Chocolate Cherry Truffle Cakes
Truffles:
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons Kirschwasser
8 cherries reserved from sauce
Cake:
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 oz. butter, cut into pieces
3 eggs, room temperature
3 egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. flour
Cherry Sauce:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure almond extract
3 cup frozen or fresh pitted cherries
1 tablespoon butter
Cherry Sauce:
Combine the cornstarch and water. Add to a saucepan the cornstarch mixture and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened. Stir constantly. Reserve 8 cherries for the truffles.
Truffles:
Heat a heat proof bowl add the chocolate and cream and place over a pan of simmer water not allowing bowl to touch the water; creating a double boiler. Heat and stir until chocolate is almost fully melted. Remove from the top of simmering water; stir in butter and until fully combined and chocolate is melted. Stir in Kirschwasser. Place in refrigerator until firm enough to pipe. Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe eight 1 inch circles. Place a cherry reserved from the sauce on top and pipe more chocolate to cover the cherry. Place in refrigerator until firm.
Cake:
Position the oven rack to the center. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 8 (1 1/4 cup) custard cups. Set aside.
In a small heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt chocolate and butter together. Cool slightly.
In a large bowl of an stand mixer fitted with whisk, on high speed, beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until tripled in volume. Add the chocolate on low speed, beat just until combined. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the flour. Spoon a small amount of batter in to each custard cup. Place a cherry truffle in the center of each custard cup on top of cake batter, do not press down. Fill the custard cups with remaining batter. Place cakes on baking sheet and bake until edges begin to pull from the edges about 12-13 minutes. Let stand in custard cups for 10 minutes, then invert onto dessert plate. Garnish with powdered sugar , whipped cream and cherry sauce.
