Valentine's Day Recipes
Chocolate Valentine Sweethearts
Yield: 6
Ingredients
Sweethearts
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 3/4 ounces butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 recipe Raspberry Mousse
- 2 pints fresh raspberries
- 1 cup Raspberry Coulis
Raspberry Mousse
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
Raspberry Coulis
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
Sweethearts
- Mix the boiling water with the cocoa and blend into a paste. Cool.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar. Add sour cream, mixing until fluffy, then add egg and mix until smooth.
- Add flour mixture to egg mixture and blend until smooth. Add cooled cocoa mixture and completely incorporate.
- Bake at 350 degrees F in a buttered 9 inch square cake pan for about 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
Raspberry Mousse
- Sauté raspberries in butter, about one minute. Add brandy and lemon juice. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth. Cool.
- In a double boiler cook egg yolks and sugar, stirring constantly until thickened to the consistency of mayonnaise. Cool and combine with cooled raspberry mixture.
- Whip egg whites until they form soft peaks and fold into raspberry mixture.
- Whip cream until thickened and fold into raspberry mixture (do not over-mix). Chill for 3 to 4 hours.
Raspberry Coulis
- Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about ten minutes or until thickened. Puree in a blender and cool.
Assemble Sweethearts
- Slice cooled cake through the center making two thin squares. Using a 2 to 2 1/2 inch heart shape cookie cutter, cut six hearts out of each half. Place the bottom half of the chocolate cake hearts on a platter and place raspberries around outer edge of the hearts and fill the middle with raspberry mousse. Then place top heart on top. Garnish with a small dollop of mousse and a raspberry or two. Drizzle coulis over the top.