Chocolate Heart Cake Recipes

BROKEN HEART CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch heart-shaped cake pan with cooking spray and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert the cake pan onto a plate to remove the cake from the pan, then invert back onto the rack to let cool completely.
• For the sugar glass: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Stir together the sugar, corn syrup and cream of tartar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave in 2-minute intervals, stirring in between each, until the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture turns a very light golden, about 4 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth with an offset spatula into a thin rectangle about 9 inches by 7 inches. Refrigerate until hardened completely, about 15 minutes. Use a meat mallet to break the sugar so that it resembles broken glass.
• For the frosting: Melt the chocolates and heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
• For the whipped cream: Whip the heavy cream and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
• Assemble the cake: Once the cake has cooled, use a serrated knife to shave off the top to make it flat (it domes as it bakes). Cut the cake in half horizontally to make 2 even layers, then, keeping the layers stacked, use a paring knife to cut jagged edges in a zigzag formation down the middle of the cake so that you have 2 halves of a broken heart.
• Place the 2 bottom halves on a cake stand or plate so they are separated a little. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the bottom halves. Top with the 2 top halves and drizzle the melted frosting over the top so that it covers the top and drips down the sides of the cake. Decorate with the broken sugar glass and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened, about 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

LITTLE CHOCOLATE HEART CAKES WITH PEARS

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.

HEART CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch heart-shaped pan with butter and dust with some extra bread crumbs.
• Cream 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter in a bowl with an electric mixer; mix in 2/3 cup white sugar and vanilla sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, until light and foamy.
• Place 5 ounces chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then blend into egg mixture. Mix almond meal with bread crumbs and fold into the chocolate batter. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the lowest rack for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cook completely, about 1 hour. Remove from pan.
• Place 5 ounces chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Cool for a few minutes, then mix in confectioner's sugar.
• Cream 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter in a bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Stir in chocolate-sugar mixture and almond extract until ganache is smooth.
• Cut heart cake horizontally into 2 layers. Cover the bottom layer with some chocolate ganache and place second layer on top. Cover heart on all sides with remaining chocolate ganache.
• Roll out marzipan into a thin layer on parchment paper. Cut out circles with a small glass to make petals; you need about 12 petals per rose. Roll one of the circles into a spiral shape for the center of the rose. Add the next marzipan circle and roll it around the center piece. The marzipan should just stick together. If you need extra "glue", use some water. Decorate cake with pink roses and other candy to your liking.

ROBERTA HEART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack set in lower third of oven. Butter a 10-by-2-inch heart-shaped pan. Line bottom and sides with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the espresso and water. Stir to dissolve. In a heatproof bowl, combine the chocolates, espresso mixture, and rum over a saucepan of simmer water. Stir until smooth. Remove, and set aside.
• Over the same saucepan of simmering water, combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Beat, using a handheld electric mixer, until thick, fluffy, and almost tripled in volume.
• Whip the cream in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla.
• Fold the melted-chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to prepared pan. Place a large roasting pan in the oven, and fill 1 inch with boiling water. Immediately set the heart pan in the roasting pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Remove from oven, and let cool in the water bath. When cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Just before serving, uncover the pan, and warm slightly in an inch of warm water to loosen from pan. Invert onto a platter. Pipe the sweetened whipped cream onto the chocolate heart with a decorative tip, if desired.

CHOCOLATE HEART OF DARKNESS CAKES

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.

CHOCOLATE HEART CAKE

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.

CHOCOLATE HEART-SHAPED CAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Spray the hollows of a 5-cup heart-shaped nonstick cake pan or an 8-cup silicone mold with cooking spray (see cook's note for product links). If not using silicone mold, line bottoms with parchment.
• In a medium heatproof bowl, dissolve espresso in hot water. Add chocolate and rum and place over (but not in) a pot of simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
• In a heatproof bowl, combine eggs and granulated sugar. Place over (but not in) pot of simmering water and whisk until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch. Transfer to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until mixture is thick, fluffy, and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes (or, if not using a stand mixer, you can beat with a hand mixer directly over the heat).
• Whisk cream with confectioners' sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then gently but thoroughly fold in whipped cream.
• Divide mixture among hollows of prepared pan (about 1/2 cup per hollow for 5-cup; about 1/3 cup for 8-cup). Place filled pan in a large roasting pan on middle rack of oven. Add boiling water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until a tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely in water bath. Remove from water, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Just before serving, dip bottom of pan in warm water to loosen, about 1 minute. Run a small offset spatula around edges of cakes, then lift each out of pan; or cover with a platter and invert to remove. Remove parchment (if using). Use a pastry bag fitted with desired tip (Martha used a variety of star and leaf tips) to pipe buttercream or whipped cream onto cakes. Serve immediately.