Little Chocolate Cherry Cakes

• 1/2 cup dried sour cherries 2 1/2 oz
• 1/4 cup raspberry liqueur or brandy
• 3 ounce bittersweet chocolate chopped (you can use either squares or chocolate chips - but do use the best chocolate you can find)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter or parve margarine cut into pieces 1/4 cup
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• confectioners’ sugar for sifting over cakes
• whipped cream for serving if dairy
• raspberry coulis for serving if dairy or parve

Preheat oven to 350°F and generously butter six ½ cup muffin tins. In a small saucepan simmer cherries in liqueur, stirring, until all liquid is evaporated and let cool. In a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and whisk in granulated sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add flour and salt, stirring until just combined, and fold in cherries. Divide batter among muffin tins and bake in middle of oven about 20 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Turn cakes out onto a rack and cool. Cakes keep at room temperature in an airtight container 4 days. Cut out a 1¼” paper heart and center on a cake. Sift confectioners’ sugar over cake and carefully remove heart. Sift sugar over remaining cakes in same manner. Serve with whipped cream if going milchig or make a raspberry sauce (whiz frozen raspberries with some sugar until smooth) for parve. I often substitute other flavors for the cherries. Dried apricots or candied ginger. And, if you’re substituting other flavors of dried fruit, experiment with liqueurs, too. Coffee flavored or Amaretto or Frangelico also work.