~ Decadent Chocolate Truffle Cake the Rolls Royce of Desserts

As a Personal Chef, I mostly cook for Pharmaceutical Reps and Doctor's conferences, and often face dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, lactose intolerant, diabetic, and the most prevalent of them all: gluten free.

 The Rolls Royce of flourless desserts is Chocolate Truffle Cake, and I've both tasted and prepared many dozens of them.  I have recipes that are more complicated than this one, but for the beginner, this recipe is no-fail, and after the wonderful results you'll enjoy, I hope you'll feel more confident in venturing out into other more time-consuming and complicated versions.  If after you try this, you'd like a more challenging recipe, feel free to contact me.

One reason I developed this simple recipe, is my impatience with bainmarie.  If I've heard it once, I've heard it a hundred times: you have to cook Chocolate Truffle Cake in a bainmarie, or water bath.  I disagree. Admittedly, a bainmarie will produce a denser cake, but they're both ganache glazed, decadent and delicious.  Technically, ganache is made from only chocolate and heavy cream, with butter added sometimes.  There's no great equation or truth serum -- you have to get the feel of it and know when you've added just the right amount of cream.  If you're already an expert at making a good ganache, use that instead of the fail-proof easy one below.  So here we go....


Chocolate Truffle Cake     about 8 servings
Heat Oven to 300 degrees. 
Prepare pan:  Spray an 8" spring form pan.  Cut a parchment paper circle to fit the bottom only, place into pan, spray again, and dust with cocoa.

Have all ingredients ready:
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter (no margarine substitutions -- it won't work)
1/2 cup cocoa powder

In bowl, have the following: 

Using an emulsion blender to beat eggs

3 beaten eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In saucepan over low heat, slowly melt 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate with 1 stick butter, stirring to keep from burning.  If you prefer a microwave method, go for it.

 Remove from heat, and stir cocoa powder into hot liquid, until all lumps are dissolved.  Pour over remaining ingredients in bowl, and fold until completely combined, and as smooth as possible.

Pour into prepared pan.  

Bake 30 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack and cool completely.  When completely cool, run knife around pan, remove sides, and invert cake to remove bottom of pan and parchment paper.  Re-invert onto cake board with wax paper strips to catch drippings of ganache glaze.

EASY GANACHE:
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
2 T unsalted butter (no margarine substitution -- it won't work)
1/4 cup commercial chocolate fudge icing
3 Tablespoons unsweet cocoa
1/4 cup cream
 
Place all in saucepan over low heat, melt slowly, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.  If lumpy, force through strainer to smooth out. Pour over truffle in circular motion starting from center.  Allow to run down sides of cake.  Cool completely. As ganache cools, it forms a skin. You'll need to cut around the bottom to separate the glazed cake from the puddle of ganache that's run down onto the wax paper, so you can then slide the wax paper away.  Garnish as desired.


Chocolate Truffle Cake will look like a little pattycake to you at first, and you'll think there's no way that will feed 8 people. But when you serve a delicate wedge with fresh whipped cream, and maybe a drizzle of raspberry sauce, you'll see how a few bites go a long way.  It's very, very rich and chocolatey just like a hand-dipped chocolate truffle.

I store it in a tight-lid container at room temp, because it doesn't last long enough to worry about refrigerating.  If you want to chill it, that's fine.  Just remember to either allow it to come to room temp before serving, or nuke it a few seconds to quickly remove the chill.  Like a chocolate candy bar, it's better at room temp.

Now let's hear it for chocolate, peeps! 

Bon Apetit!