Rich Chocolate Heart Cakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 10-in. springform pan and wrap bottom of pan with heavy-duty foil; set aside., In a large saucepan, combine chips, butter, cream and sugar; cook over low heat until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir until smooth. Pour into a large bowl; cool., In another large bowl, beat eggs on high 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat into chocolate mixture, a third at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla., Pour into prepared pan; place on a baking sheet. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs (top will crack). Cool on a wire rack (cake will settle). Cover and chill 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan before removing sides., For glaze, in a large saucepan, combine chips, cream, butter and corn syrup; cook over low heat until chocolate is melted; stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; stir until smooth., Spread enough of the glaze over top and sides of cake to cover. Chill 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining glaze. Chill overnight. Serve with raspberries and mint if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.,

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place an 8-cavity heart silicone mold onto a baking sheet.
• Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 15-second intervals, stirring after each melting, 1 to 3 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes.
• Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add melted chocolate, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, egg, and baking powder and mix in. Fold in pear and almonds into batter. Spoon batter into the prepared heart-shaped molds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes, then unmold.

Steps:

• Separate rosemary into small bunches. Beat egg white with a drop or two of water until it is very loose. Place superfine sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Lightly brush one sprig of rosemary with the egg white. Sprinkle superfine sugar over the damp bunch of rosemary; shake to remove excess. Transfer rosemary to a cooling rack to dry, at least 1 hour. Repeat until all rosemary is used; set aside sugared rosemary. (It will keep at room temperature for about 24 hours.)
• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with two racks centered. In the top of double boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Set mixture aside to cool.
• In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks, and stir them into the cooled chocolate mixture. Add granulated sugar, flour, and baking powder to the chocolate mixture, and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites just until soft peaks form. Stir one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg whites, just until combined. Spoon the batter into twelve 3 3/4-inch heart molds with removable bottoms. Transfer molds to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until centers spring back when touched, about 45 minutes. Transfer molds to a wire rack, and let sit 5 minutes. Unmold cakes. (After they have cooled, if not using right away, cover cakes lightly with plastic wrap.)
• To serve, place a cake on serving plate. Pour warm ganache over it; sprinkle with praline, if using. Top with a second and then a third cake layer, drizzling each with ganache. Repeat to make 3 more servings. Sprinkle cakes with praline if desired, and garnish with sugared rosemary. Serve.

Steps:

• Make the dark chocolate truffle hearts. Place 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate in a small bowl. Heat 3/4 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Set aside for 5 minutes before stirring with a whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture (called ganache) onto a nonstick baking sheet and use a rubber spatula to spread the ganache in a smooth, even layer to within about an inch of the inside edges of the pan. Place the ganache in the freezer for 15 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Line a 10 to 12-inch dinner plate with parchment paper or waxed paper. Remove the firm ganache from the freezer or the refrigerator. Portion 12 heaping tablespoons (a bit more than an ounce each) of ganache onto the paper. Wearing a pair of disposable vinyl (or latex) gloves, individually roll each portion of ganache in your palms in a circular motion, using just enough gentle pressure to form a smooth orb. This is a traditional truffle. You should refrain from indulging in them since absence of a truffle in a cake will make the heart grow darker. Return each formed truffle onto the paper lined plate, and place in the freezer while preparing the cake batter.
• Make the chocolate cocoa cakes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat the inside of each individual nonstick muffin cup with the 2 teaspoons melted butter. Set aside until needed. In a sifter, combine 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and a 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Sift onto a large piece of parchment paper (or waxed paper) and set aside until needed. Melt 8 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate and 5 ounces butter in the top half of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate and butter until completely melted and smooth, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside at room temperature until needed. The chocolate and butter may also be melted in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven set at medium power for 2 minutes. After removing the chocolate and butter from the microwave oven, use a rubber spatula to stir until smooth.
• Place 3 eggs, 2 egg yolks, and 1/2 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on a medium-high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture is slightly frothy. Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix on low speed to combine, about 15 seconds. Continue to operate the mixer on low while gradually adding the sifted dry ingredients. Once all the dry ingredients have been incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix on medium to combine, about 15 seconds.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until thoroughly combined. Portion 3 heaping tablespoons (about 2 1/2 ounces) of the cake batter into each individual muffin cup. Place the muffin tin on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove the truffles from the freezer.
• Remove the muffin tin from the oven, and moving quickly, place a single frozen truffle in the center of each portion of cake batter, pressing each truffle about halfway down into the batter. Immediately return the muffin tin to the center rack of the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the truffle) comes out clean, about 17 to 18 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. To remove the cakes from the muffin cups, hold the top edges of the baked batter part of a cake, and give each cake a slight twist to loosen it from the inside cup. Then insert the pointed tip of a knife into a top outside edge of a cake and loosen it so that you can gently pull each baked cake out of each cup. Serve immediately while still warm.
• After the Chocolate Heart of Darkness cakes have cooled to room temperature, you may keep them covered with plastic wrap for up to 24 hours at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The cakes may be rewarmed in a microwave oven, and they are extraordinary. Make sure the cakes are at room temperature, then heat them 1 or 2 at a time for 30 to 40 seconds in a microwave oven set on defrost power. Instead of drying out, the cake will be warm and moist, and the truffle center will be a hot ooze of ecstasy. For extra indulgence, serve the warm Chocolate Heart of Darkness cakes with white chocolate ice cream or unsweetened whipped cream. For me, a glass (forget the golden goblet) of Warre's 1985 Porto will have a salubrious effect.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease or spray bottoms only of foil pans. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour into pans.
• Bake 26 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Spread frosting over cakes. Decorate with candies. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3/fan oven 150C. Grease a 23cm/9in springform cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Dust the sides with a little flour. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Heat until melted, then remove the bowl from the pan and stir until smooth. Leave for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
• Stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, and the liqueur, if using. Put the egg whites into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form. Continue whisking, sprinkling in the sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir 2 tablespoons of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder until no traces of white are left.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and just firm to the touch. Cool in the tin (don't worry if the cake sinks and cracks slightly - it will still be fine). You can make the cake up to this stage up to four days ahead and keep it in an airtight container in a cool place. It also freezes well for up to one month.
• To serve, remove the cake from the tin and peel away the lining paper. Sift cocoa powder liberally over the top and cut into slices. Serve with crème fraîche.

Steps:

• Position a rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350F.
• Line the bottoms of two 9x2-inch round pans with parchment paper.
• Melt chocolate in microwave (LOW or MED), stirring occasionally until smooth.
• You may use a double boiler too (make sure water is HOT, not simmering).
• Cool chocolate until tepid.
• Sift flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
• Add brown sugar.
• Using a paddle blade on electric mixer, combine the ingredients on low speed.
• Add butter and sour cream.
• Mix on med-low speed for 1 min to make a thick batter.
• Add eggs, melted chocolate and vanilla.
• Increase speed to high and beat for 2 mins.
• Stop and scrape down the bowl.
• Resume mixing at med-high, for about 5 sec.
• Reduce speed to low and slowly pour in the water just until thoroughly blended.
• Spoon batter into prepared pans and spread it evenly.
• Bake until tops spring back when pressed lightly in the centers and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 30-35 mins.
• Transfer to cooling racks and cool for 10 mins.
• Invert onto racks and remove pans.
• Peel off the parchment and cool the cakes right side up.
• NOTE: The cake can be baked 1 day in advance.
• Wrap the cooled cake layers tightly with plastic wrap to store.
• Or to freeze, over-wrapped with foil, for up to 2 weeks.