Ingredients

Method

• 125 ml sunflower oil
• 220 g caster sugar (1 cup)
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 375 ml Greek yoghurt (1 1/2 cups)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 t vinegar
• 2 T red food colouring
• 270 g cake flour (2 1/4 cups)
• 2 T cocoa powder
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
For the icing
• 115 g butter
• 1 x 250 g thick cream cheese, such as Philadelphia
• 260 g icing sugar (2 cups)
• coconut liqueur, to taste

Method

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 180ºC and grease 2 x 22 cm cake pans.

Beat together the oil, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Mix in the yoghurt, vanilla, vinegar and food colouring.

Sift in the dry ingredients and fold in. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked. Leave to cool.

To make the coconut cream cheese icing, mix together the butter with the cream cheese. Sift the icing sugar and add, along with some coconut liqueur to taste.

Cook's note: This makes 2 cakes that you can sandwich together using the icing, though you can also only make one, keeping in mind that it will take longer to bake, unless you use a bigger cake tin.

If you make one cake, carefully slice it into horizontal slices, as we've done in the picture here, then cut out each 'layer' to form heart shapes. Sandwich together using icing and decorate with silver balls and/or coconut shavings.

You can also use this recipe to make cupcakes, which will take about 15 minutes to bake.

Icing tip: When it comes to the colouring you can use the gel food colouring (available from baking goods suppliers), but you will need less as it is quite concentrated.

TASTE's take

This recipe was created by Abigail Donnelly, TASTE's food editor, in celebration of Valentine's Day. You can of course make it year round for the people you love!