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Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe

Our Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe are a decadent chocolate dessert for Valentines Day! Today’s chocolate sweetheart cake with chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and cherries is the perfect way to share homemade love.

Our Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe are a decadent chocolate dessert for Valentines Day! by cookingwithruthie.com

Why we love Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe

We adore these Black Forest Mini Cakes recipe for many reasons–chocolate and more chocolate with whipped cream and cherry pie filling! What’s not to love? 

Okay… I’m totally justifying my indulgences. But seriously, take a look at all this decadent chocolatey-ness.

Also, if you don’t happen to have petite heart pans for your Valentine baking then grab an 9×13 and follow along… this cake is amazing anyway you bake it.

Ingredients in Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe

  • butter
  • neufatchel cream cheese
  • sugar
  • eggs 
  • light sour cream
  • flour
  • dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
  • baking soda
  • sea salt
  • milk
  • vanilla

Our Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe are a decadent chocolate dessert for Valentines Day! by cookingwithruthie.com

How to make Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe

  • Preheat oven 350 degrees.
  • Coat mini heart shaped pans or a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  • Cream butter and neufatchel cream cheese in mixer with beater attachment until smooth.
  • Add sugar and mix 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add eggs one at time, scraping bowl with each addition.
  • Add light sour cream; mix and turn off mixer.
  • In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, sea salt; stir to combine.
  • Add dry ingredients all at once; mix on low until 80% combined.
  • Add low-fat milk and vanilla; mix until incorporated but do not over mix.
  • Divide into prepared pans, filling 2/3rds the way full.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes (40-45 for 9×13) or until toothpick inserted in center removes clean.
  • Cool on rack for 5-7 minutes, invert pans and gently tap bottom if needed to release cakes.
  • Cool completely.

Our Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe are a decadent chocolate dessert for Valentines Day! by cookingwithruthie.com

 

Helpful baking tips for higher elevations

  • If you live 3,000 feet above sea level or more it is considered high elevation and may take longer to cook/bake. 
  • Adjustments are needed for 5000+ feet and above:
  • Reduce baking powder: for each teaspoon, decrease 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
  • Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 2 tablespoons.
  • Increase liquid: for each cup, add 2 to 4 tablespoons.
  • Increase oven temperature by 25 degrees F.
  • Check if it is done a little early.
  • This takes some trial and error to get it right for you.

Learn more HERE

 

Yield: 8

Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe

Black Forest Sweetheart Cakes are impressive enough to please the foodies in your life! Share the love! on www.cookingwithruthie.com

Our Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe are a decadent chocolate dessert for Valentines Day!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 (4 oz) neufatchel cream cheese
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs or 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites to lower fat
  • 1 /2 cup light sour cream
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup dutch process unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Chocolate Ganache:
  • 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup whipped cream; whipped to stiff peak, for topping
  • 1 cup cherry pie filling, for topping
  • chocolate shavings, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
  2. Coat mini heart shaped pans or a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
  3. Cream butter and neufatchel cream cheese in mixer with beater attachment until smooth.
  4. Add sugar and mix 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs one at time, scraping bowl with each addition.
  6. Add light sour cream; mix and turn off mixer.
  7. In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, sea salt; stir to combine.
  8. Add dry ingredients all at once; mix on low until 80% combined.
  9. Add low-fat milk and vanilla; mix until incorporated but do not over mix.
  10. Divide into prepared pans, filling 2/3rds the way full.
  11. Bake for 20-25 minutes (40-45 for 9x13) or until toothpick inserted in center removes clean.
  12. Cool on rack for 5-7 minutes, invert pans and gently tap bottom if needed to release cakes.
  13. Cool completely.
  14. Chocolate Ganache:
  15. Place chocolate chips in a small mixing bowl.
  16. Gently bring cream to a simmer.
  17. Pour over chocolate chips and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
  18. Stir until smooth.
  19. Drizzle on top of cakes.
  20. Divide evenly oven sweetheart cakes or cover top of full sized cake.
  21. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and 3-4 cherries on top.
  22. Finish with a sprinkling of chocolate shavings.
  23. Serve and Enjoy your Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 836Total Fat: 41gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 581mgCarbohydrates: 108gFiber: 4gSugar: 66gProtein: 15g

More Valentines Recipes

 

Celebrate Valentines Day with Black Forest Mini Cakes Recipe this year! 

 

One more thing before you go…

We love creating recipes and sharing our adventures with you, so if you can do us a huge favor it’d really support us! It’s easier to stay motivated to share our best with you when we hear from you! We adore our readers and it really makes our day to get comments, social tags/shares, or pins that you save for later to share with your family and friends. 

Our hearts sing when you do.

We SEE you and we do our very best to respond to all the love! It also amps up our mo-jo so we get lots of awesome things done around here. Please reach out if you have questions or comments via our email: ruthie@cookingwithruthie.com. We’re excited to see you again soon!  

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Thanks for sharing in the CWR blog-love!

Love Always,

Ruthie & Madeliene 

 

 

 

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