring in between until the cream is hot.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!

Notes

  • Leftover cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for several days. Cake can also be cut into slices, individually wrapped in plastic wrap, and stored in the freezer for several months.
  • Make sure your heart cookie cutter fits in the bundt pan before you get started.
  • 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.