Ding Dong Valentines Chocolate Hearts

Ding Dong Valentines Chocolate Hearts are delicious, fun and festive Valentine’s Day treat!

If you are a food blogger, as soon as the calendar turns to February, everything is clear – it’s time for Valentine’s day dessert! I have to admit that, in recent years, for me, sometimes it was a real nightmare! Usually, in days like that, you get hundreds of beautiful Valentine’s recipes! In the blink of an eye, my bookmark is full of sweet little things that complicate my life for days!

„Hmm, these cookies are really beautiful! That is it!“, I would think to myself, and as soon as I (almost) made the decision, here come the beautiful red velvet cupcakes! And while the fight between these two deserts was raging, suddenly I saw a beautiful photo of a third dessert and that got me back to the beginning. And so long and so forth…

Ingredients

• For the cake:
• 1 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup hot, brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• For 7 Minute Frosting:
• 1 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Chocolate Ganache:
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp unsalted butter
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Cake:
2. Preheat the oven to 330 F. Spray with cooking spray 9-inch round cake pan (or square 8×8 inch pan), line with parchment paper, and spray the paper with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl and pour brewed coffee over the chocolate and whisk to combine until the chocolate is melted. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
5. In a large bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer, until pale yellow, than add oil, buttermilk, vanilla and chocolate-coffee mixture. Continue beating to combine well.
6. Add dry mixture into wet mixture and beat until evenly combined but don’t over-mix it. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out (almost) clean.
7. Cool cake in the pans 5-10mins and transfer it on the wire racks to cool completely.
8. Using heart shaped cookie cutter, carefully cut hearts of the cake (I cut 8 hearts-number depends on size of your cookie cutter).
9. Place hearts upside on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Using a cupcake corer (or a sharp knife) carefully cut out a cone of cake from each heart.
11. To make the 7 minute frosting:
12. Combine all ingredients in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until frosting is thick and fluffy(6 to 7 minutes).
13. Remove bowl from heat and continue beating until slightly cooled.
14. To make the ganache:
15. In a small saucepan heat heavy cream over medium high heat, bring to a boil.
16. Place chopped semisweet chocolate in heatproof bowl and pour the boiling cream over, leave it for 5 minutes, then stir until its smooth.
17. Assemble the hearts:
18. Carefully pipe a small amount of 7 minutes frosting in each heart. Notes: you will have a lot of frosting leftover, actually it’s enough to fill double measure of the cake!!!
19. Spoon a small amount of ganache on to each heart and spread into a thin layer on the top of the cake. Place cakes into refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm the ganache so you can turn the hearts and cover the other side with the ganache. Pour the ganache over the each heart to covers it evenly and drip to cover the sides over all edges.( If the ganache is too thick to pour it over the heart you can rewarm it!!!)
20. Return cakes to the refrigerator until the ganache is completely hardened.
21. Transfer about 1 TBSP of 7 minute frosting in a small bag and cut the corner, pipe “LOVE” swirl on each cooled heart.

Recipe Adapted From omgchocolatedesserts.com