“Surprise Inside” Chocolate Bundt Cake With Strawberry Glaze - Valentine’s Day Dessert

Do you like surprises?  I think it’s a lot of fun and quite exciting to get a pleasant surprise from family and loved ones.  This Valentine’s Day, why not give your significant other a sweet surprise?  Let me present to you this gorgeous and delicious “Surprise Inside” Chocolate Bundt Cake With Strawberry Glaze! 



I’m not sure why, but chocolate and strawberries always make me think of Valentine’s Day!  In my humble opinion, I think they compliment each other really well.  To me, they are both romantic and sexy ingredients!  So, why not combine the two together for Valentine’s Day desserts, right? 



Check out my video tutorial above and I’ll walk you through step-by-step on how to make this amazing cake.  First, I started working on the “surprise” part of the cake, which consists of 2 sheets of strawberry cakes.  I added my homemade beet root natural food coloring to (try to) turn the cake pink.  However, the pink hue slightly faded after the first round of baking.  And the coloring mysteriously disappeared completely after the 2nd round of baking inside the bundt cake!  Oh well!  So, you might want to add more coloring than I did.  I’ll post the details and suggestions in the recipe below for your reference.



Even though the heart shaped cake inside didn’t stay pink as I intended it to be, it’s still a gorgeous and stunning cake to serve and enjoy.  And it’s really a surprise when you slice into the cake to reveal the heart shape inside!  Just keep in mind that when you add the heart shaped cake into the bundt pan, make sure to put it up-side down as it’ll be the right direction after you flip the bundt cake over.    



This chocolate bundt cake is rich in chocolate flavor and really moist!  I’m using my favorite Valrhona cocoa powder in the cake batter.  I’ve tried so many different brands of cocoa powder in the past, but seriously, Valrhona is the best!  In case if you’re wondering, no, this is NOT a sponsored post.  I just love this product and wanted to share with you.  So you don’t have to waste your hard-earned money on ingredients that don’t work as great!  I’ll list the ingredients below this post for your convenience.  The fresh strawberry glaze on top of this cake is really refreshing and delightful.  As I said, chocolate and strawberry really compliment each other well.



I hope you’ll try out this recipe and make this “Surprise Inside” Chocolate Bundt Cake for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day!  Stay tuned for more fun and yummy recipe!  Have a wonderful weekend ahead!


Ingredients and Tools used:
10-Inch Ribbon Cake Stand (Click her for more information)
Nordic Ware Bundt Pan (Click here for more information)
10X15 Baking pan (Click here for more information)
Organic Heavy Cream (Click here for more information)
KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Heart Shape Cookie Cutter (Click here for more information)
Cake/Pie Server (Click here for more information)
Small Forks for Dessert (See similar product here)
Valrhona Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Click here for more information)
Freeze Dried Strawberries (Click here for more information)
Cream of Tartar (Click here for more information)
Cake Flour (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Cooling Rack (Click here for more information)
Silicone Spatula for Folding Ingredients (Click here for more information)




“Surprise Inside” Chocolate Bundt Cake With Strawberry Glaze:
**Note: You’ll need 2 sheets of strawberry cakes to fill 1 (10-inch) bundt pan!**

Ingredients for the strawberry cake:1/2 cup freeze dried strawberry, grinded
5 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
10 tablespoons sugar, divided
Pinch of kosher salt
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon beet root natural red food coloring*
1/2 cup cake flour


To prepare the strawberry cake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degree F. Grease a 10 by 15-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Then, line the pan with parchment paper.  Make sure the parchment paper is large enough to have at least 2-inch excess on all sides for easy removal when the cake is done.

Place strawberries in a ziplog bag and crush with a rolling pin until powdery. Set aside.
Next, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until frothy. Then slowly add in around 1/2 of the sugar and beat until stiff peak forms.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow. Then add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and heavy cream until incorporated. Sift the cake flour and strawberry powder into the egg yolk mixture, fold until well incorporated.

Fold meringue into the egg yolk mixture in three batches.  Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.

Gently spread the cake batter evenly onto the prepared cake pan.  Bake at 375 degree F for 12 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake and comes out clean.  Place on a wiring rack until completely cooled. 

When the cake is completely cooled, use a small heart shape cookie cutter to stamp out the cake.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Bundt Cake:
3 sticks butter, room temperature; plus 1 tablespoon for coating the pan
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
7 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 cups cake flour; plus 1 tablespoon for coating the pan
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature


To Prepare the Chocolate Bundt Cake:
Preheat oven to 325F degree. Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

In a large mixing bowl, sift cake flour and cocoa powder together, set aside.

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, with medium speed, cream the butter, sugar and salt together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.

Add the vanilla extract, then the eggs, one at a time. Turn mixer to low, then add the flour mixture and heavy cream, alternately; starting with flour and ending with flour. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary. Mix until the batter is just fully incorporated.

Pour about 1-inch of the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Line the heart shape strawberry cake onto the batter tightly, all around the pan, and upside down. Because the round bottom of the cake will be the “top” after baking. Then, carefully pour the rest of the cake batter into the pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake and comes out clean. Cool on wiring rack for 30 minutes, then remove cake from the pan onto a cake board/serving plate. Place the cake on a wiring rack and cool for another 30 minutes before serving.

Ingredients for the Strawberry Glaze:
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a blender, process strawberries until puree. Pass through a sift to remove seeds. Then, stir in 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Place powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in strawberry puree until you get the proper consistency for icing.

Drizzle onto the cooled bundt cake, top with fresh strawberries, and set it set before serving.

*Note: here’s the link to my homemade beet root natural red food coloring (https://goo.gl/werPfy)  I only used about 1 teaspoon in the recipe and the color somehow disappeared after baking.  You might want to try using 1 tablespoon instead.