After a nice, long holiday break, I’m back with a recipe and tutorial for these decadent little cakes just in time for Valentine’s Day.
This is the first Valentine’s day in a long time that I’ve actually had the time to put some thought into what I’ll be making for my loved ones. And since I seem to have nothing but time, I’m pulling out all the stops. This weekend will be extra sweet— donuts, cake, and lots and lots of chocolate.
If you’re still looking for a fun dessert to make this weekend, consider this one. An easy one-bowl chocolate cake, a light and airy Chantilly filling, and a decadent dark chocolate ganache all come together to make the sweetest Valentine treat. While they do take a bit of time, these cakes are perfectly rich, great for sharing with loved ones, and 100% worth the time.
As always, follow along for the step-by-step tutorial (which I think is very useful for this one) or skip to the bottom for the recipe.
Begin by making the easiest, one bowl chocolate cake.
I know, I know. There’s a ton of bowls in the picture, but it’s just to show you all the ingredients. Definitely only use one bowl when you make this IRL.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl.
Add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the flour and cocoa and whisk together.
Add the buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar), oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until just combined.
The batter will be thick and pretty lumpy. It may even have some dry spots left. This is okay!
Add the hot coffee to the batter and whisk until nice and smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased, lined, and floured quarter sheet pan. Alternatively, you can use a metal baking pan of comparable size.
Bake the cake until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean.
Once baked, carefully run a sharp paring knife or small offset spatula along the edges without the parchment overhang and then allow the cake to cool completely.
Once cooled, remove the cake from the pan and use a 2 3/4 to 3-inch (measured at the widest part) heart-shaped cookie cutter to punch out 15 cake hearts. With the long sides of the cake facing you, you should be able to get 3 rows of 5 by alternating the direction of the point of the heart.
If the top of the cake starts to stick and makes cutting the hearts out difficult, I’ve found that the best thing to do is to flip the cake over onto a clean sheet of parchment so that the bottom of the cake is facing up. Punch out all your hearts, flip the hearts back over so the top side is facing up, and set any scraps aside for snacking.
Use a serrated knife to cut each heart in half horizontally to create two layers per heart.
Set the prepared heart-shaped cakes aside while you make the Chantilly.
Pour the cold heavy cream into a medium bowl. Whip the cream on medium speed using a hand mixer until the cream just begins to form soft peaks.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt to the cream.
The amount of powdered sugar added to the Chantilly can (and should be) adjusted to your taste. Add less/ a lower amount of sugar if you prefer your desserts on the lower end of the sweetness scale and add more sugar if you prefer the sweeter end. 4 to 5 tablespoons are merely a starting point. I used about 4 1/2 tablespoons in my cream.
Whip the cream with the sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until the cream just forms stiff peaks. Do not overwhip. Forcing the cream through a piping bag, as we’re going to with these cakes, processes the whipped cream further. Overwhipping it can cause the cream to break and separate when piping. If you’re new to the whipped cream game or are a bit nervous about the cream breaking when piping, you may want to under-whip it. It’s better to underwhip then overwhip!
Alternatively, you can whip the cream by hand or in a stand mixer. Transfer the cream to a reusable piping bag fitted with a round tip, a disposable piping bag, or a resealable plastic bag. Cut a 1/2-inch opening if using a disposable bag or plastic bag.
Separate the tops and bottoms of the cake and pipe a layer of cream over each bottom. Place the tops back on to sandwich the cream between the two layers.
While it’s not 100% necessary if you plan on garnishing the sides, you can use the leftover cream and a small offset spatula to lightly crumb coat the sides of each cake. I like to take this extra step because I feel that it helps the ganache to flow more evenly down the sides.
Transfer all of the filled cakes to parchment or wax paper-lined sheet pans or plates. Loosely cover the cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.
While the cakes are chilling, make the ganache.
Put the chocolate in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt.
You want to use a chocolate here that will melt completely into the cream. A bar of chocolate will almost always yield these results. Most people will advise that you stay away from chocolate chips in ganache because of the stabilizers in the chips and I agree. However, if you’re out of the bars (as I was), I know from my own experience that the 60% bittersweet chocolate chips from Ghirardelli work really well in ganache as you’ll see here.
Bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat.
Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute before stirring. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth, fluid, and no chocolate lumps remain. If very hot and runny, allow the ganache to cool slightly.
The ganache should be cool enough to cling to a spatula, but warm enough for the excess to drip off.
Now is where the fun begins. Set a wire rack over a parchment lined sheet pan (or just parchment if you like to live life on the edge) and transfer the cakes to the wire rack. I like to work with only a few cakes at a time, but you can certainly do them all at once.
Pour the ganache into a glass measuring cup or disposable piping bag. If using a measuring cup, you can just gently pour the ganache over each cake to coat.
I prefer the piping bag, but it does take a bit more skill. While holding the end of the piping bag closed, turn the bag upside down so that the point is facing up. Carefully snip a small opening from the bag and then use your other hand to pinch the opening closed. Flip the bag back over one of the cakes, release the opening, and pipe the ganache over the cake by first starting around the edges and then working towards the center. Pinch the bag closed to stop the chocolate from flowing as you move on to the next cake.
Once covered, gently lift an edge of the rack and tap down to flatten out the tops and allow the excess to drip off the cakes.
A lot of ganache will drip under the rack onto the parchment. If you run out of ganache for coating, you can scrape up the ganache that dripped and re-use it to coat the remaining cakes. If the ganache becomes too thick to glaze, reheat it in a microwave proof bowl in 5 to 10 second intervals until fluid enough to glaze again.
Extra ganache can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover ganache, once solid, can be scooped and made into chocolate truffles or can be reheated and eaten on ice cream.
Transfer the cakes back to the parchment lined sheets/plates by sliding a medium sized offset spatula underneath the cake and gently lifting from the rack. Allow the cakes to set in the fridge until the ganache is just slightly tacky.
Remove the slightly tacky, ganache-covered cakes from the fridge and then press the chocolate shavings around the sides to garnish and cover up any imperfections. If you time it right (the ganache can be poked without it coming off on your finger), you can even pick the cake up by the sides and roll it in the chocolate shavings. Just be sure to not touch the tops! You’ll leave fingerprints.
You can of course choose to not cover up the sides, but I like to because it hides any spots that aren’t completely smooth. Nuts, coconut, or sprinkles instead of more chocolate would also be great!
Fill a small piping bag, resealable plastic bag, or parchment cornet with some melted white chocolate, snip a small opening from the end, and pipe a message or design onto the top of each heart. Be sure to practice on a plate or parchment first if you’re nervous.
Once garnished, put the cakes back into the fridge to set completely. Once set, enjoy! Since they’re filled with whipped cream, these cakes are best served chilled.
Cakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Mini Chocolate Heart Cakes
Yield: 15 heart-shaped cakes
Ingredients
For the cake
Non-stick spray or butter, for greasing
1 1/4 cups (183 grams) all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
1/2 cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups (270 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon (5.5 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4.4 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2.4 grams) kosher salt
1/2 cup (4 ounces) buttermilk (see notes)
6 tablespoons (80 grams) neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (4 ounces) hot coffee
For the Chantilly
1 cup (8 ounces) cold heavy cream
4 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar, adjusted to taste (see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
For the ganache
9 ounces 60% bittersweet chocolate, chopped (see notes)
Pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) heavy cream
For finishing
Chocolate shavings, from a 4-ounce bar, optional (see notes)
1 1/2 ounces (about 1/4 cup) white chocolate, melted
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f with a rack set in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a quarter sheet pan (13-in. x 9-in.), or metal pan of comparable size, with non-stick spray or butter and line with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the two long sides. Grease the lined pan once more and dust evenly with flour.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl. Add the sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the flour and cocoa and whisk together to combine. Add the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until just combined. The batter will be thick and won’t yet be smooth. Add the hot coffee to the batter and whisk until smooth and well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees f on the middle rack for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean. Carefully run a sharp paring knife or small offset spatula along the edges without the parchment overhang and then allow the cake to cool completely.
Line 2 quarter sheet pans (or 1 half sheet) or large plates with parchment or wax paper.
Once cooled, flip the cake out onto a clean sheet of parchment paper with the long sides facing you. The bottom of the cake should be facing up. Use a 2 3/4 to 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to punch out 15 heart-shaped pieces of cake (3 rows of 5 with the point of the heart alternating). Set the cake scraps aside for snacking. Flip over each heart cake cutout so that the top is once again facing up. Use a serrated knife to cut each heart in half horizontally to create two layers per heart. Set the prepared heart-shaped cakes aside while you make the Chantilly.
Pour the cold heavy cream into a medium bowl. Whip the cream on medium speed using a hand mixer until the cream just begins to form soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and pinch of salt to the cream and whip again on medium speed until the cream just forms stiff peaks. Do not overwhip. Alternatively, you can whip the cream by hand or in a stand mixer. Transfer the cream to a reusable piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, disposable piping bag, or resealable plastic bag.
Separate the tops and bottoms of each cake. Snip the corner of the bag filled with the cream (if using a disposable bag) to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe a layer of cream over each bottom. There will be cream leftover. Put the tops back on each to create a mini layered cake. Use the leftover cream and a small offset spatula to very lightly crumb coat the sides of each cake. Transfer all of the filled cakes to the lined sheets/plates. Loosely cover the cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.
While the cakes are chilling, make the ganache. Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl with a pinch of salt. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small pot set over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute before stirring. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth, fluid, and no chocolate lumps remain. If very hot and runny, allow the ganache to cool slightly. The ganache should be cool enough to coat a spatula, but warm enough for the excess to drip off.
Set a wire rack over a parchment lined sheet pan and transfer the cakes to the wire rack. Pour the ganache into a glass measuring cup or disposable piping bag. If using a measuring cup, gently pour the ganache over each cake to coat. If using a disposable piping bag, snip a small opening from the corner of the bag and pipe the chocolate over each cake starting around the edges and working towards the center. Gently lift an edge of the rack and tap down to flatten and smooth out the tops and allow the excess to drip off the cakes.
A lot of ganache will likely drip under the rack onto the parchment. If you run out of ganache for coating, you can scrape up the ganache that dripped and use that to coat the remaining cakes. If the ganache becomes too thick to glaze, reheat it in a microwave proof bowl for 5 to 10 second intervals until fluid again. Leftover ganache can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Once solid, it can be scooped and made into chocolate truffles or can be reheated and eaten on ice cream.
Transfer the cakes back to the parchment lined sheets/plates by sliding a medium sized offset spatula underneath the cake and gently lifting from the rack.
Allow the cakes to set in the fridge until the ganache is just slightly tacky. Remove the slightly tacky, ganache-covered cakes from the fridge and then press the chocolate shavings around the sides to garnish and cover up any imperfections.
Fill a small piping bag, resealable plastic bag, or parchment cornet with the melted white chocolate, snip a small opening from the end, and pipe a message or design onto the top of each heart.
Put the cakes back into the fridge to finish setting. Once set, enjoy! Because they are filled with whipped cream, these cakes are best served chilled.
Storing
Store the cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Leftover ganache can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Once solid, it can be scooped and made into chocolate truffles or can be reheated and eaten on ice cream.
Notes
The cake can be made a day in advance. Bake, cool, and wrap the cake in plastic wrap until you’re ready to use it.
You can substitute the buttermilk for 1/2 cup of whole milk and 1/2 tablespoon (1 1/2 teaspoons) distilled white vinegar. Simply mix together the milk and vinegar and let stand for five minutes before using.
The amount of powdered sugar added to the Chantilly can (and should be) adjusted to your taste. Add less/ a lower amount of sugar if you prefer your desserts on the lower end of the sweetness scale and add more sugar if you prefer the sweeter end. 4 to 5 tablespoons are merely a starting point. For reference, I used 4 1/2 tablespoons.
I recommend using a chocolate that you know will melt completely and leave you with a smooth, lump-free ganache. A chopped bar of chocolate will generally yield the best results. However, in my experience, I’ve found that the Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips melt just as well as a bar, as you can see above.
You can use any type of chocolate (dark, milk, semi-sweet, white) to make the chocolate shavings. Use what you think will taste/look the best to you. Alternatively, you could use nuts, sprinkles, or whatever else your heart desires to garnish the sides if you so wish.