No-Bake Mini Heart Cakes*
Active: 45 min
Total: 2 3/4 hrs (1 1/2 hrs for icing to set)
Makes: About 14 cakes
1 16-oz frozen poundcake, not thawed
ICING:
5 1/4 cups (1 1/2 lb) confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
Red liquid or paste (icing) food color
Decorations: tubes of white, red and pink decorating icing, each fitted with round piping tip; red crystal sugar; and tiny candy hearts
Have ready 2-inch and/or 2 1/2-inch heart-shape metal cookie cutters.
Using a long, sharp knife, trim rounded hump off poundcake so top is flat. Trim crust off sides. Slice cake horizontally in half. Cut hearts from each half.
Put hearts 1 1/2 inches apart on a wire rack set on wax paper to catch drips.
Icing: Stir ingredients, except food color, in a bowl until smooth and as thin as maple syrup. Divide between 2 bowls; cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap. Tint icing in other bowl pink.
Spoon pink icing over half the cakes, completely covering tops and sides. Stir drips on wax paper into icing in bowl; cover airtight. Let icing set 30 minutes. Meanwhile repeat with white icing on rest of cakes.
Thin remaining pink and white icings with a little water as needed; give cakes a second coat. Let set at least 1 hour.
To decorate: With decorating icing, pipe designs and words on cakes. Add red sugar and candy hearts.