Little flourless chocolate cakes with raspberry sauce, whipped rosewater mascarpone and rose petals – a simply beautiful dessert you can make ahead.
Chocolate babycakes are muffin-size cakes that make the prettiest plated desserts, but without too much fuss.
This recipe is great for entertaining because each component — the cake, raspberry sauce and mascarpone cream — can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, all you have to do is pop the cakes and sauce on to plates along with the cream and you’re good to go!
The little cakes bake in a standard muffin tin and turn out airy, moist and lightly sweet (you can also bake the batter as one cake, if you prefer — see the recipe below).
They go together beatifully with a simple raspberry sauce and dollops of whipped mascarpone flavored with rosewater.
Chocolate and roses are a natural match — in love, life and food.
The two pair especially well in baking, with the bitterness of dark chocolate complementing the earthy, floral essence of roses.
Rosewater is made by distilling water with rose petals. It has a soft, musky aroma that’s pretty distinctive, but I love it. You don’t need to add much rosewater when using it as a flavoring — just a few drops makes an impression, and less is more.
In this recipe, the small amount of rosewater in the mascarpone cream delivers a subtle hint of rose, which comes off as slightly aromatic and ethereal. I’ll bet you a dollar your guests will be intrigued without knowing exactly what it is.
chocolate babycakes with rose petal mascarpone and raspberry sauce
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 12 cakes
The raspberry sauce and whipped mascarpone can be made up to 2 days ahead. The cakes will also keep a few days in a covered container or wrapped in plastic.
If you'd like to serve this as one cake, use a buttered 9-inch springform pan and increase baking time to 30 -35 minutes.
Ingredients
Raspberry sauce:
- 1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup water
Rosewater mascarpone:
- 1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rosewater
Chocolate cakes:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 7 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cups almond meal
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
Garnish:
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Edible dried rose petals
Instructions
- Make the raspberry sauce: Put the raspberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and cool. Puree the raspberries and liquid in a blender or food processor and strain. Set the sauce aside or cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.
- Make the whipped rosewater mascarpone: Beat the mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes, until lightened and fluffy. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the cream, sugar and rose water to the mixer bowl. Switch to the whisk attachment and whip the cream until if forms medium-stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone until completely blended. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using, and up to 2 days before serving.
- Make the cakes: Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush the inside of a 12-cup standard muffin pan with the melted butter.
- Put the cubed butter and chocolate in a large heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir gently until melted.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the sugar, almond flour and salt. Cool to room temperature.
- Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer on high speed with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat for 2 minutes until the egg whites are dry.
- Add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites to the chocolate mixture and fold it in until no streaks appear. Add the remaining egg whites and fold again to blend thoroughly.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups. Put the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake 20 - 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cakes emerge with a few crumbs. Let the cakes cool 10 minutes, then invert the pan over a cooling rack. When the pan has completely cooled, gently release the cakes.
- To serve, place each cake on a serving plate. Pour raspberry sauce around the cake and add a spoonful of cream on the side. Dust the cakes with cocoa and sprinkle with crumbled rose petals.
Notes
Rosewater mascarpone from Kristen Kish Cooking. Cake recipe adapted from Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi
Courses dessert
Cuisine chocolate
Recommended for this recipe:
Oh my these cakes look so tender and moist! Such a great treat for Valentine’s and for all-year-round for that matter 🙂
Thanks Natalie! I love them year round too 😉