Chocolate Truffle Cake

This one comes with a health warning. Or at least it should. This rich, creamy, chocolatey treat is my idea of heaven but even I can’t eat too much of it. That slice in the picture is far too much for one person to eat. I would recommend only making this Chocolate Truffle Cake when you have a crowd to cater for.

I first tasted a Chocolate Truffle Cake in The Tannery some years ago and this is my attempt to recreate that. This dessert is impressive but it’s actually really simple to make, well at least my version is anyway. I’ve baked a simple thin sponge for the cake but really the truffle is the star of the show here. The cake is just something to hold it together. You could go for a base of crushed biscuits like this Chocolate Silk Pie or I really like the look of Nigella’s Chocolate Meringue Truffle Cake from Feast.

Useful tips & links:

This cake needs time to set and it will keep for a couple of days in the fridge. This makes it an ideal make ahead dessert for a crowd as you can make it the night before.
I have flavoured the cake and the truffle with a little rum. There isn’t enough to give a strong taste of rum but there’s enough so that you know there’s something extra there. You could use Baileys, whiskey or brandy instead or leave out the alcohol altogether if you prefer. If you decide against using alcohol, add a little more vanilla or some coffee to the truffle as chocolate needs something extra to enhance it’s flavour.
I serve this with fresh berries as it really needs something sharp to cut through the richness of the truffle. I also used honeycomb for crunch and texture. Again, my efforts were fairly dismal but it did the job. Don’t put the honeycomb on to the cake until you are ready to serve it as it will dissolve into it. I also like the idea of making little meringues to serve on top. I think I’ll do that next time.
If you are worried that your cake is sticking to the tin when you open the spring, dip a knife into boiling water and run it around the inside of the tin to separate it. Also when cutting the cake, dip a large knife into boiling water before slicing so that you get a nice clean edge to the truffle.
A little dusting of cocoa powder on top would finish this nicely if you are not decorating it with anything else.
For more chocolate truffle ideas have a look at Katia’s Chocolate Truffles or Emma’s Silky Smooth Homemade Chocolate Truffles.

Serves 12

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 medium eggs
50g of caster sugar
50g of plain flour
25g of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of rum (optional)

For the truffle:

500g of dark chocolate, at least 70%
50g of unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons of rum (optional)
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
500ml of double cream

Method:

Start by making the cake base. Preheat your oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4 and grease a 20cm/8″ springform cake tin.
Whisk together the eggs and sugar until they have thickened and are pale and fluffy. Stir in the olive oil.
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and salt and gently fold them into egg mixture. Be very careful doing this as the eggs are your raising agent and you don’t want to lose the air you have whisked in there.
When everything is fully combined pour the batter into the tin and carefully spread it out as evenly as possible and bake for 10-12 minutes. It will be cooked when the cake starts to come away from the sides of the tin or a cake skewer should come out clean.
Sprinkle over the rum while the cake is still hot to allow it soak through and leave the cake to cool in the tin.
While the cake is cooling, make a bain marie by putting a heatproof bowl into a saucepan of simmering water on a low heat. The base of the bowl should not touch the water or the chocolate may burn.
Put the chocolate, butter and rum into the bowl and allow it all to melt together gently. Add in the vanilla and stir until you have a nice glossy mixture, then take it off the heat to cool slightly.
While the chocolate is cooling whip the cream. You just want to thicken it and get some air into it, not have it fully whipped.
Add a third of the cream to the cooled chocolate and fold it through. When combined add the rest of the cream and keep folding until the cream is fully incorporated into the chocolate.
Pour the truffle mixture onto the cake in the tin and put it into the fridge to set.
Allow it to set for at least 3 hours but take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before you plan to serve it.