If your special birthday someone
is a serious chocolate lover,
then you need to get serious
about my chocolate truffle cake.
This is inspired by a chocolate blackout cake,
and the first thing I have to do is melt some chocolate.
I've got three ounces chopped here,
and this isn't coffee for me.
This is coffee for the cake,
three quarters of a cup hot coffee
that I'm gonna pour right on top of the chocolate.
While that sits, I'll sift my dry ingredients.
So, I've got two cups of all-purpose flour
and three quarters of a cup of granulated sugar.
And for leavening, I have a teaspoon of baking soda,
three quarters of a teaspoon of baking powder,
and half a teaspoon of salt.
What about the most important ingredient, my cocoa powder?
Half a cup of cocoa.
It's just gonna get everywhere.
I think you have to accept
when you're making a chocolate cake,
you're gonna wear a little bit of chocolate cake.
All right, now, the next thing to add
is my three quarters of a cup of light brown sugar.
Because light brown sugar is moist,
you can't fit it in with your dry ingredients,
so that's why it goes in afterwards.
I've got three quarters of a cup of unsalted butter
that I've cut up and softened
to just below room temperature.
Slightly cool is okay.
And I also have a quarter cup of vegetable oil.
(mixer whirs)
There we go.
Once you see that there are no longer big pieces of butter,
then it's time to add your liquids.
I've got four whole eggs and two egg yolks.
I have three quarters of a cup of milk,
low fat or 2% is fine, and I'll add my vanilla.
Just give this a little whisk.
(wet ingredients slosh)
And you can add this all at once to your mixing bowl.
I'll start this on low speed to combine the ingredients,
then I'll increase it to medium
to really build some structure
and get some air into the cake batter.
It only has to go for about a minute or two.
So, you can see how it's changed
and it's become thick, glossy,
almost like a pudding, and a little lighter in color.
That's when you know it's ready.
The last thing to add is my melted chocolate.
(gentle pop music)
I've got my three eight-inch pans,
greased, bottoms lined with parchment,
and a little dusting of flour on the sides.
And you just have to pour the batter in.
I've preheated my oven to 350,
and the cakes take 30 to 35 minutes.
You test the doneness by inserting a skewer in the center.
It comes out free of crumbs, you know you're set.
While the cakes bake,
I might as well make my chocolate fillings.
I'm going to measure half a cup of milk into my pot,
and a quarter cup of milk into my bowl
that I'm going to add my eggs to.
And in addition to the milk,
I'm also adding water in the same amounts.
I will also add half of the sugar.
Now, the total measurement is two thirds of a cup.
You don't have to measure precisely.
I'll just get about half of that into the pot.
The other half goes into the bowl
with the milk and the water.
All right, and the last thing to add to the pot right now,
six tablespoons of cocoa powder,
either black cocoa or Dutch process, the choice is yours.
I want to keep the milk, water, sugar, and cocoa
until it just reaches a simmer.
(whisk scrapes)
Here we go, so while that's heating,
I can separate my eggs.
I need the yolks.
I'll save the whites for something else later.
A traditional pastry cream uses all milk,
a lot of egg yolks, and a little bit of corn starch.
This is more like a pudding,
because I've got that combination of milk and water,
fewer egg yolks, and more cornstarch, quarter cup.
And that gets added to the yolks.
So, I've got the sugar, the milk,
and the corn starch in here,
and that's actually protecting the eggs,
so once I heat up my mixture,
I'm less likely to curdle the eggs.
I've got a little cocoa on my whisk, but that's okay.
As soon as you see a few bubbles breaking the surface,
then you can pull it from the heat,
but you will bring it back to the heat,
and then gradually pour this into your now-cold egg mixture.
And you can add it quite quickly,
'cause you have those cold ingredients
already protecting it.
And everything goes back into the pot.
You need to bring this to a complete simmer.
You want to see bubbles breaking the surface.
Then you know the cornstarch is fully thickened.
I also have three ounces of chocolate
plus three tablespoons of butter ready,
because once this is thickened,
I pour it right on top of the chocolate.
And just like the coffee melted the chocolate
for my cake batter, this does the same.
You can always tell when your pastry cream or pudding
is going to thicken, because all of a sudden
the big bubbles turn into small bubbles
as it starts thickening up.
You can see, I pull it off the heat just to slow it down
so I can whisk it through.
That way I won't have the pudding
sticking to the bottom of the pot,
but I'll return it to make sure
I get those first few bubbles.
There we go.
Off the heat.
Oh, that is intense.
And it smells incredible.
Now, right onto my butter and chocolate.
Just give it a good stir.
Let that chocolate and butter melt through.
And then, because it is almost like a pudding,
a piece of plastic or parchment right on the surface,
prevents a skin from forming.
I'll set this aside to cool.
And since my cakes still need time to bake,
I might as well make that third chocolate element,
the ganache topping.
So, I have six more ounces of chocolate,
so this cake has 12 ounces of chocolate,
three quarters of a pound.
And, at the same time,
I'll heat my half a cup of whipping cream,
two tablespoons of unsalted butter.
The cream takes no time to heat up.
Once you've got a full boil, take it off the heat,
pour it on top of the chocolate.
Are you getting a theme here?
Pour the hot liquid on the chocolate.
You let it sit.
So, I'm just gonna stir gently.
Let the hot cream and butter do its thing,
make friends with the chocolate.
We're all gonna be making friends with the chocolate
after we blow out the candles.
(gentle pop music)
All right, nice and smooth.
All right, we got all our work done in one go,
so I'll let the cakes cool,
my fillings cool and chill,
and then all that's left to do
is to have fun assembling this sophisticated cake.
Okay, the best part when it comes to birthday cake,
assembling it, no, wait.
Eating it is the best part,
but we have to assemble it first.
So, let's just get right to it.
So, I put a generous layer, about a quarter of my batch,
and I spread starting in the center.
And if you push a little bit towards the outer edge,
just past the cake a little bit,
you'll find it easier
when it comes to masking the sides of the cake.
So, just like a chocolate truffle,
this is that chocolatey filling
that takes this cake to the next level.
You almost get a chocolate ombre effect
on the side of the cake here.
Now, the finishing touch before I pop this in the fridge,
how about a little gold flake?
Now, that is one sophisticated birthday cake.
It's elegant, it's understated, but believe me,
the flavor is anything but understated.
I know the chocolate lover in your family
is going to be thrilled,
and so will you,
because you'll feel proud having made it to serve.