Chocolate Truffle Cake Filling Recipes

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook milk, butter and chocolate over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat; let stand for 10 minutes., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and vanilla; stir in chocolate mixture until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture and mix well (batter will be thin). , Transfer to three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For filling, in a small saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Stir in confectioners' sugar and heavy whipping cream until smooth., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache reaches a spreading consistency., Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with half of the filling. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread ganache over top and sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• 1. FOR CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 9-inch layer cake pans (I use Wilton, they are the best). Cut out circles of wax paper and line bottom of pans. If you have Wilton Bake-Even Cake Strips, use them. If not, you will have to level cakes after they are cooled.
• 2. Combine boiling water and cocoa. Stir until smooth. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
• 3. Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla at high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 5 min is perfect).
• 4. In a separate bowl combine flour, soda, baking powder, and salt.
• 5. Alternately add flour.
• 6. Then cocoa mixture beginning and ending with flour.
• 7. Do not overbeat or cake will be tough!
• 8. Pour batter into prepared pans.
• 9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 or until top springs back. Do not overbake!
• 10. Cool in pans 10 minutes.
• 11. Then flip out onto a large plate and put in the freezer. Don't worry, I know what I am doing. This keeps the cakes from falling apart and won't leave crumbs in your icing.
• 12. GANACHE FILLING: Place the chocolate into a medium bowl.
• 13. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Watch very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot.
• 14. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chocolate chips.
• 15. Whisk until smooth.
• 16. Stir in the Grand Marnier and the orange zest.
• 17. Transfer hot chocolate to a relatively deep stainless steel bowl and immerse it into a bowl of ice water. Then whip with a hand mixer until it is thick and fluffy.
• 18. Once it is desired consistency, take out of ice bath or it will continue to harden; set aside.
• 19. SATINY CHOCOLATE FROSTING: Combine chips, milk, and butter in a LARGE saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
• 20. Remove from heat; blend in powdered sugar.
• 21. Set the pan (or transfer to a mixing bowl) into an ice bath; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer.
• 22. Stop occassionally to scrape down the sides. Mix until frosting is fluffy and holds its shape.
• 23. It should make a peak with a spoon and hold it. Remove from ice bath or it will continue to harden!
• 24. CAKE ASSEMBLY: Remove frozen layers from the freezer and put on a platter lined with wax paper strips to catch the mess. Place the first cake and spoon about half of the ganache.
• 25. Place the next cake on top of the ganache layer.
• 26. Spoon the rest of the ganache on top.
• 27. Place the last cake on top. Frost the top with the satiny chocolate frosting first. Then start on the sides. Smooth top as much as possible with a flat knife dipped in hot water.
• 28. Take your chocolate jimmies (chocolate sprinkles). Gently take your hand and press them into the sides only. Continue until you have gone all he way around. Gently remove the wax paper strips and discard. Put remaining filling into a piping bag and pipe 12 medium size swirls on top of the cake. I used a #21 tip. Space them out before you start piping to make sure you get 12 and they are even. Top each swirl with a Lindt chocolate truffle and a white chocolate truffle, alternating. If the bottom of your cake is messy where you pulled out the paper, you may use the same tip to pipe a border around the base of the cake.
• 29. Chill in the refrigerator immediately. Before serving, let the cake set out at room temperature 30 minutes so the chocolate will soften back up slightly. Enjoy!
• 30. ALTERNATE GARNISH: Pipe a border around top and bottom lip of cake. Take Pirouette creme filled wafers and line them up around the sides of cake. (They do not have to be all the same height). Add M&M's to the middle of the cake . ***Finished Cake #2 in my photo #2 made in (3) 9-inch pans. Serves at least 14, huge cake.

Steps:

• Put the chocolate in a large bowl.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cream just until it starts to bubble.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate; make sure all the chocolate is covered by the cream (push some pieces down if you need to).
• Cover the bowl and let it sit there, undisturbed, for 10 minutes, until the chocolate has melted.
• Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is dark and shiny, then cool to room temperature, or stick it in the fridge until ready to use.
• If you refrigerate the filling before you put it on the cake, it will get very hard, and you'll need to pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen it up.
• You can, of course, pour it over the top of cake while it's still warm for a beautiful, smooth, shiny ganache topping.

Steps:

• Microwave chocolate and butter at High for 1 minute or until melted, stirring once. (My microwave died so I did it on the stove in a double boiler, it works just as good).
• Stir in whipping cream.
• Gradually add powdered sugar, stirring until blended and smooth.
• Cool. (Dont refrigerate too long because this will get too stiff -- trust me.just use your judgment.I left it in overnight -- uh oh!.).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• Make base:
• In a small saucepan melt butter and stir in cocoa powder. Remove pan from heat and add brown sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in flour, walnuts, egg, and vanilla and spread batter evenly in springform pan. Bake base in middle of oven 10 minutes, or just until firm, and transfer to a rack to cool.
• Make filling:
• Arrange walnuts in one layer on top of base. In a small heavy saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and honey and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 280°F. Remove pan from heat and add cream, vanilla, and lemon juice, stirring until smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature and pour over walnuts, spreading evenly.
• Make ganache:
• In a saucepan bring cream just to a boil. Finely chop chocolate. Put chocolate in a metal bowl and pour hot cream over it, stirring until smooth. Cool ganache to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks (do not overbeat or it will become grainy).
• Spread ganache evenly over filling. Chill cake, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Run a thin knife around edge of cake and remove side of pan. With a large spatula transfer cake to a plate and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.