Chocolate Truffle Star Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a standard 6-cup muffin tin. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
• Put chocolate, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; whisk occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat, and let stand until cool and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Process eggs and remaining tablespoon sugar in a food processor until pale and doubled in volume, about 2 minutes. Sift flour and salt into egg mixture; pulse to combine. Add chocolate mixture 1/4 cup at a time; pulse each addition until combined, about 10 times. (Batter will be thick.)
• Spoon mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling cups three-quarters full; swirl tops with back of spoon. Bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Immediately turn out onto wire racks; reinvert, and let cool.

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:

• For the truffles: Combine the chocolate, cream and butter in a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water and let melt. When almost melted, remove from heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in your flavoring of choice and refrigerate until thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Scrape the chocolate mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip. Pipe 8 (1-inch) mounds onto the prepared tray. Place 1 raspberry in the center of each chocolate mound and pipe a little more of the chocolate mixture to enclose completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• For the cake: Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or coat with vegetable spray, 8 oversize muffin cups (4-inches wide and 2-inches deep) or 1 1/4-cup custard cups. Line bottoms with rounds of waxed paper.
• In the top of a double boiler or a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter, cool slightly.
• Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle or beaters, beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar on high speed until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Scrape in the chocolate mixture and, on low speed, beat until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Spoon a little of the batter into each of the prepared cups, top with 1 truffle, and cover with the remaining batter. Arrange the cups on a baking tray and bake until the edges of the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the cups, 12 to 13 minutes.
• Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto individual dessert plates and carefully peel off the paper. Serve warm. Spoon softly whipped cream or ice cream next to each cake and, if desired, garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the Truffles: Combine the chocolate, cream, and butter in a small heatproof bowl, set over simmering water, and let melt. When almost melted, remove from the heat and stir the mixture until smooth. Stir in flavoring of your choice and refrigerate until thick enough to mound on a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
• Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper. Scrape the chocolate mixture into pastry bag fitted with a #3 plain tip. Pipe eight 1-inch mounds onto the prepared tray. Place 1 raspberry in center of each chocolate mound and pipe a little more of the chocolate mixture to enclose completely. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• For the Cake: Position a rack in the center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter, or coat with vegetable spray, 8 oversize muffin cups (4 inches wide and 2 inches deep) or 1 1/4 cup custard cups. Line bottoms with rounds of waxed paper. (To cut out the rounds, place 1 of the cups on waxed paper and trace rounds the bottom with a pencil. Then cut the 8 circles.) Set aside.
• In the top of a double boiler or a small heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter. Cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, in the large bowl of an electric mixer. with a paddle or beaters, on high speed, beat eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Scrape in the chocolate mixture and, on low speed, beat just until combined. Remove the bowl and fold in the flour, using a rubber spatula. Spoon a little of the batter into each of the prepared cups top with 1 truffle, and cover with the remaining batter. Arrange cups on a baking tray and bake until edges of the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the cups, 12 to 13 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Invert onto individual dessert plates and carefully peel off paper.
• Serve warm Spoon softly whipped cream or ice cream next to each cake and, if desired, garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease two 20cm cake tins and dust with flour. Tip all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat well with an electric hand whisk or wooden spoon to give a smooth, thick batter consistency.
• Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until it springs back to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, make the truffles. In a bowl, gently melt the milk chocolate in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the butter. Put the biscuits in a sandwich bag and crush them to fine crumbs by bashing with a rolling pin. Mix into the chocolate and chill in the fridge for about 20 mins. When chilled, roll into 11 even-sized balls with your hands. Coat in sprinkles and set aside.
• For the icing, pour the cream into a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once hot, stir in the butter until melted. Break the chocolate into small pieces, tip into a medium bowl and pour over the hot cream mixture. Stir well until the chocolate melts into the cream. Cool for about 30 mins.
• Once the cake is completely cool, sandwich the two sponges together with the jam in the middle. Spread the top and sides with the icing. Finish by placing the truffles around the outside of the cake.

Steps:

• Get your equipment ready (see tips below). Break the chocolate in small pieces into a large heatproof bowl. Spoon in the syrup and pour in about a quarter of the cream. Stand the bowl over (not in) a pan of hot water over the lowest possible heat and leave until the chocolate has melted, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir to combine. Leave until barely warm - dip your little finger in to check.
• Get your cake tin ready. Do this while you are waiting for the chocolate to melt and cool so you're not hanging around. Cut open the plastic folder along the bottom, then cut out a disc to fit in the bottom of the tin and 3 strips to line the sides. (See step 2).
• Pour the rest of the cream into a very large bowl and tip in the coffee and cinnamon. Whip with a balloon whisk until the cream looks like step 3. When you shake the bowl the cream should wobble like a thick milkshake, and when you dribble some cream from the whisk, the trail it leaves in the cream below should disappear in 1-2 seconds.
• Fold the two together. Pour the cooled chocolate into the bowl containing the cream. With the largest metal spoon you've got, fold the cream and chocolate together in a figure-of-eight motion. Don't be nervous - keep going until they are evenly and smoothly mixed and the mixture has a soft, pillowy, downy texture - you will see and feel it thicken as you fold.
• Set the torte. Pour the chocolatey cream into the tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon. Put the tin in the fridge and leave to firm up. This can happen in under an hour, but you may need to leave it longer, depending on the coldness of your fridge (you can leave it overnight if this is more convenient).
• Unmould and serve. Unclip and remove the side of the tin, then remove the pieces of plastic around the sides. Invert a serving plate over the torte and turn the torte upside down on to it. Lift off the tin base and peel away the plastic. Dust all over with cocoa (including the plate if you wish to be fashionable) and serve in thin slices.