Layers of moist chocolate cake and dreamy Cherry–Cream Cheese Mousse create this scrumptious and eye-catching dessert that will look marvelous when presented with the sweets course of afternoon tea.
Chocolate-Cherry Mini Cakes
Makes 10
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour*
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup whole buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup strong coffee, room temperature
- Cherry–Cream Cheese Mousse (recipe follows)
- ½ cup cherry jam**
- Garnish: cherry halves, rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 15¼ x10¼x¾-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray again.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk and coffee.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until combined after each addition. Spread batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing with an offset spatula to create a level surface. Tap pan gently on countertop to settle batter and reduce air bubbles.
- Bake cake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cake cool completely in pan.
- Using a 2¼-inch round cutter, cut 20 rounds from cake, discarding scraps.
- Place Cherry–Cream Cheese Mousse in a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip (Ateco #849). Pipe a circle of mousse onto 10 cake rounds. Spoon a small amount of cherry jam in center of each circle. Top each with a remaining cake round. Holding piping bag perpendicular to cake rounds, pipe a mousse rosette on top of each.
- Garnish with cherry halves and rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Notes
*We used King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour.
**We used Bonne Maman Cherry Fruit Spread.
**We used Bonne Maman Cherry Fruit Spread.
Cherry–Cream Cheese Mousse
Makes 1¾ cups
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons cherry jam*
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and jam with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat heavy cream at medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold half of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until well combined. Gently fold in remaining whipped cream until just combined. Refrigerate until cold and use within 2 hours.
Notes
*We used Bonne Maman Cherry Fruit Spread.
