Chocolate Bomb of Hearts with Nutella Sauce Recipe – A show-stopping chocolate sphere, magically filled with mini red velvet cake hearts, beautifully collapses to the drizzle of warm Nutella sauce. This is one unforgettable dessert with a huge wow-factor!
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (135g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (21g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4oz/ 114g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (114g) sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons gel red food coloring or 1/2 ounce red liquid food colouring (I used Americolor Super Red gel)
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8oz (227g) finely chopped good quality chocolate, dark, milk or white, (make sure it’s specalized for baking use Hemisphere mold(s) with 8 cavities, each cavity is about 3″/7cm in diameter, 1 1/2″/4cm in depth (I used silicon)*
3/4 cup (227g) Nutella
1/2 cup whole milk
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE RED VELVET MINI CAKE HEARTS:
Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 350F/180. Grease (or spray with non-stick cooking spray) the bottom and sides of an 8″ or 9″ square cake pan then line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the parchment paper or spray again.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer) beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy; about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat together until lightened in both color and texture and looks fluffy; about 5 minutes.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
Add in the sour cream, buttermilk, red food coloring and vanilla, and beat until well combined.
Turn down the mixer to lowest speed, and gradually mix in the flour mixture, until just combined. Do not overmix. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few cooked crumbs attached.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then invert on to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Using heart cookie cutters in assorted sizes (no bigger than 2 1/2 inches/7cm), cut out as many hearts as possible for the cake. Plug out the heart cutouts and set aside in an airtight container, to be filled into the chocolate bombs later. Use the scraps for nibbling or to make cake pops or freeze for later use.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BOMBS:
To temper the chocolate (getting it to the perfect temperature for using), in a microwave-safe bowl, heat 6 ounces of the chocolate (3/4 of the total amount), stopping the microwave and stirring every 10 seconds until two-thirds of the way melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and keep stirring until melted all the way. Add remaining 2 ounces of chocolate, and stir continuously until melted. Return to the microwave for no more than 5 seconds at a time to complete melting if necessary. The chocolate temperature should be between 88F to 91F/31C to 32.8C.
Divide the melted, tempered chocolate equally among the 8 cavities of a hemispheres mold.
Swirl the mold around to cover the cavities or use a spoon to make sure that every bit is covered.
Turn the mold upside down on top of a baking sheet and shake it well, letting all excess chocolate drip on the baking sheet. Don’t skip this step or you’ll end up with thick spheres that won’t melt during presentation.
Turn the mold right side up, and use a spatula or scraper to scrap off any excess chocolate on the surface of the mold, and to straighten the edges of the half spheres.
Place the molds in the freezer until set; about 5 minutes.
Let the molds rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes, then turn the mold upside down and gently push down the chocolate hemisphere, while pulling on the edges of the mold to release.
Take some of the excess chocolate and remelt in a small bowl. Dap a little bit of the melted chocolate in the center of the serving platter. (Make sure your hands aren’t warm for this) Holding one chocolate hemisphere, right side up, carefully anchor it over the dap of chocolate. It should now stick and be stable for filling.
Add in the mini red velvet cake hearts, and anything else you want in there, like chocolate pearls or sprinkles.
Hold a second hemisphere upside down and gently place it on top of the filled hemisphere, making both ends meet. Gently rotate and twist it until you find the perfect fit, so you can barely see any gaps between the two.
Repeat with the remaining of the hemispheres, or save in the refrigerator for later use.
Using a sieve dust some cocoa powder right on top of the sphere and on to the plate.
Decorate your plate with berries and any compliment of your choice. How about ice cream
To serve, pour down the hot Nutella sauce (instructions below) right on top on the chocolate bomb, in a circular motion, finishing off in the center, until the chocolate bomb starts to melt and collapses.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
FOR THE NUTELLA SAUCE:
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine together the Nutella and milk and heat for about 30 seconds. Take out of the microwave and whisk together until completely smooth. Return to the microwave for about 1 minute or until just starting to boil. Transfer to a gravy boat and use will still hot.
Reheat if necessary.
RECIPE NOTES
Mold cavity size is up to you; adjust quantity of chocolate as necessary.
If you don’t have a mold, use the roundest small bowl you could find and line it smoothly with plastic wrap, to be able to pull the hardened chocolate out.
Chocolate hemispheres can be made several days in advance, then assembled when needed.
Source: cleobuttera.com