Red velvet heart cake pops

Method

• 1
  Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 22cm square cake pan with baking paper.
• 2
  Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour, cocoa powder and buttermilk, in batches, until well combined. Add the vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and food colouring and stir to combine.
• 3
  Spoon mixture into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon the smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• 4
  Break the cake into small pieces and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl. Place the cream cheese and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
• 5
  Line an oven tray with baking paper. Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar mixture. Shape the mixture into a 2cm-thick disc. Use a 4.5cm heart-shaped pastry cutter to cut hearts from the cake mixture and place on the lined tray, rerolling any excess cake mixture to make more hearts. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm.
• 6
  Place the red candy melts in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water. Remove from heat. Stir with a metal spoon until candy melts. Add vegetable oil if the mixture is too thick.
• 7
  Dip the end of 1 lollypop stick in chocolate then insert into the bottom of a heart. Return to the tray. Repeat with remaining cake discs.
• 8
  Use a spoon to carefully ladle candy melts over the heart to coat. Gently tap on the side of the bowl to remove excess melts and smooth the surface. Return to the lined tray. Repeat with remaining hearts and melts. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to set completely.