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Sheryl Ness

February is for Love

Updated: Feb 13, 2021


February is a month for celebrating love. Love in a Tuscan Kitchen is my personal love story which all started when I asked Vincenzo for his recipe for hot chocolate cake. I thought It was the perfect time to feature the hot chocolate "love cake" recipe on the blog.

Vincenzo always says it was fate that brought me into his kitchen that day about 11 years ago. I agree, but this delicious chocolate cake also had something to do with it! I could tell that Vincenzo cared for people through his food, and so perhaps he made this cake to let me know that he was waiting for me to meet him one day. At least, that's what I was thinking! The cake made me feel warm, cared for, and loved.

This cake is special, and it's very easy to make - so I encourage you to give it a try. The recipe makes about 8-10 little cakes. If you like, bake only the amount you need and place the extra, unbaked cakes in the freezer for another day. This way, you have a special treat to pull out of the freezer for another time. If you bake these from the freezer, add another 2-3 minutes to the baking time.

It's great to serve with vanilla ice cream, but would be fantastic with salted caramel or pistachio ice cream as well. Experiment with sauces to put over it. A salted caramel sauce would be yummy too. Vincenzo originally made this with a vanilla sauce, but later switched it to a raspberry sauce. You can make the sauce by placing a cup of fresh raspberries and 1/4 cup sugar into a saucepan and simmer until the raspberries break down and the sugar is liquid.

Eating this cake will bring lots of great feelings to you. Enjoy this special recipe and remember that it was the one that brought two people together for the love of their lives! To watch us making this recipe on our YouTube Channel, click here!

Tortino di Cioccolato (Hot Chocolate “Love” Cake)

Ingredients

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (use 60-70 percent chocolate)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large eggs

½ cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Melt together the butter and chocolate in bowl over a water bath. You can create a water bath by placing a glass or metal bowl above a medium saucepan filled with water (half full). Warm the water over medium heat. The water should not be touching the bottom of the bowl. Set aside the melted chocolate to cool slightly. You can also use the microwave on 50 percent power for 1 to 2 minutes to melt the chocolate and butter together in a glass bowl.

Beat the eggs and sugar together well with a hand or stand mixer on medium until the mixture is creamy and light yellow—around 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly add the melted chocolate mixture (a little at a time) to the egg/sugar mixture.

Next add the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix by hand with a whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.

Spray ten individual ramekins (4-6 oz. size) with spray oil or coat the inside well with butter. Pour the chocolate mixture into the ramekins, filling about ¾ full.

Bake cakes at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes (it’s better to undercook than overcook these, the middle should remain a bit melted). Turn the ramekins upside down on a small plate to turn out each individual cake. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and berries.

Makes 8-10 cakes.

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