Two Tier Heart Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two heart shaped cake pans (a big one and a small one) or four 9-inch round cake pans with dairy free cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine oil, applesauce, soy milk and vanilla. Stir until combined.

Add instant coffee granules to the hot water and mix to dissolve the coffee granules. Then pour it over the applesauce mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Add dry ingredients and beat on medium/high speed for 1 minute or until no more lumps are present. The batter should be runny. Pour batter into the small pan until it is half full. Pour remainder of batter in the big pan. Or pour into your round pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check the small cake frequently as it may be done sooner than the larger cake. Remove pans from the oven and set them on a wire rack. Let cakes cool in the pans for ten minutes then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

When the cake is cooled make the frosting. Combine instant vanilla pudding and soy milk in a mixing bowl. Whisk until thick. It will be very thick. Set aside then prepare the whipping cream. Put the cream into a large bowl. Beat on high speed while gradually adding sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the pudding mixture until thoroughly combined. Frosting should resemble whipped topping in consistency and be fairly stiff in order to pipe easily. Add desired food colouring accordingly.

For the assembly:
Place the larger cake layer upside down on your serving platter. Cover it completely with a thin layer of frosting. Place the small heart layer on top of the big heart in the centre and cover with a thin layer of frosting as well. Chill for ten minutes while you place the remainder of the frosting into piping bags and choose your desired tip. Set aside.

Remove cake from fridge and cover with a thick layer of frosting on top and sides. Smooth out the edges so piping can be more uniform. Decorate cake using a combination of frosting and sprinkles or candy. Store remaining frosting in fridge or freezer.