Ahh, February and thoughts do turn to love…or at least chocolate. Partnered, single, somewhere in between, everyone deserves a treat on Valentine’s Day. I can be a sucker for any of the themed foods that come out for any holiday. Pumpkin spice Oreos? Yep. Peppermint kisses? Finishing the Christmas bag now. Heart shaped ravioli? Give it to me! I am not necessary a celebrator of Valentines, but I always find a reason to pick up those special pink and red candies or fancy shimmery sprinkles. It’s an excuse to order fancy chocolates or decorated cookies at local bakeries. Really, we shouldn’t need an excuse to give ourselves a little pat on the back, but there you go. So I made myself and some friends a cake, heart shaped with fancy decorations, rich chocolate and sweet cherries, which seems somehow luxurious. This cake, however, is so delicious, it shouldn’t be limited to any special occasion. The heart shaped pan is purely optional!
I used a disposable foil heart shaped pan that I found at the dollar store to give this a Valentine feel, but a regular cake pan works. It had a diameter of closer to 10 inches so the cake is a bit thinner in the photo than the results of using a 9-inch pan. You can also use an 8-inch pan but it may take slightly longer to cook. When making ganache, I find it best to use chocolate from bars because they melt better. Many chips have ingredients to help them hold their shape in cookies, so they are a little slower to melt. If you do use chips, I prefer quality brands like Ghiradelli and Guittard (which I also like for the bars). I always make ganache in a heatproof bowl because if the chocolate doesn’t completely melt, you can put the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and stir until it is melted and smooth. The microwave can produce hot spots and burn the ganache. I am not a particularly creative cake decorator, but for this one, I chose some edible gold leaf and edible gold glitter, but it is up to you. Pink and red sprinkles? Conversation hearts? You will likely have some cherries left over. You can dry them on paper towels and use as a garnish, or keep them in the fridge and add to a smoothie. A little dessert treat I make for myself all the time is plain yogurt with thawed cherries and a few shards of dark chocolate.
Ingredients
- For the Cake
10 to 12 ounce bag frozen dark sweet cherries
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ baking powder
¾ cup whole buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
- For the Ganache
8 ounces semisweet chocolate bars for baking
¾ cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons cherry juice
Directions
- For the Cake
- Place the cherries in a wire mesh sieve set over a bowl to thaw completely. Reserve the juice that drains for the ganache. Cut enough cherries in half to make one cup. I do this with kitchen scissors, just picking a cherry from the sieve and cutting it into a measuring cup. You may not use all the cherries. When you have snipped them, drain them of any juice back into the bowl. Toss the cherries with 1 Tablespoon of flour to prevent sinking in the bater.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch cake pan with baking spray such as Bakers Joy.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Measure the buttermilk and oil in a two cup measuring jug, then crack in the egg and add the vanilla. Beat with a fork to combine completely, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, folding gently at the end to make sure there are no visible streaks of dry ingredients. Fold in the cherries to evenly distribute. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or back of a spoon. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool completely in the pan, then invert on a wire rack set over a piece of foil or parchment to catch any ganache drips.
- For the Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a small heatproof bowl. Stir the cream and cherry juice together in a small pot and heat on medium, stirring once or twice, just until it is lightly steaming and little bubbles have formed on the surface and around the sides. Do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Leave for 4 minutes, then stir to melt all the chocolate until completely smooth. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes, until it is slightly thickened and spreadable. Spoon slowly over the top of the cooled cake, spreading it as you go with an offset spatula. Some dripping over the sides is fine, but I really like a nice layer just on the top. Decorate as you will, then leave to set. The cake, covered, will keep for a day on the counter.
The chocolate cherry cake was wonderful!
P..C., thank you for giving us a taste of this fabulous cake! It was So Delicious as well as gorgeous looking. I always read your comments and recipes even if I don’t make them.
❤️❤️❤️ Betty Louis