Chocolate Devil’s Food Heart-Shaped Cake with Raspberry Cream and Ganache Recipe
A decadent and moist Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake shaped into charming heart designs, layered with raspberry whipped cream, and elegantly covered with a smooth bittersweet chocolate ganache. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion, this dessert combines rich chocolate flavors with a refreshing fruity twist and a luscious finish.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 12 two-layer heart cakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Devil’s Food Cake
- 1 ½ cups sugar (320g)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (215g)
- ½ cup cocoa powder (50g)
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 whole egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup buttermilk (or ¾ cup milk plus 1 tsp lemon juice as a substitute)
- ⅓ cup oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup brewed coffee
- ⅛ cup rum (optional, can add more coffee in place to avoid alcohol)
Whipped Raspberry Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup raspberry preserves
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 lb (450g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 11×16 inch baking sheet with parchment paper for easy removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder (sift if lumpy), baking soda (sift if lumpy), and salt until well combined.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Whisk in the whole egg, egg yolk, buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, brewed coffee, and rum (if using) until the batter is smooth and uniform in texture.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking sheet and smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cake is just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cut Cake Shapes: Once cooled slightly, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the cake into about 12 heart shapes, which will become two-layer cakes.
- Prepare Raspberry Whipped Cream: Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then add raspberry preserves and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Assemble the Cake Layers: Using a pastry bag fitted with a round tip, pipe the raspberry whipped cream onto half of the heart-shaped cakes. Top each with another heart-shaped cake to form sandwich layers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to ganache.
- Make Chocolate Ganache: Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan just to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add the chopped bittersweet chocolate, swirling to ensure it is fully covered. Let sit for 3 minutes, then gently whisk until smooth and glossy. Allow ganache to cool slightly to thicken.
- Glaze the Cakes: Place the assembled cakes on a cooling rack set over a parchment-lined sheet pan to catch drips. Slowly pour the ganache starting at the center of each cake, working outward to cover completely, making sure to check sides for even coverage.
- Set the Ganache: Let the cakes sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes to allow the ganache to set. If the ganache thickens too much during pouring, gently rewarm it on very low heat to regain pourable consistency.
Notes
- If you don’t have buttermilk, use ¾ cup milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice and let it sit 5 minutes before using as a substitute.
- For alcohol-free cakes, replace rum with additional brewed coffee.
- To keep the shiny ganache finish, avoid refrigerating finished cakes; if refrigerated, return them to room temperature to restore the gloss.
- Leftover ganache can be reheated gently and reused.
- Use an offset spatula to spread batter evenly for consistent cake thickness.
- Ensure whipping cream is cold for best whipping results.
Keywords: Chocolate cake, devil's food cake, raspberry whipped cream, chocolate ganache, heart-shaped cake, Valentine's Day dessert, layered cake
