Chocolate cherry kirsch hearts recipe

Chocolate and alcohol, who can resist? And because these sweet, chocolate boozy hearts are small you can have two!

Ingredients

For the hearts:

• 150g good quality plain chocolate
• 25g hazelnuts, roasted and chopped

For the chocolate and cherry loaf:

• 350g can black cherries
• 60ml kirsch liqueur
• 5ml almond essence
• 200g good quality plain chocolate
• 175g creamed coconut, grated
• 100g hard (block) dairy-free margarine
• 200g oatmeal digestive biscuits (check that they're suitable for vegans if you're making these for a vegan or vegetarian)
• 50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Use a medium heart-shaped cutter (about 3-4in across) to draw 6 heart shapes on a piece of baking parchment, place on a tray or baking sheet.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Spoon into a piping bag and outline the hearts on the baking parchment, then fill in with extra melted chocolate.
3. Sprinkle chopped roasted hazelnuts over 2 of them and place the tray in the fridge to harden.
4. Lightly oil a 450g/1lb loaf tin and line with baking parchment.
5. Drain the cherries retaining the juice, and reserving 1tbsp of cherries. Put the remaining cherries in a bowl and pour over the kirsch liqueur and almond essence. Leave to marinade for 2hrs.
6. Melt the chocolate, creamed coconut and dairy-free margarine together over a gentle heat.
7. Roughly crush the oatmeal digestive biscuits and stir into the melted mixture with the hazelnuts.
8. Add the marinated cherries and any remaining liquid.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and lightly smooth the top.
10. Cover and chill for 2hrs.
11. Turn out and cut 4 slices, each 1cm/1/2in thick. Use the cutter to cut out a heart from each.
12. Place a plain chocolate heart on a serving plate. Top with a chocolate and cherry loaf heart, repeat, then top with a nutty chocolate heart. Use the remaining hearts to make a second stack. Chill until ready to serve.
13. Chop the reserved cherries and mix with a little of the reserved juice (sweeten with icing sugar if required).
14. Drizzle onto the plates around the hearts just before serving.