The chocolate heart cake is a dessert with unique indulgence. A heart-shaped cake, made with a soft chocolate base, then filled with mascarpone cream, and berry jam. Can you imagine the fantastic taste of the soft cocoa layers, which welcome this creamy and velvety filling, enriched by the sweetness of the jam. In short, a real delight and beautiful to present at the table. Furthermore, the preparation is easy and quick, the batter is simple, prepared in 5 minutes, then just put it in a heart-shaped mold. For the decoration, I made a chocolate ganache, to which I applied chocolate hearts. Perfect to serve for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any other special occasion, to impress everyone in no time and with minimal effort
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 810.51 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 73.82 (g) of which sugars 46.90 (g)
- Proteins 11.61 (g)
- Fat 55.39 (g) of which saturated 22.05 (g)of which unsaturated 9.32 (g)
- Fibers 5.50 (g)
- Sodium 140.88 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 223 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for chocolate heart cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup whole milk (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup butter (melted)
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 orange (zest grated)
- teaspoons vanilla extract (1)
- pinches salt (1)
- packets baking powder (1)
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup mascarpone (cold)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate 60% (chopped)
Tools
- Molds IBILI 820724 heart-mold, stainless steel, non-stick coating, 9.5 inches
- Electric mixers Moulinex HM3101 Quick Mix Electric Mixer with Whisks and Dough Hooks, 300W, 76.6Decibels, White
- Thermometer ThermoPro TP02S Digital Cooking Thermometer with Long Probe 5.3 inches and LCD Display Thermometer for Meat, BBQ, Wine, Milk, Frying Oil, Sweets, Grill, Food, Water
Steps for chocolate heart cake
In a bowl, combine sifted chocolate, flour, almonds, sifted baking powder, sugar, citrus peel, vanilla, and salt. Mix well, then add the eggs slightly beaten with a fork, milk, oil, and mix everything with a hand or electric whisk until a smooth batter is obtained.
Pour the batter into a heart-shaped mold, then bake in a static oven, preheated, at 356°F for about 30 minutes. After doing the toothpick test, remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the mold and let cool completely on a wire rack. When the cake is completely cool, you can proceed to cut and fill
Start by separating the yolks from the whites. Put the yolks in a stand mixer or bowl, where you will later mount everything. Dissolve the sugar in water, stirring with a teaspoon. Put the sugar on the fire, until it becomes a clear, liquid syrup, or reaches a temperature of 250°F (use a kitchen thermometer).
Then pour the sugar into the yolks in a trickle, and whip with the electric whisks at maximum speed, until you get a frothy, tripled, and cold mixture (5 minutes). Soften the cold mascarpone with a spoon to make it softer.
At this point, add small amounts of egg cream to the mascarpone, first a couple of tablespoons, then two more and so on, mixing slowly from bottom to top with a spatula so as not to deflate the mixture. Until you get a velvety and soft mascarpone cream
Bring the cream to a boil, you can add flavors to taste (vanilla, cinnamon, soluble coffee, 2 tsp of liqueur, lemon zest). Mix it, just removed from the heat, with the previously chopped chocolate. Mix well and let it cool at room temperature.
Then whip with the electric whisks obtaining a soft and fluffy foam. The ganache cream for the filling must be soft and creamy, spreadable. If a firmer consistency is desired, it can be put in the fridge for a few hours, covered with plastic wrap.
To cut the cake, use a long sharp knife, and place the prepared cake layer ready to fill on the presentation plate. On the base of the cake, start by placing spoonfuls of jam well distributed. Add the mascarpone cream with spatula strokes, and above it more jam. At this point, close your heart cake.
Finally, cover the cake with chocolate ganache, using a spatula, cover the entire cake. On the surface decorate with small chocolate hearts. And here is your beautiful cake ready
Conservation, tips, chocolate heart cake notes
To obtain a more substantial and voluminous mascarpone cream, you can add 100ml of whipped cream. Whip it to firm peaks when very cold, and incorporate it gradually into the cream, with slow movements from bottom to top. The cake keeps in the fridge for 2 or 3 days
