“Decadent, indulgent, impressive, delicious” – these are all the fancy words baker Mary Berry uses to describe her “glorious” chocolate truffle dessert.
Mary Berry said: “It takes a bit of time, but is so worth making for a special occasion.”
Serving up to 10 people, this chocolate truffle dessert can be made within 45 minutes.
As with all cakes, once you have the baking ingredients in your kitchen cupboard, you will have the majority of what is needed for any type of bake.
Equipment needs include a loose-bottomed sandwich or springform tins, heatproof bowl, mixing bowls, an electric whisk, a food proessor, and a piping bag.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
- Butter, for greasing
- 250g (9oz) Bournville plain chocolate, broken into pieces
- Six eggs, five of them separated
- 225g (8oz) caster sugar
- 150g (5oz) ground almonds
- For the truffle filling:
- 180g (6½ oz) Bournville plain chocolate, broken into pieces
- 75g (3oz) caster sugar
- One tbsp brandy
- Three egg yolks, beaten
- 300ml (½ pint) pouring double cream
Decoration:
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
- 200ml (1/3 pint) pouring double cream
- Four chocolate truffles, halved
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Grease and base line two × 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich or springform tins.
To make the chocolate cake
2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted. Leave to cool a little.
3. Whisk five egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric whisk until stiff but not dry.
4. In a separate large bowl, use an electric whisk to whisk together the five egg yolks, the remaining whole egg and the sugar until thick and light in colour.
(The mixture should be thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.)
5. Stir in the almonds, melted chocolate and one tablespoon of the whisked egg whites. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites using a metal spoon. Mix carefully until combined, without knocking any air out of the mixture.
6. Spoon into the prepared tins and gently tilt the tins to level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a slight crust forms on the top and the cakes have started to shrink away from the sides of the tins.
7. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack.
To make the truffle filling (while the cakes are cooling)
1. Place the chocolate pieces in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped.
2. Measure the sugar and six tablespoons of water into a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring up to the boil and boil for 20 seconds.
3. Pour this sugar syrup into the processor while the motor is running to melt the chocolate. Scape down the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps. Add the brandy and egg yolks and whiz again. Spoon into a bowl.
4. In a separate large bowl, use an electric whisk to whisk the cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the chocolate and brandy mixture.
5. Grease and line the sides of a deep 20cm loose-bottomed cake or springform tin with non-stick baking paper.
6. Place one cake into the base of the springform tin top side down and press down firmly. Spoon the mousse filling on top and spread to the edges. Place the second cake top side up on top and press gently. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder and chill in the fridge for six hours.
For decoration
When ready to serve, remove the tin and transfer to a serving plate. Whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a rosette nozzle. Pipe eight large rosettes on top and place half a chocolate truffle in each one.
