Chocolate-Cherry Cream

I love a creamy, custardy dessert, especially during the summer months, and this chocolate-cherry cream is a new favorite. Cherry can be a tricky flavor. Too often, cherry-flavored treats have a medicinal quality. To avoid that awful cough syrupy taste, I used fresh cherries and 100 percent cherry juice with no concentrates or extracts in this cream. This ensures you get nothing but an authentic cherry flavor.

When I first planned to make this recipe, I thought I wanted to go with a traditional mousse. Although mousses are light, airy and perfect for summer, I was in the mood for something even more delicate. I used the same technique to make a mousse but added a touch more cream to give it even more of a whipped texture. Imagine if chocolate mousse and whipped cream had a love child. That's how I'd describe this chocolate-cherry cream's texture.

Besides being delicious, I love this chocolate-cherry cream's versatility. Sure, it's great in a dessert glass as pictured, but it also makes an amazing cake filling. Recently, I made a three-layer chocolate cake with ganache frosting and filled the layers with this chocolate-cherry cream for a dear friend's party. Everyone loved it and commented on how the cherry flavor added a nice touch.

In fact, it was such a hit that as I was leaving with my empty cake holder, my friend's young son sadly said, "Bye, cake." Did he care that I was leaving? Not so much. But the cake? Now that's a sad moment.

With the temperatures rising and fresh cherries hitting the market, I hope you give this recipe a try, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Let's take advantage of cherry season while it lasts.

Perfect Pairing

When chocolate and cherries are in play, you can't go wrong with a bourbon barrel-aged stout. These beers tend to be on the sweeter side, making them perfect with so many desserts. You can also play up the cherry flavor with a kriek, which is a Belgian-style cherry lambic. Krieks are tart and effervescent, so those light bubbles pair well with the whipped body of the cream. A nice port is another delicious choice as is my cherry-infused bourbon.

Cheers!

Feeling a Little Fruity?

• Mixed berry-custard pie
• Raspberry mojito no-bake mini pies
• Bourbon-peach clafoutis 

Chocolate-Cherry Cream

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★★★★★

5 from 12 reviews

• Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon
• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 servings 1x

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Description

This dreamy, airy chocolate-cherry cream is even lighter than a mousse and can be served in a dish or used as a delicious cake filling.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons butter, sliced
3 large eggs, separated
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ cups heavy cream
3 ounces cherry juice
1 ½ cups cherries, chopped, pitted and stems removed

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Instructions

1. In a double boiler or bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter while stirring frequently until smooth.
2. Add the yolks and beat well with a hand mixer after each addition. Remove from heat.
3. Using a different bowl, beat the egg whites until they reach the soft peak stage. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
4. In another bowl, beat the cream and sugar until it starts to thicken. Add the cherry juice and keep beating until it forms soft to medium peaks.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Once the egg whites are fully incorporated, fold in the cherry whipped cream and stir in the chopped cherries. 
6. Cover with plastic wrap on top of the cream to prevent any film from forming. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Serve in dessert glasses or use as a cake filling. 

Notes

Pitting cherries can get messy. Wear an old shirt that you don't mind staining.

• Category: Desserts
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: chocolate cream, cherry cream, chocolate mousse, chocolate filling, chocolate custard, cherry custard

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