Without any special tools, this cake can be made.

One can go all out, and make it from scratch, or one can get a really good boxed cake, and work from that.

PS: the dates on the photos are incorrect. They reset when we took batteries out to recharge them, and I forgot to reset them to the proper time.

Step 1: Getting Started / Gathering Materials

I started with a plan.

Found a drawing of a heart, and divided it so I had a pattern to work with.

Then, I gathered my ingredients.

You may use your favorite recipe for chocolate cake if you like, or you can go with a box mix if you do not feel comfortable with doing everything.

I used a box, to keep it fairly simple.

Along with the Double Dutch Chocolate cake
I also needed 3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups of COLD water
1/2 cup of cooking oil (I used a light Olive oil)
and for extra moisture, I added one half cup of REAL mayonnaise (this is an old trick, passed down to me from my Grandmother)

Later, you will need icing for the cake; I used strawberry icing, and mixed in a little red food coloring to get it really red.

You will also need,
one 9 inch round pan
one 9 inch square pan
a sturdy spatula
an icing spreading spatula
the measures mentioned above
and a few toothpicks (we'll get to those later)

Step 2: Baking

Preheat the oven to the temp required, mine was to be set at 350 ^o F.

Follow the recipe / box directions pretty closely, except in addition to the ingredients they have, add also the mayonnaise to the mix.

I blended the wet ingredients first, along with the mayo, and then added the dry mix continuing to blend unto moist, but not long after it is all mixed well.

Make sure you lightly grease the pans before pouring the batter into them. It doesn't hurt to sprinkle a little dusting of flour on the greased pans either.

Once the cakes have been in the oven for close to the required time (ovens differ in baking time), take one of the toothpicks and plunge it into the center of a cake and pull it out immediately. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. Any chocolate dampness clinging to the toothpick tells you it is not quite done yet.

Once ready, bring them out to cool on a cooling rack.

Step 3: Construction

Once cool, flip the cake out of the pan.

although it is not necessary, I shaped the bottom to be a bit rounded like the heart in the picture we had at the beginning as illustrated here.

The next step is to take the round cake, and divide it in half. Each half will be placed at the TOP of the cake shown in the first picture below. This creates the heart shape. I needed to do a little trimming to get both sides even, but eventually I did.

As for icing the cake, I started by placing a glop on one of the seams, and swirling it from there (see third picture).

GUYS, this is a cake, not an automobile body, so be gentle. You are not putting body putty on :-)

My suggestion after it is well coated is to refrigerate. This firms up the icing.