Rosenbaum, S: The Astrology Cookbook

Hoping to woo a fickle Gemini or a larger-than-life Leo? The Astrology Cookbook offers tempting menus geared to the tastes of each sign, with clear, easy-to-follow recipes. Charmingly written astrology insights accompany lighthearted and delicious recipe ideas.

Bleeding Heart Cake

This is the happy ending for dark-and-dirty Scorpios--a deep, rich dessert with a gushy center of hot raspberries and molten dark chocolate. Serve it warm with extra crushed raspberries. Use your favorite bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for the cake--the darker, the better.

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Chambord, Cassis or other berry liqueur (optional)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup sugar

2 oz. dark (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large egg yolks

1 large egg

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar for serving

Toss raspberries with 1 tablespoon sugar and liqueur, if using. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter two ramekins, Pyrex dishes, or custard cups. In a small bowl, stir together cocoa and 1/4 cup sugar. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter together, stirring frequently until both are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa mixture. Whisk in egg yolks, then whole egg. Sprinkle in flour and stir gently to blend. Half fill ramekins with batter. Drop a spoonful of berries into the center of each ramekin, then cover with remaining batter. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are set but center is still shiny. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out still gooey, about 20-22 minutes. Run a butter knife around edges of each cake to loosen; unmold onto plates. Sift a little powdered sugar over each cake and surround with remaining raspberries.

An award-winning baker, Stephanie Rosenbaum is the author of Honey: from Flower to Table and Williams-Sonoma Kids in the Kitchen: Fun Food. A James Beard Foundation Journalism Award finalist, her writing has appeared in The San Francisco Bay Guardian and San Francisco magazine.