The heart-shaped food in this recipe rests on top of the cream cheese frosting I used to decorate these homemade cupcakes.
I had the frosting leftover from another recipe, but feel free to use whatever flavor frosting you desire or even store bought.
I never made chocolate filigree hearts before so I was anxious to try them out. Experiment with the width and size of the hearts. Be sure to make them thick enough that they don’t fall apart.
It also works best to keep the hearts chilled until you serve them.
Nicole’s note: Here is the recipe as written. But if you aren’t a perfectionist, just draw a hearts with the chocolate on the paper and fill them in with squiggles to give them support. You can forget about the tracing. I did.Check back here every day through Valentine's Day for more heart-shaped food recipes.
Chocolate Filigree Hearts 1. Trace the inside of a heart-shaped cookie cutter onto parchment using a pencil. Flip parchment, and transfer to a baking sheet.
2. Melt 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Let cool slightly. Transfer to a parchment cone (or resealable plastic bag). Snip a tip to make a small hole.
3. Pipe chocolate into hearts, following outlines and filling in with squiggles (be sure squiggles are at least 1/4 inch thick so hearts won’t break when removed).
4. Freeze hearts until set, about 15 minutes. Remove hearts using an offset spatula.
- adapted from Martha Stewart
Chocolate Cupcakes 2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
6 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Melt the unsweetened chocolate with double boiler or in microwave then set aside.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Add vanilla into buttermilk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate, mixing until well incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the buttermilk. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.
4. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.
5. Bake in preheat oven at 350 degrees for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
6. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
