Cherry Almond Chocolate Shortcakes Recipes

CHERRY ALMOND CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, toss together the almonds and the cherries. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Melt half the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over slightly simmering water, over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently. Make sure the water is not touching the top pan. Remove the double boiler from the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate. Remove the top pan with the chocolate in it, gently wipe the bottom of it and set it aside for a moment. Replace the simmering water in the bottom pan with warm tap water. Put the pan of melted chocolate on top of the warm water. This will keep the chocolate at the right temperature while you make the clusters.
• Stir the fruit-nut mixture into the chocolate. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-sized clusters of the chocolate mixture onto the baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Put them in the refrigerator to set for 15 minutes. Store and serve at room temperature.

MINI ALMOND CAKES WITH CHOCOLATE OR CHERRY

Steps:

• Make the chocolate ganache, if using: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat cream until bubbling (or place the cream in a glass measuring cup and heat it in the microwave). Remove from heat, add chocolate and let sit for 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Transfer chocolate to a small container (preferably metal) and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Scoop and roll into 3/4-inch balls. Note that the ganache is very soft and can be messy to handle, but getting perfectly round balls isn't necessary. Place in refrigerator until needed. Ganache balls can be prepared up to 1 week ahead.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a muffin tin.
• Using a food processor or blender, mix almond flour, confectioners' sugar and salt until powdery, about 30 seconds. Add eggs and almond extract and process until smooth, 30 seconds longer. Pulse in butter, cornstarch and baking powder. Scrape mixture into a large bowl.
• Using a beaters or an electric mixer, whip egg whites until very foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar while beating eggs until stiff peaks form.
• Using a spatula, gently and carefully fold a third of the egg whites into almond mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the rest of the whites just until no streaks remain.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Pull balls of ganache from refrigerator, if using, and place 1 ball in center of each cake, pushing it down halfway into batter. Or spoon 1 teaspoon cherry jam on top of each cake; do not push down. Return to oven and bake until light brown and a toothpick inserted into cake (and not the chocolate or cherry) comes out clean, another 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably within 8 hours of baking.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY ALMOND SCONES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper.
• In large bowl, mix flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or fork, until mixture looks like coarse meal. Stir in cherries and chocolate. In small bowl, beat egg, 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons of the milk and the almond extract with whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. (Dough will be sticky.)
• On cookie sheet, pat dough with floured hands into 8-inch round. Cut round into 12 wedges, but do not separate. Brush dough with remaining 1 tablespoon milk; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar and the almonds.
• Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully separate wedges; serve warm.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CHUNK SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• In medium bowl, toss cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and the kirsch until coated. Let stand 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, 3 tablespoons sugar, the buttermilk and butter until soft dough forms. Stir in chocolate chips. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough in 12 mounds (about 3 tablespoons each).
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, stir together whipped topping and chocolate syrup until blended. To serve, split shortcakes. Fill with cherry mixture and whipped topping mixture.

CHERRY-CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKES WITH KIRSCH WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• For biscuits:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in chocolate. Beat milk and egg in small bowl to blend. Gradually add milk mixture to dry ingredients, tossing until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently knead 5 turns to combine. Shape gently into 8-inch-long log. Cut log crosswise into 8 rounds; shape each into 2 1/2x3/4-inch round. Arrange rounds on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake biscuits until bottoms are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in foil and rewarm in 350°F oven 10 minutes before continuing.)
• For cherries:
• Combine cherries, sugar, and kirsch in medium bowl. Let stand until sugar dissolves and juices form, tossing occasionally, about 3 hours. Strain cherry juices into heavy medium saucepan. Mix in jam. Cook over medium heat until jam melts and juices form thick syrup, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Mix syrup into cherries. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• For topping:
• Beat cream, sugar, and kirsch in large bowl until peaks form. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.
• Cut warm biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom halves in shallow bowls. Spoon cherry mixture and cream over. Cover with biscuit tops and serve.

ALMOND SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Whisk 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups almond meal, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk 2/3 cup milk, 1 egg and 1/3 cup vegetable oil, then stir in the flour mixture. Drop scoops of the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 475 degrees F until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Split the shortcakes and fill with whipped cream and blackberries.

CHERRY CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ALMOND CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• In a food processor pulse almonds until ground. Add chocolate wafer cookies and grind fine. Add butter, sugar, almond extract, and salt and pulse until combined well. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side. Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool. Crust may be made 3 days ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• Make topping:
• In a very small bowl sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand about 1 minute to soften. In a heavy saucepan bring cherries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil, stirring. Remove pan from heat and reserve 1/2 cup juice for filling. To mixture remaining in pan add gelatin mixture and almond extract and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
• Make filling:
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Beat in flour and add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in sour cream, vanilla, and reserved cherry juice until combined well.
• Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 50 minutes. (Cake will not be set in center but will set as it cools.) Transfer cake in pan to a rack to cool completely. Chill cake, loosely covered, 1 hour. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Spread topping evenly over cake. Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with olive oil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder until evenly distributed and no lumps remain. To a separate large bowl, add the 1/2 cup oil, eggs, milk, almond extract and salt and whisk until smooth, at least 30 seconds. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the last streak of flour disappears.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and tap gently against the counter to pop excess air bubbles. Bake until a skewer or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan.
• Microwave the cherry preserves in a small bowl in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over medium heat until looser and slightly liquidy. Spread the preserves evenly over the cooled cake.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cocoa powder and salt and pour over the hot water. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, whisk until smooth. Add the heavy cream and continue whisking until billowy soft peaks form. When you turn the whisk upside-down, a peak of cream should flop over slightly like a Santa hat. Spread the frosting over the cake and, if using, garnish with the cherries. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKES WITH SOUR CHERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• For cherry topping: In small saucepan combine all topping ingredients and cook over medium-high heat, until cherries start to release their juice and the liquid thickens and becomes syrupy, 6-7 minutes; cool and refrigerate until needed (you can make this up to 1 day ahead).
• For shortcake biscuits: Preheat oven to 350F and set rack in middle of oven; combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl until blended; rub butter into flour mixture with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal; in a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with buttermilk to blend; add to flour mixture and stir just until evenly moistened; turn dough out onto a floured board and, with lightly floured hands, knead just until it comes together (if the dough is very sticky, sprinkle on some additional all purpose flour); pat out to about 1 1/4 inches thick and cut into rounds with a 3 inch cutter; gather dough scraps and pat out again to make remaining shortcake biscuits; set 2 inches apart on a large baking sheet; bake biscuits for approximately 25 minutes, or until golden-brown, and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• For whipped cream: Beat cream, sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
• To assemble: Slice shortcake biscuits in half and set bottoms of biscuits on 6 dessert plates; dollop generously with whipped cream and distribute cherry topping evenly over the cream; place biscuit tops over cherries at a slight angle and sprinkle tops lightly with confectioners' sugar.