Chocolate Valentine Sweethearts
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.
Yield: 6 sweethearts