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Recipe Detail Page
Tiny Chocolate Cinnamon Cakes
Holiday 2008
This small but decadent dessert is a scrumptious finish to a light meal. While the cakes are tiny, they pack enough punch to satisfy any sweet craving. Make them ahead and warm them before serving to bring out the rich cinnamon-spiked chocolate flavour. Serve with fruit sorbet and fresh fruit to round out the presentation. They are equally charming whether baked in mini muffin pans or traditional, shell-shaped madeleine pans. A fine-mesh tea ball or tiny strainer is perfect to dust the pans with an even coating of cocoa to ensure that the cakes pop out of the pan nicely.
Serves 6
12-cup mini muffin pan or madeleine pan with 3-inch (8-cm) moulds
½ cup (125 mL) butter, divided
1 tsp (5 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 oz (90 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
2 eggs, at room temperature
⅓ cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
Sorbet and fresh fruit
1. Melt 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the butter and liberally brush mini muffin pan or madeleine tin. Sift cocoa over top to dust, shake pan to coat evenly with cocoa and shake off excess.
2. Cut remaining butter into small cubes and combine with chocolate in a saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour and cinnamon in a bowl. In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale yellow, thick and tripled in volume. Sift one-third of flour mixture over egg mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula just until blended. Repeat with remaining flour in two more additions. Gently fold in chocolate mixture until blended.
4. Spoon into prepared pan, mounding slightly. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until well chilled.
5. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
6. Bake the cakes for 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Tip out of pans onto a cooling rack immediately. Serve warm or let cool completely. Cooled cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in 350ºF (180ºC) oven for about 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a scoop of sorbet and fresh fruit.
Serves 6
