Ingredients
Butter cream (1 quantity)
Method
1.Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan forced). Line 18 holes of two 12-hole (1-tablespoon/20ml) mini muffin pans with paper cases.
2.Stir chocolate and the water in small saucepan over low heat until smooth.
3.Beat butter, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in sifted flour and cocoa, ground almonds and warm chocolate mixture.
4.Drop level tablespoons of mixture into each paper case. Bake about 15 minutes. Stand cakes in pans 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire racks to cool.
5.Meanwhile, make white chocolate heart decorations by spreading a thin layer of the melted chocolate over a sheet of baking (parchment) paper, stand chocolate at room temperature until set. Using heart-shaped cutter, cut 18 hearts from chocolate.
6.To make butter cream, beat the butter (and any flavouring if using) in a small bowl with an electric beater until the butter is as white as possible. (This will result in a whiter buttercream which will give you better results if colouring it). Gradually beat in half of the sifted icing sugar, then the milk, then the remaining sifted icing sugar. Beat until the butter cream is smooth and spreadable. Keep scraping down the side of the bowl during beating. Divide butter cream between two small bowls, tint one pale pink and the other pale blue.
7.Dollop tops of half the cold cakes with generous spoonfuls of pink butter cream, dollop the tops of remaining cakes with generous spoonfuls of blue butter cream. Gently push hearts into butter cream.
