The Friday Baking Project

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Yield: 1 8†cake

# of Servings: 12 to 14

Ingredients:

Chocolate Souffl© Sheet
8 oz (227 g) chocolate, 55% to 61%, wafers or broken up
3 tbl (1.5 fl oz) water

8 egg yolks
5 tbl (2.4 oz / 68 g) sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

8 egg whites
â…› tsp salt
½ cup + 3 tbl (4.8 oz / 136 g) sugar

Whipped Ganache:
2 ½ cups (20 oz) heavy cream
15 oz chocolate, 64%, wafers or chopped

Decoration:

Chocolate shavings:
1 large piece semi-sweet chocolate

Chocolate band:
6 oz chocolate, 55% to 61%, wafers or chopped

Dark cocoa powder, as needed for dusting

Tools and equipment needed:

• One 17.8†by 12.8†half sheet pan
• 8†by 2†stainless cake ring
• 8†and 9†cardboard cake circles
• Counter top or hand-held mixer
• Instant read thermometer
• Large (21†preferred) pastry bag with a 0.5†(Ateco 806) or 0.56†(Ateco 807) tip, or small offset spatula
• Small butane torch.
• Acetate strip, 25.1â€, if doing chocolate band

Pre-recipe preparations:

• Preheat oven to 375 °F
• Butter the cake pan and line with parchment circle, lightly butter the parchment.

Directions

Cake:

1. Melt chocolate and water in large metal mixing bowl over a double boiler. Set aside.
2. In machine bowl with whisk attachment on medium high speed (8 on a KitchenAid), or in mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat until thick and light colored, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Add yolk mixture into chocolate, stir to combine with plastic spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the chocolate.
4. In clean mixing bowl, with a clean whisk attachment beat whites on medium high speed (7 on a KitchenAid) with salt until soft peak stage. Slowly add the sugar and beat just until firm peaks. Do not overbeat.
5. Add ¼ of the whites to chocolate mixture and stir to lighten. Fold in remaining whites just until the batter is homogenous, and no white streaks appear.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
7. Bake for 12 minutes, just until the sheet is firm to the touch, and cake tester comes out clean.
8. Remove to a cooling rack and cool in the pan until just slightly warm.
9. Run a small knife or butter spreader around the edge of the pan.
10. Dust the top of the cake with cocoa powder, and invert into a large cutting board or silpat.
11. Using a cake ring, or cardboard circle cut two 8†circles, and as many 3†circles as possible,
12. The cake is very fragile so be careful with the next step. Slide 8†cardboards under each cake circle. Wrap lightly with plastic film and set aside or freeze.
13. Save the 3†circles in the freezer for individual cakes

Whipped Ganache:

1. Place heavy cream in heavy saucepan. Bring just to the boil.
2. Add the chocolate all at once, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Using plastic spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan, and a wire whisk, gently stir just until the ganache is smooth.
4. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container or machine mixing bowl.
5. Let cool at room temperature of 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
6. Place ganache in refrigerator, along with a machine mixing bowl (if mixture isn’t in one) and the mixer whisk attachment.
7. Continue stirring the ganache in 15-minute intervals, until it has cooled down to between 72 °F and 73 °F. Be sure to scrape the sides with a plastic spatula to maintain the ganache at a consistent temperature.

Assembling the cake:

1. Place the stainless steel cake ring over one cake circle, with cardboard circle underneath it. Place on top of larger 9†or 10†cardboard circle.
2. If using pastry bag, insert a 0.5†inch (Ateco #806) or a #807 tip and drape over quart container or measuring cup to facilitate filling.
3. Using the wire whip attachment, whip the ganache just until it starts to stiffen, about 1 ½ to 2 ¼ minutes on med-high speed. Stop whipping when it appears to have thickened, and let it sit for a few seconds to test (see 3rd pic below). Do not overwhip or the ganache will get grainy.
4. If using pastry bag, fill the bag with whipped ganache.
5. Pipe or spread whipped ganache to fill just over ¾ of the cake ring.
6. Place the second cake circle on top, and press gently. There should about ⅛†and ¼â€ space on top
7. Pipe or spread whipped ganache and using a long metal spatula, level it out with the cake ring.
8. Refrigerate to set for 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Use a butane torch to warm the outside of the cake ring, and remove the ring.
10. Press the chocolate shavings against the sides of the cake.
11. Using a fine-mesh strainer, dust the top with cocoa powder.
12. Serve at room temperature.

Notes:

1. A cake with any type of ganache may be left at room temperature for the same reason chocolate truffles are kept at room temperature. Scalding the cream before the chocolate is added kills the microorganisms that would cause the cream to spoil.