Chocolate Truffle Cake for my Birthday


Birthdays always get me excited, especially one in the family or among close friends and of course mine. The midnight wishes, gifts, surprises, calls from friends you haven't been in touch with, the birthday cake...there' so much to look forward to.

I celebrated mine this week and it was a wonderful day spent with family and friends. The best part of the day was the gift from Manoj...an Icecream Maker!! I've been thinking of buying one for so long now, so this was just the perfect gift. Can't wait to use it.


I've never baked a cake for my birthday, we usually just get one from a bakery near our home. But last month I borrowed the Ghirardelli chocolate book from the library and I've been looking at all those amazing recipes and pictures and drooling over them ever since. Just thought I'd wait for my birthday to indulge myself. I wanted something intensely chocolaty and this truffle cake satisfied all my cravings.
The recipe for the cake has been adapted minimally from The Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook. The cake by itself, was moist and delicious, and doesn't really need any icing. So if you're looking for a plain chocolate cake, this is a must try. Add the chocolate truffle and you're in Chocolate Heaven!!

Chocolate Truffle Cake


Ingredients:
For the cake:
4 oz semisweet chocolate
113 gms / 1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
1 tbs honey
125 gms/ 1 cup all purpose flour
25 gms/ 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 extra large eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
120  ml / 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk

For the soaking syrup:
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbs rum

For the truffle:
400 gms semisweet chocolate
300 ml cream
60 gms unsalted butter

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
Butter and line two 6" round cake pans and line with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate, butter, sugar and honey over a double boiler and mix till smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Gently mix in the chocolate mixture. Add the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and beat with a spoon until well blended.
Divide the mixture between the two pans.
Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. When cool, turn out of the pans.


To make the soaking syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water and stir in the rum.

For the chocolate truffle, heat the cream and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Take off from heat and pour over the chocolate. Cover and let rest for 2 minutes. Uncover and mix till smooth and well combined. [U can start licking the sauce at this point...BLISS!! Between the three of us all our spoons were in the sink :) ]. Cover and let it sit overnight to set. The truffle will thicken as it sits. For piping designs you may have to refrigerate it to get the right consistency.

To assemble the cake, soak one layer with one third of the syrup and top with the truffle. Repeat with all the layers, frost the sides of the cake and then the top. Decorate as desired. Serve at room temperature.

25 comments:

  1. Nice one Poornima..Happy Birthday as well ! God Bless.

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  2. Happy Birthday ..hope you had great day ...cake looks delicious

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  3. Omg, wat an excellent looking cake,feel like having a slice..soo tempting.

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  4. Happy belated birthday.Wonderful looking cake....

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  5. Wish you a very Happy Belated Birthday Poornima. I hope you had a wonderful one.
    I am such a chocolate addict that I can live on it everyday :) The cake looks perfectly baked and moist. I am sure your friend would have smacked it clean in no time ... he he
    Looking for some home made ice cream recipes soon .... although the very thought of days getting shorter and leaves falling off is dreading. But I don't mind a bowl of home made ice cream on any given day.
    Will be back for more recipes from u

    Enjoy

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  6. That Truffle cake looks sinfully good. Yum Yum!

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  7. Birthday wishes ! Beautiful chocolate truffle cake. You have made a very moist cake, hats off dear. Looking forward to some ice cream recipes soon :D

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  8. dear poornima,
    love ur perfection...absolutely divine cake..
    first time here...
    wonderful space you hve with rich presentation..
    Am your happy follower now..:)
    do stop by mine sometime..
    love,
    Jay
    Tasty Appetite

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  9. Wow that is a decadently delicious cake - Happy birthday to you dear and many more returns of the day :) cheers, priya

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  10. Belated birthday wishes and yummy professional looking cake!

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  11. happy birthday! The cake sure does look awesome!

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  12. What can I say, its highly irresistible..please send me some here..

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  13. A very chocolaty birthday to you....

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  14. Happy Birthday!This is just divine.Looking fwd to many ice-cream recipes from you.

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  15. That looks amazingly delicious, Poornima. Love how beautifully you decorated it.

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  16. Delicate soft cake..Belated Birthday wishes too!
    You have a lovely space,glad to meet u :-)
    Hope u'll visit my space too
    Tasty Treat

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  17. Belated birthday wishes Poornima! That's a superb cake. So perfect! Love that spider web design..

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  18. beautiful looking delicious cake happy birthday
    lovely site nice to meet you

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  19. Belated Happy Birthday. The cake is super moist and marvelous.

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  20. Hope you had a nice day Poornima. Belated wishes for your birthday! The cake looks so professionally made!

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  21. the cake is simply perfect...would love to try this soon...

    do visit my space when you get time...

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  22. wow that looks really decadent and delicious!

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  23. u made that cardboard also to put cake on it? good work.

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  24. you carve cardboard also to put cake on it. good work.

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Poornima