Chocolate Valentine Cake
Valentine’s Day and Chocolate go hand in hand. If it is chocolate you crave for your sweetheart on this special day of love, look no further.
We love Valentine’s Day here at the Hartlines – with a last name like that, it really is the perfect holiday. I love making it special for my family – that includes a candle light dinner and decadent dessert. If that is what you seek – you have found it!
This cake has four parts. First is the chocolate cake, which is a super easy, moist vegan cake (don’t be scared of the vegan – it is the most delicious chocolate cake I know of which is why I use for this recipe). Second, is the fudge sauce which you pour over a slightly warm cake after poking holes in it. Third, is the mousse. Now this mousse recipe is a labor of love but worth every minute, I promise. If you want step by step instructions and a video, here is a link to Julia Child explaining everything. I can’t do it any better than her and it is worth the watch, lots of techniques demonstrated and explained (which is why I LOVE Julia Child – I started watching her show when I was 3!). I did change her recipe a bit – not as much coffee (we aren’t big coffee drinkers here and no rum).
If you want to make a much simpler, faster mousse – just use a 3.5 oz jello chocolate pudding packet and instead of using milk, use half milk and half cream. Fourth, is the whip cream and then hot fudge drizzle.
I have made this cake several times to get it just right and my family still isn’t sick of it! Baking it in a heart shaped pan makes it even more fun.
Chocolate Valentine Cake
Moist chocolate cake drizzled with hot fudge sauce with chocolate mousse and whip cream. Delicious!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp vinegar
- 1/4 cup oil
Hot Fudge Sauce
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbls cocoa powder
- 4 oz evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate Mousse
- 4 eggs separated into yolks and whites
- 2/3 cup sugar +1 Tablespoon
- 1/4 tsp coffee grounds
- 1/4 cup water
- 6 oz bakers chocolate
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Whip Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 Tbls sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Cake
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 x 9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until there are no lumps. Pour into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Hot Fudge Sauce
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While the cake is baking, melt butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat with sugar and cocoa powder. Mix well and add evaporated milk.
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Bring to boil and stir constantly for 7 minutes. Take off the heat and add vanilla.
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When the cake has cooled for 10-15 minutes, remove from pan and poke holes all around the top with a fork. Drizzle the hot fudge sauce on top spreading with the back of a spoon creating a thin layer of fudge. It is okay if some of it spills over the sides. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for later. Allow to cool.
Chocolate Mousse
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Separate eggs – put yolks in a medium sauce pan and whites in a medium bowl. Place coffee grounds in a glass measuring cup with the water. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. (You can use more coffee – up to 1 Tablespoon if you want a stronger coffee flavor – the coffee enhances the chocolate flavor.) Place the coffee mixture in a small sauce pan with the sugar. Mix together over medium heat and bring it to a boil to make a simple syrup.
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Whisk yolks until they are pale yellow. Slowly add the coffee syrup, whisking the entire time. Once the two are incorporated whisk the mixture over a pan of simmering hot water. Whisk until the mixture is thickened and ribbons form when you pull a spoon up and drip the mixture down. It will take a long time so be patient. I use my immersion blender with the whisk attachment.
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Place the mixture in a bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until it has thickened and become fluffier.
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Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or over a double boiler. Mix in the butter until it is smooth.
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Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk and coffee syrup mixture and fold in.
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Whisk the egg whites until it just begins to foam, add the 1 tablespoon of sugar. Continue mixing until stiff peaks form and it can hold its shape. I use the immersion blender with whisk attachment for this as well.
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Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Chill for about 4 hours.
Whip Cream
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Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl with a hand mixture until it is firm. Chill.
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To assemble, spread the chilled mousse over the hot fudge. It will be about 1/2 inch thick. Next, spread the whip cream over the mousse. Place the remaining hot fudge in a plastic zip-lock bag and cut a tiny bit of the corner off to drizzle over the whip cream. (You may need to warm the hot fudge in the microwave for about 10 seconds.) Chill again or enjoy right away!
