Bleeding Hearts

Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/bleeding-hearts • Posted by Canongate

I first made these hearts for my last book – a zombie-themed, B-movie-inspired cake-decorating book – and they exploded on Valentine’s Day. Inundated with orders from all over the world, I made hundreds of the little bleeders, but since I couldn’t ship them outside London I shared the recipe on my blog. They are actually very simple to make; just find an image that you want to copy and keep it in front of you while you work with the fondant.

You will need

Red Food Colouring optional black, too – important: use a gel colouring, not a liquid A tub of clear Piping Gel - clear gel used for decorating cakes, which gives a glossy finish Frosting Small amount of Vanilla Buttercream or Cream Cheese 75g red Fondant Icing per cupcake 1 cooled batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes 1 batch of Mixed Berry Coulis

Project Budget

Time

Difficulty

Description

I first made these hearts for my last book – a zombie-themed, B-movie-inspired cake-decorating book – and they exploded on Valentine’s Day. Inundated with orders from all over the world, I made hundreds of the little bleeders, but since I couldn’t ship them outside London I shared the recipe on my blog. They are actually very simple to make; just find an image that you want to copy and keep it in front of you while you work with the fondant.

Instructions

1. For each bleeding heart, take 75g of fondant icing and roll it into an oval shape about 0.5cm thick, roughly 20 x 10cm | a small silicone rolling pin and mat will help to stop it sticking, otherwise use icing sugar |. Place one of the cupcakes in the centre of the oval and pipe a little bit of buttercream or frosting to stick it in place. Wrap the fondant around the cake from both the edges, folding inwards to the front of the cake, then fold in the bottom, cutting away any excess, and use the extra fondant at the top to form the arteries. Don’t worry about any creases or gathering in the fondant – they make for useful gory details later on.

2. In a small bowl, mix a spoonful of the clear piping gel with some drops of red | and black, if you like | food colouring. Now paint the fondant heart all over using a soft brush – it will stay really glossy.

3. When you are ready to serve, use a pipette or spoon to add coulis ‘blood’ to the arteries, and in a puddle around the base, and prepare to eat your heart out.