Chocolate Strawberry Heart

Ingredients

Filling

    * 2 pints  fresh strawberries
    * 1 cup  whipping cream

Cake

    * 1 cup  sugar
    * 3/4 cup  flour
    * 1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa
    * 1 teaspoon  baking soda
    * 1/2 teaspoon  baking powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon  salt
    * 1 egg
    * 1/2 cup  coffee-flavored liqueur
    * 1/2 cup  buttermilk
    * 1/4 cup  vegetable oil
    * 1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

Instructions

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 ° degrees. Butter the Heart Flan Pan and place in the refrigerator or freezer to firm the butter.

Sift together the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine the liquid ingredients and add to te dry ingredients to combine. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Pour into prepared Heart Flan Pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Filling:

While the cake is baking, wash and stem the strawberries. Reserve 2/3 of the berries, selecting the best. Cut the remaining berries into 1/4" cubes and sprinkle with sugar to taste. Macerate these berries until juice forms.

Whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar to taste (1-2 tablespoons).

Spread the macerated strawberries and all of the accumulated juice on the heart flan. Cover with the whipped cream.

Decorate with the remaining strawberries, standing them upright.

Serves 6-8