By Ippolita Douglas Scotti:
Do you want to surprise your sweetie with a romantic aphrodisiac following an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner? Try this easy recipe; it's sure to spice up your dessert!
This cake holds the power of a love spell because of its delicious combination of ingredients that put you and your dinner companion in an amorous mood. Your libido is sure to increase while eating this indulgent dessert with a soft chocolate heart. Even the texture of this cake is sexy!
Aphrodisiac foods exist; it’s real and has been scientifically studied. The power of polyphenols and flavonoids in dark chocolate and of capsaicin in chili peppers enhance bodily sensations, warm up your heart, and improve your blood flow. Anandamide (from the Sanskrit ananda meaning "joy, bliss"), another element found in cocoa, is a sensory stimulator that can induce euphoria.
Try this delectable treat and you’ll immediately understand what I’m talking about! This is the perfect food to lift up your spirit and heat up your heart.
Spicy Chocolate Valentine's Cake
8 oz (250 g) dark chocolate
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
1 cup (130 g) sugar
2 cups (250 g) flour
1 cup (130 g) unsalted butter
1/3 cups (35 g) cocoa powder
6 medium eggs
½ tsp baking soda
1 fresh red hot chili pepper
1 envelope yeast
Heat the milk with a whole fresh chili pepper.
Simmer for 20 minutes and remove the hot pepper.
Heat the oven to 350° F (180°C)
Add grated chocolate and butter and let them melt in the spicy milk. Add cocoa powder and whisk. The result will be a yummy dark cream. Remove from the fire.
In a big bowl, beat well the whole eggs and sugar into an airy, light mix.
Gently add flour and baking soda to the bowl, whisking to avoid lumps.
At this point, add the chocolate mix, beating well with the whisk.
Grease and dust with flour a heart-shaped oven-proof cake mold and place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes—no more or the soft heart of the cake will cook too much.
Garnish and serve to your lover with a flute of champagne, a strawberry on top . . . and a kiss.
Contessa Ippolita Douglas Scotti di Vigileno is a true Italian—born in Florence, Italy, from a long line of eccentric Italian aristocrats, she has traveled the world in search of adventure, romance, and magical, mouth-watering recipes. "Ippo" loves Italian history, especially as it relates to food. Author of There's a Beatle in My Soup, Curcuma e Zenzero (Ginger & Tumeric), 101 Perche Sulla Storia di Firenze (101 questions on Florence History), The Grimore, The Magic of the Moon, and Magic Herbs (all published by Newton Compton Publishers).