XXII: Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cakes

I made this recipe ones and it was beyond amazing. I remember taking a few liberties and not having made it into hearts but just one large cake instead of the 6 small ones it wants. Extremely intense, just so you know.

For the cake:
3/4 c sifted cake flour
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t double acting baking powder
1/8 t salt
3 large eggs, room temp
1/3 c plus 2 T vegetable oil
3 t vanilla
4 large egg whites, room temp
1/4 c powdered sugar

Chambord syrup:
1/4 c water
2 T sugar
2 T chambord liqueur

Chocolate-raspberry mousse filling:
8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 c seedles raspberry jam
1/4 c milk
1/4 c Chambord raspberry liqueur
1 envelope unflavored powdered gelatin
1 c heavy cream
2 T powdered sugar, sifted

Chocolate glaze:
12 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 c light corn syrup

Creme anglaise:
1/2 c milk
1/2 heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 large egg yolks
1/3 c sugar

Raspberry coulis:
12 oz bag frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 c sugar
1 T Chambord

Make the chocolate cake:
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350*. Line a 15.5x10.5 in jelly roll pan with aluminum foil so that the foil extends 2 inches beyond the two short sides of the pan. Fold the overhand underneath the pan. Butter the bottom and sides of the pan. Lightly dust the bottom of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
In a small bowl, using a wire whisk, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt, until thoroughly blended.
In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, beat the whole eggs, oil and vanilla until frothy. Stir in the flour mixture until blended. The mixture will be thick.
In a grease-free 4.5 quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, using the wire whip attachment, beat the egg whites at low speed until frothy. Gradually increase the speed to medium high and beat until the whites form soft peaks. One teaspoon at a time, add the powdered sugar and continue beating the whites until stiff shiny peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the whole egg/flour mixture to lighten it. 1/3 at a time, gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with an offset metal spatula.
Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly touched in teh center. Remove the cake from the oven. Run the tip of a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the cake onto a wire rack. Carefully peel off the foil. Reinvert the cake onto another wire rack and cool completely.

Make the chambord syrup:
In a heavy, small saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring; raise the heat to medium high and bring the syrup to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the syrup to room temperature. Stir in the Chambord. Cover and set aside at room temp until ready to assemble the cakes.

Make the chocolate raspberry mousse:
In the top of a double boiler set over hot, not simmering water, melt the chocolate and the raspberry jam with the milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove the top part of the double boiler from the bottom. Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl.
Place the chambord in a small, heat-proof cup. Sprinkle the gelatin over the liqueur and let it stand for five minutes to soften the gelatin.
Place the cup with the softened gelative in a saucepan with enough water to come halfway up the side of the cup. Heat the gelatin mixture over hot, not simmering, water. Stir the gelatin frequently for 3-4 minutes, or until the gelatin granules dissolve completely and the mixture is clear. Remove the pan from heat.
Whisk the warm gelatin mixture into the melted chocolate mixture.
In a chilled medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer set at medium high speed, beat the cream with the powdered sugar just until soft peaks form. Do not overwhip the cream.
Using a large rubber spatula or a large balloon whisk, gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate/gelatin mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Do not overfold the mousse or the texture will be grainy. Cover the surface of the mousse with plastic wrap and set aside at room temp while assembling the desserts.

Assemble the cakes:
Invert the chocolate cake layer onto a cutting board lined with parchment paper. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, measuring 3.5 inches across the widest point, cut out twelve hearts from the cake layer. Place the hearts on a wire rack. Drizzle each heart with one teaspoon of the chambord syrup; do not saturate the cake.
Using a small, offset metal spatula, spread approximately 2 T of the chocolate-raspberry mousse over the top of one chocolate heart cake. The mousse filling should be 1/4 in high. Place another heart cake on top of the mousse. Using a small, offset metal spatula, smooth the sides of the cake. Repeat this procedure five more times. Place the wire rack with the filled heart cakes on it in the freezer; freeze the cakes for 30 minutes.

Make the chocolate glaze:
Place the chocolate in a medium stainless steel bowl. In a heavy, medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the cream and corn syrup on a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate; gently whisk until smooth. Remove one cup of the glaze and cover the surface with plastic wrap and set aside at room temp.
Remove the heart cakes from the freezer. Set the wire rack over a baking sheet. Ladle the tepid glaze over each cake, coating them completely. Tap the wire rack gently to remove any excess glaze. Place the wire rack with the baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill the cakes for 30 minutes to set the glaze.

Make the creme anglaise:
Meanwhile, in a heavy, non-corrosive, medium saucepan, bring the milk, cream and vanilla bean to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pieces. Using a small, sharp knife, scrape the tiny black seeds from teh inside of the vanilla bean into the milk mixture. Discard the vanilla bean.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until blended.
Gradually whisk the warm milk mixture into the yolk mixture until blended. Return this mixture to the saucepan. Continue cooking over medium low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2-4 minutes, or until the custard has thickened slightly. It is done when you can run your finger down the back of the custard-coated spoon and a path remains in the custard for several seconds. Do not let the custard come to a boil.
Remove the pan from teh heat and immediately strain the custard into a stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water and stir the custard for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cold. Remove the bowl from the ice water. Cover the surgace of the creme anglaise with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Make the raspberry coulis:
In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen raspberries and sugar. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the berries are soft. Do not let the mixture boil. Strain the raspberry mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl. Stir in the chambord liqueur. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sauce until serving.

Decorate and serve:
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip with the reserved glaze. Remove the wire rack from the refrigerator. Pipe a shell border of the chilled glaze around the edge of the top of each cake.
Place some creme anglaise in the center of each of 6 dessert plates. Drizzle some of the raspberry coulis in the creme anglaise. Drag the tip of a sharp knife through the raspberry coulis to create a design. Using a wide metal spatula, transfer a chocolate-raspberry heart cake to the center of each plate.

This entirely too long masterpiece was brought to you by Chocolatier magazine. It's delicious, give in.