Here we go folks. I am again sharing with you a Surprise Inside Cake tutorial. This time… How to make the Mini Heart Cake and Shamrock Cake !
I will be writing out the instructions for the Shamrock Cake, and put the (brief) instructions for the Mini Heart Cake at the end of the post. They are very, very similar so you should be able to determine how to make the mini-heart cake from these pictures. However, if you have any questions please just leave it in the comments and I will answer as soon as possible!
I used this white cake recipe and divided it into two six inch pans. Bake cakes then remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
Place cakes in freezer for about six hours, or until very firm to the touch. You do not want a crumbly or soft cake.
Start by making your cake mixture. You need a golf ball size portion of green and a very small amount of white.
You can either bake an additional white cake to get excess cake (for the cake mixture) or you can level your six inch cakes and use those scraps. To make the cake mixture take one cup of cake crumbs and add one teaspoon of frosting. Blend together until you get a play doh like consistency. Feel free to use more frosting as needed.
Take 1/4 of the green mixture and roll into a ball.
Roll it into a snake. I use a fondant smoother to roll mine, but you can certainly just roll out a snake with your hands.
You want the snake to be about 12 inches long.
Repeat this four times so you have four snakes all approximately the same length.
Now we are going to shape the petals of the shamrock. To do this I simply take my finger and press down one side of the snake.
Then take a butter knife (using the dull side) and make a indentation on the wide side. Roll out a VERY very skinny snake from the white cake mixture and insert it into the indentation you just created. The white snake will virtually disappear when you cut into the cake but will help provide a little extra stability in the petal of your shamrock.
Do this the three of the snakes. The final green snake will be the base of your shamrock. Instead of making an indentation, simply press it a little flatter. You want to create a three dimensional triangle.
Remove cakes from freezer and center a four inch round cookie cutter on the cake. Press in about a 1/2 inch.
Gently dig out a half inch section of the cake and set aside. Be careful with it as you will be reusing it.
Pick up the green snake that you are using for the stem of your shamrock. Gently tuck it into the crevice of the cake.
Now take the extra white cake piece that you just removed and cut off (approximately) 1/4 inch from the exterior circumference.
Nestle it back into the cake.
Do this to other side of cake. You can use any of the three green snake as they should all be the same.
Now place the next green snake around the cake, matching up pointy end to pointy end. (indentation side, the side that you have filled with the white snake, out) Place the last green snake around the interior. Place other cake on top and dont press too hard.
Chill for a couple hours. (or overnight)
To decorate the exterior:
Cover cake in crumb coat and chill for a little bit. (anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight)
Place a frosting tinted green (I used my favorite buttercream recipe, only I used 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter) in a pastry bag with a coupler set attached. Put the #32 tip on.
Starting with the bottom of the shamrock, apply gentle pressure to bag near the bottom of the cake. Slightly move tip from side to side and create a wider base, then move up.
Do this same thing on the right side, only do it twice. This helps create the two petal shamrock leaf.
Continue around entire cake. I also put a large shamrock on top of the cake using the same method.
FOR THE MINI HEART CAKE:
Use a quarter size of red cake mixture and roll into a snake. Make your red cake snake about 12 inches long. Pinch down one side to create the bottom point of the heart. Using the back of a butter knife, create a slight indentation in the top of the heart.
(Using the white filler snake in the above tutorial is optional, I did not use it on my Mini Rose Cake)
Place round cookie cutter in center of cake. Press slightly. Insert red heart snake into cake with the pointy side down.
Place other layer cake on top. Place crumb coat on cake and decorate as you would like!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
Take your time!
Make sure your cake is very chilled prior to cutting into it. If your cake is room temperature you might squish the shamrock.
If this is your first ever Surprise Inside cake, you might want to try the mini heart first. I have made over 100 surprise inside cakes and the Shamrock is the most challenging by far. I really had to be as precise and as intentional as possible.
Have fun with it! Its just cake. Even if it doesnt turn out you can still eat it. 
I’ve been dying to know how you did these! So how do you make the cake mixture that you’re rolling out? Not sure if I missed that somewhere or what… These are both so beautiful!
It’s up there. Mix 1 cup of cake crumbs with a tsp. of frosting, (or more) until it’s like playdough.
This is amazing! I am really really impressed… you should bring one of these to my house in South Boston (we have the 2nd largest St. Patty’s Day parade in the country).
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Loved this!!!! I will try it in a cake I have to make for a wedding this weekend!!! It will be an awesome surprise for the bride and groom!!!
Wow! I kept trying to think how you did this. You actually make it look quite easy!
Wonderful!
Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much for the mini heart tutorial! I’ve been dying to make it since you posted it. You are incredibly talented. This will be my first surprise inside cake (other than stripy layers which i do all the time). Can’t wait. Thanks so much for being so inspirational.
i’ve been thinking of ways how you got that clover inside the cake but this was not one of them:) So glad you shared this tutorial!
What’s in the cake mixture for the green and white? It doesn’t look like it is just cake crumbs, have you mixed something else in?
Looks like she used the cake scraps from leveling the cake. You make crumbs with it & add 1 teaspoon of frosting to 1 cup of crumbs & squish it together.
Isn’t this just so brilliant I want to hug you and thank you. I think it maybe time I try some of your cool ideas! Love this!
I love this- the step my step instructions on how you got the cake embedded with the heart. Must-try!
You are truly amazing! I don’t have a clue as to how you even think of these things, much less bring them to fruition in such a gorgeous way. Both are wonderful, no doubt about it, but I will try the heart for sure. The shamrock is a bit too advanced for me.
May I ask? Did you bake an extra white cake to use part of it for the snakes? I’m not sure if just leveling the 6″ cakes would provide enough.
Thanks in advance!
I would consider myself a pretty advanced baker… and this still blows my mind!! Hats off to you for being so creative and dedicated!!
You are so genius and creative! I could not figure out how you did it! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Perfection.
Apart from that, I’m speechless.
gorgeous!
Hi, these are gorgeous!! Could you possibly show a picture of the cake with all three of the “green snakes” in the other portion of the cake? Thank you. I’m just slightly confused on that part.
Thank you so much for the tutorial! What tip did you use to decorate the outside of the mini heart cake? That’s what I have been even more curious about then how you did the insides….how you decorated the outside!
LOVE IT!
you are amazing! I wish we lived near each other – oh the fun we could have!
Thank you so much for this tutorial I have waited every since I saw it the first time. It’s great I am hoping I can make it turn out!
Wow. Constantly amazed at your baking innovations!
“If it doesn’t turn out, you can still eat it.” So true!
I Love this, its the best thing i have ever seen. I want to eventually attempt this! So impressive. Amanda – u are so creative!
thanks for sharing your secrets, amanda–i just may attempt this one!
Amanda, I think you should definitely consider adding a section to your blog called “I am a Darling”, you are! I’ve been wondering for so long how you did that, thank you for sharing your work and secrets to so many lovely creations!!!
Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your tricks and tips!
This still blows my mind! even SEEING how you do it, I still don’t think I could do it!……….so, I’ll just eat it! Pass a piece my way Amanda!
Now that I have this amazing tutorial I simple have no excuses to build a cake like this!!
You are like the magicians. Looks amazing and so hard but the sleight of hand is easy once you know how. Thank you for being you and sharing yourself with us!
You are brilliant!! Love everything you make! So very creative!! I really want to try this, but I have some questions. I’m a little confused about putting the two cake layers together. Did you use icing between the two layers???
Also, let me make sure I have the technique for the two layers straight – you do the same technique on both cake layers to create the stem and the top clover – but then on the stem layer, you wrap a “snake” arond the cut (with the white seam facing out), and then the last “snake” is wrapped inside of the other with it’s seam facing out toward the center. Is that correct??? Thanks so much!!!!!!
Yes, that is correct!! I did not use icing between the layers, but you can if you would prefer!
Amanda! I made it this weekend!! Your instuctions were perfect! It came out pretty good for my first attempt – but definitely not as professional as yours!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! – Can’t wait for the next Holiday to see what you are planning!!!!
I was trying to figure it out before you put up the tutorial, I’m so glad you did because I would never have figured it! Think I’m going to try with the mini heart first. Thank you for sharing
Very cool Amanda…You’re such an inspiration! I’m just a bit puzzled with (just like Heidi) the part of the cake with all three of the “green snakes” in the other portion of the cake. Do you have pics of that? Thanks for sharing your gifts!
Thank you for the tutorial. I will make good use of it.
So glad you showed us how to do the shamrock!! I was wondering how you did this…so clever Amanda!!
http://www.lifeofamodernhousewife.com
Brilliant!!
SO cute!!!
adorable!
SEE? I told you I didn’t get it. In a MILLION years, I NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED!
You are too cute.
I love these… especially the mini heart cake! You are so insanely talented, I’m envious!
So clever! I wish my brain worked like yours, I could never see this without you explaining it so well.
I rather admire the way YOUR brain works my dear! You are a treasure!
Wow..this is pretty amazing!
Genius and so, so beautiful!
I still want to see you do this IN PERSON!!! When your are on the Today Show someday, can I come stand in the wings and watch? I’ll get your coffee!
You are crazy creative, Amanda! Thanks for letting us in on the magic!
your tutorial is so straightforward it makes me feel like i could actually make this cute cake. thanks!
This is fantastic! I hope you will link up to my St. Patty’s Day Project Parade.
http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com/2012/03/st-pattys-day-project-parade-linky.html
Thanks for linking up to I’m Lovin It Amanda! I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2012/st-patricks-day-recipes/ Have a great weekend!
This is so clever and well thought out. What a great result and surprise. Perfect for the occasions!
This is ADORABLE! I must share this through my facebook page…hope you don’t mind!
You are so talented. Thank you for sharing the steps, keep your fingers crossed for me ;D
Thanks for sharing how you did this. It’s a great technique and I’ll have to try it soon!
I am in love with your heart cake!! thanks for the tutorial!! Just one question though, well, a couple: you do remove the circle from the cake to put in the red heart, cut the circle slightly and then place it back, or just mark the area with the cutter and place the red snake there and then put the other cake layer on top?
Thanks for the help!! I would love to give this cake a shot!!
Wow, I love all cakes u madeeeeeeeeeeee, they r unbelieveable :X Can u plz talk about what tips u’ve used in ur decoration next time, or take a picture of these tips, it’ll helps a lottttttttttttttt for someone like me
What tip did you use to decorate the outside of your mini heart cake? Adorable inside and out!
This is sooo incredible! I want to make this for my boyfriend’s birthday in Saturday. I wan just wondering if I add the little heart can I add some other filling to the cake or will that ruin it completely?