I Heart Chocolate Cherry Cakes

Remember the trouble I had finding those heart-shaped disposable baking tins? They turned up—how many months after Valentine's Day?—in my local 99¢ store a few weeks ago. The reason I was so desperate to find them is because I was hoping to find the solution to a most vexing dilemma: what do you do when you have a dish that tastes fantastic—truly out-of-this-world, top-of-the-charts amazing—and yet its appearance doesn't quite measure up?

As you can see at left, these cakes usually look a bit like indeterminate lumps. People assume they are either cupcakes or brownies—not bad assumptions, certainly, but they taste so much more gourmet, so much richer, so much more decadent than they look.

Baking in the heart tin helped a bit with appearance (right), though not as much as I had hoped. The saving grace seems to be tempered chocolate either drizzled or generously spread over the top (as in the picture at the top) to clue you in that this is not your average cupcake.

It has something to do with the richness of the chocolate, the moistness of the cherries, the insouciance of the blend of spices. (You barely taste the cayenne; it just gives a little kick in the back of the throat.) I love these cakes so much that I make a large quantity and freeze them (without the chocolate glaze) so I can pop one in the oven any time a chocolate craving hits; you can pare the recipe down if you'd prefer to have fewer on-hand. 

Little Chocolate Cherry Cakes

© 2008 Mallory McCreary/SnobbyAvocado.com

Cakes:

2 cups jar or canned cherries, drained and roughly chopped (if using frozen, defrost first)

1/4 cup brandy

1 cinnamon stick

2 pieces of star anise

12 ounces high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

7 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Glaze:

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped, divided

Heavy pinch of cinnamon

Heavy pinch of cayenne

Cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter cupcake tins or ramekins generously.

In a saucepan simmer cherries, brandy, cinnamon stick, and star anise until nearly all the liquid has evaporated (mixture should look sticky but still have some wetness). Discard cinnamon stick and star anise; set cherries aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth. Remove top of double boiler from heat and whisk in sugar, vanilla, and eggs, one at a time, until well-mixed. Add flour, salt, and cayenne pepper, stirring just to combine. Fold in cherries until just incorporated.

Spoon into cupcake tins until they are 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs adhering. Turn out on racks and cool. Continue to cook in batches until all batter is gone.

Cakes can be frozen once cool. To glaze, divide the chocolate into thirds. Melt two-thirds of chocolate with cinnamon and cayenne in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Add the additional chocolate and melt until smooth. (Dividing the chocolate into thirds tempers it which will allow it to harden on the cakes). Dip top of cakes into tempered chocolate or drizzle chocolate over cakes in decorative pattern and set on racks to dry (can take several hours or overnight depending on the humidity where you are). If chocolate is still tacky, use a pastry brush to lightly brush cocoa powder on chocolate glaze.

Cakes keep at room temperature, loosely covered, 4 days.

Makes about 30 little cakes.