Mini Chocolate-Raspberry Cakes...Featuring Top Hat Premium Dessert Sauces

Me with my Daddy and Mama (on my left)...
and my Uncle Gerry and Aunt Therese (on my right). Anybody
from Austin will recognize where we ate!

Happy weekend...and an early Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Mary! We're not able to be together in person to celebrate this year, so I hope that letting the entire blogosphere know how much I love her makes up for that...at least a little. I love you, Mama! One of her all-time favorite foods is chocolate...so I knew that I wanted to share a decadent chocolate dessert today. A fantastic gourmet food company called Top Hat recently sent me a few jars from their collection of premium dessert sauces. I'm saving their super-fudgy Mayan Legacy that's flavored with a hint of orange and coffee to make Mama and I some hot fudge sundaes to enjoy the next time that I'm home for a visit.

Top Hat has been in business since 1982 and prides itself on using only top-quality ingredients including: imported cocoa, Madagascar vanilla, cream, and butter. They use no artificial ingredients in their products, which have received rave reviews from Chocolatier. I  received two other yummy dessert sauces to try and share with you: Raspberry Fudge and Southern Sin (isn't that name great?!?!?). Raspberry Fudge is dark chocolate fudge flavored with raspberry puree. Neither flavor overpowers the other, but they work amazingly well together. I could have eaten the entire by the spoonful...but I stopped after one taste so I could create a recipe for y'all! The Southern Sin is a rich caramel-pecan sauce that does indeed taste downright sinful. I'll be sharing a fantastic sundae featuring homemade ice cream and this sauce over Memorial Day weekend, so be on the lookout for that!!

The recipe that I'm sharing today is for simple six-ingredient Mini Chocolate-Raspberry Cakes that use the a double shot of the Raspberry Fudge sauce. I added it to both the filling...and to the homemade cream cheese icing. These little cakes are quick to assemble thanks to using store-bought mini sponge cakes. The individual size is perfect for portion control, and they taste AMAZING! If your Mom is a chocolate lover like mine is, this would be a fantastic treat to surprise her with for Mother's Day. Fresh raspberries on top of the cake...and hidden away inside...add a pop of color and a tart taste to play against the sweet icing and filling!

Mini Chocolate-Raspberry Cakes

adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

Step 1:  Make the filling for the cakes by combining the following ingredients in a mixing bowl: 1/4 cup Philly White Chocolate Indulgence cream cheese, 1/4 cup raspberry jam, and 1/4 cup Top Hat Raspberry Fudge dessert sauce. Whisk well to combine and set aside until you're ready to assemble the cakes.

Step 2:  Make the frosting by combining the following ingredients with a mixer: 3/4 cup Philly White Chocolate Indulgence cream cheese and 6 tbs. softened butter. Cream on high until fluffy...about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add 1/2 cup Top Hat Raspberry Fudge sauce, 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste, and 1.5 cups powdered sugar. Whip until thoroughly combined and fluffy.

Step 3:  Assemble the cakes as follows. Place three store-bought mini sponge cakes well side up on a baking sheet topped with parchment. Spoon some of the filling mixture into each of the wells...and top with four fresh raspberries. Top with the remaining three sponge cakes well side down. Ice the mini cakes with some the frosting and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Step 4:  Just before you're ready to serve, remove the cakes from the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to come to room temperature. Top with three more fresh raspberries on top...and ice cream is nice on the side as well!

These little cakes have a TON of raspberry flavor...to intensify it even more, you could brush a bit of chambord liqueur on the cakes before frosting if you have some onhand. The chocolate filling and raspberries in the middle are a really fun surprise when the cakes are cut into. Dessert should be fun...yes?

Ahem...you may notice fewer pictures in this post...and not up to my usual quality. My camera is giving me some issues downloading to my computer, so I had to grab my iPhone to snap these pictures just so I could post. Until I can figure out what's up and get it taken care of, please bear with me...hopefully this is a temporary issue! How about I make it up to you with a giveaway? 

Top Hat is going to give one of you two jars of their yummy dessert sauces. To enter, all you have to do is visit the Top Hat website and check out all their yummy dessert toppings. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me which two flavors you most want to try. The winner will reserve two jars of these toppings to use in their own kitchen. Have fun...and good luck. I will accept entries until Wednesday, May 16th at 1159 p.m. Good luck!

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