Chocolate Truffle Cake

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup/ 85 ml Guinness or other stout
• 2 tbsp strong black coffee
• 1/2 cups/ 115 gr unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup/ 4 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup/ 150g all purpose flour
• 1 cup/225 g sugar
• 2/3 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup/125 ml creme fraiche/sour cream
• 1 1/4 cups/ 300 g double cream/heavy cream (I used 48% fat double cream)
• 12 oz/350 g dark chocolate (chopped (measured by weight))
• 9 oz/250 g mascarpone or cream cheese (full fat only)
• 2 tbsp brandy (optional)
• Edible gold flakes and gold sanding sugar for decoration

Instructions

1. 1

   --- For the cake layer ---

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 325F/160C.

3. 3

   Grease a 9" round cake pan and line the bottoms with greased parchment paper. Set aside.

4. 4

   In a saucepan heat stout, coffee and butter together until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, add cocoa powder while whisking continuously to avoid lumps until smooth. Set aside to cool.

5. 5

   Blend flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a different bowl. Mix eggs, vanilla and creme fraiche with an electric mixer in bowl no 3.

6. 6

   Now check on your chocolate mixture and make sure it’s cool enough to continue the process.

7. 7

   Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and creme fraiche mixture and blend them together. Add flour mixture a little bit at a time and beat on low speed until combined. Pour into the pan and level.

8. 8

   Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 min. Always test your cake for doneness with a toothpick or a cake taster. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes , then take it out and cool completely a wire rack.

9. 9

   --- For the Truffle Layer ---

10. 10

    Bring the cream in a saucepan to a boil and take it off the heat. Add chopped dark chocolate and stir with a whisk until the chocolate in melted and completely incorporated into the cream. Let the mixture come to a room temperature, mix in brandy if using.

11. 11

    Add mascarpone and whip with a hand mixer until smooth. If using cream cheese instead of mascarpone, whip the cheese until light and fluffy before adding cream and chocolate mixture and blending the ingredients together.

12. 12

    Put the sponge layer back in the springform. Pour the truffle mixture on top of the cake in the springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least for 2 hours or better overnight.

13. 13

    Hold a knife over hot water for a minute, then wipe it dry with a towel, run a hot knife along the sides of the cake to release it from the pan, then carefully unmold it and move to a cake stand.

14. 14

    Decorate with gold flakes and gold sanding sugar if desired.