Truffle-like cake wins 'intense' chocolate recipe contest

April 28, 2006

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/in...&news_id=49462

Chocolate truffles are decadent morsels only consumed in manageable
bite-size pieces.

Gigi Burton, a 35-year-old housewife from Plainsboro, N.J., decided to
push the envelope and create an entire cake that mimicked the soft
texture and rich taste of her favorite dessert candy. Her creation,
Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake, which combines milk chocolate,
semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate, captured the coveted grand
prize award in the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company's "Is Your Dessert
Intense Enough?" recipe contest.

If your chocolate palette is up for the challenge, here is the recipe:

Triple Chocolate Truffle Cake
Note: This recipe requires that the cake be refrigerated overnight
before frosting.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pan
3 cups Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
8 large eggs, cold
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips
2 ounces Ghirardelli Classic White Chocolate Baking Bar, chilled

# Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
# Arrange rack in center of oven. Butter the bottom and sides of a
9x2" round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
# Melt butter and semi-sweet chocolate chips over double boiler until
smooth; cool slightly. Meanwhile, with a hand mixer or in the bowl of
an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip eggs and salt
on medium speed until doubled in volume, about five minutes.
# Gently fold, in thirds, whipped eggs into melted chocolate.
# Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place pan in water bath. Bake
until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and is set in the
center, about 40 minutes. Remove pan from water bath to a cooling rack
and cool cake completely in pan. Cover with plastic wrap and
refrigerate overnight.
# To remove cake, dip the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan in
warm water and run a thin metal spatula around the inside of the pan.
Invert onto a plate to un-mold, remove parchment paper.
# To prepare ganache, bring heavy cream to a simmer and pour over milk
chocolate chips. Stir gently until smooth; cool slightly. Pour ganache
over top of cake and spread with an offset spatula to evenly cover.
(There will be some ganache left over.)
# Chill cake until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. To garnish, use
vegetable peeler or grater to grate white chocolate bar into curls or
shavings onto top of cake.