I’m skipping the pink and red treats this Valentine’s Day and going straight for the chocolate… who’s with me? Rich marble chocolate heart cakes are a no-fail way to win hearts and quite easy to make too – I simply scooped my one-bowl batter into a mini heart pan and added a cream cheese swirl for a marble effect.

Initially I left the cakes unfrosted (as you see here), but when I happened upon a bowl of leftover fudge frosting, I couldn’t resist sampling a frosted heart. My final verdict? You will not regret a flourish of fudge frosting, especially when it’s this simple (whisked together in under a minute) and straight up delicious.

Marble Chocolate Hearts

Yield: 10 heart cakes

Ingredients

Cakes

2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk, at room temperature
2 Tbsp plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso
1/4 cup boiling water

Cream Cheese Swirl

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp plain fat-free Greek yogurt, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini heart pan generously with nonstick spray and dust with flour. For the cakes, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Add sugars, egg, milk, yogurt, oil, and vanilla to flour mixture; whisk in just until incorporated. Dissolve instant espresso in boiling water; add to batter and whisk in until smooth. Fill each heart mold just over half full of batter.
For the cream cheese swirl, combine cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Dollop mixture by teaspoons over chocolate batter and swirl together with a toothpick or wooden skewer; gently tap pan once to remove air bubbles. Bake cakes for 16 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool cakes in pan on a wire rack for two minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely.
For the frosting, combine melted butter, vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, cocoa, and milk in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Whisk frosting one more minute, until smooth and glossy. Use an offset spatula to spread frosting over cakes. Store leftover cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Baking pan: I used this Mini Heart Pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 215
Carbohydrates: 33

Hi, I’m Laura and welcome to Tutti Dolci, a baking and desserts blog celebrating all things sweet. Featuring beautiful, approachable recipes for everyday and entertaining, I love to put my own twist on classic desserts and inspire a passion for baking.

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