Recipe: Rich Chocolate Truffle Cakes for Caryl

RICH CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKES
(I confess, I like to use a dark sweet chocolate for these cakes, the type that is generally available from a sweet shop containing about 30 per cent of cocoa solids, but it is worth noting that the finer darker more expensive brands containing 70% to 80% cocoa solids, will give the cakes a more intense chocolatey flavour, but it will have a bitter after taste, which you may prefer. Adding a chocolate truffle to each cake makes them deliciously indulgent, but they are still exceptionally rich and mousse - like without.)

Equipment:
You will require paper muffin cases and a muffin tin for this recipe. The ingredients make about 10 cakes.

175g / 6oz sweet dark chocolate, or which ever dark chocolate you prefer ( see intro )
150g / 5 oz butter
4 large eggs, separated
175g / 6oz Whitworths icing sugar, sifted
70g / 2 oz ground almonds, sifted
85g / 3oz cornflour, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
10 quality chocolate truffles, flavoured with rum, or Cointreau ( orange goes well with chocolate )
Whitworths icing sugar, sifted, to finish

Preheat the oven to 400F / 205C / Gas mark 6.
Grease the holes of a muffin tin and arrange the 10 paper cases inside ( or add two paper cases one inside the other for extra strength and set the cases onto a baking sheet ). Add the chocolate and butter to a mixing bowl and set it over a pan of hot water taken from the heat. Stir lightly together until melted then remove the bowl from the pan. Stir in the egg yolks followed by the icing sugar, almonds, cornflour and vanilla essence. Meanwhile in a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold carefully into the chocolate mixture until lightly and evenly combined. Place a paper muffin case into each hole in the muffin tin and add enough chocolate mixture to half fill the cases. Press a chocolate truffle into the centre of each (if required), then fill each case almost to the top with the remaining cake mixture. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat, to 350F / 180C Gas mark 4. Cook for a further 15 - 20 minutes, until the tops of the cakes look rounded and feel slightly springy to the touch. Dust with sifted icing sugar. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

QUICK ICING TIPS:

Vanilla Glaze
Beat together in a small mixing bowl. 115g / 4oz sifted Whitworths icing sugar, 1 tbls boiling water and tsp vanilla essence until smooth. Drizzle over the cakes while still warm.

Chocolate Glaze
Follow as for Vanilla glaze but add 55g / 2oz melted dark chocolate to the glaze.

ANY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE RECIPE

8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream (32% milk fat)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla OR 4 tsp favourite liquer

Place whipping cream and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally until chocolate melts. Add butter and continue stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add liquer or vanilla (or nothing! Works this way also). Let sit in refrigerator until hard (about eight hours or so). Dig out by the teaspoon and form into balls, then roll in finely chopped nuts (ground almonds are heavenly), cocoa, icing sugar, or coconut or dip in chocolate. Makes 36-48.