My older daughter LOVES chocolate, so I bake this truffle chocolate cake for her birthday every March. I usually use a silicone mold so that I can skip the process of lining a cake mold with parchment paper or coating it with butter and flour.

This cake tastes great the same day, but it becomes even tastier the next day. It is quite dense, but it somehow feel lighter once the chocolate truffle cream begins to melt in your mouth.

If you’d like some contrast, top the cake with strawberry slices and maybe some mint.

Chocolate truffle cake

Serves 8 hungry people

Equipment

9-inch round silicone or traditional cake pan

Ingredients

For chocolate sponge cake

5 eggs, separated

7 ounces (200 grams) sugar

4.7 ounces (133 grams) flour, sifted

85 ml milk

1.7 ounces (50 grams) unsalted butter

1 ounce (33 grams) cocoa powder

For the chocolate cream

1 cup (260 cc) heavy cream

9 ounces (260 grams) bittersweet chocolate, shaved, chopped, or in chips

1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

Chocolate sponge cake

1. If you are using a traditional cake pan, line the pan with parchment paper.

2. Preheat the oven to 340 degrees.

3. Using a stand mixer with a completely dry bowl, whip the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Add the sugar in two additions and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.

4. Turn the mixer to low speed, and add the yolks one at a time until evenly mixed. Turn off the mixer. Slowly add the flour stir carefully with a spatula.

5. Place the butter and milk in a small microwaveable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute.

6. Sift the cocoa powder into the butter and milk mixture. Using a fork or small whisk, mix well until the cocoa powder is dissolved and no chunks remain. Add this into the egg mixture.

7. Scrape the dough into the cake pan, then gently drop the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times to remove bubbles.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean, and remove the cake.

9. If you are using a silicone mold, gently drop the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times to prevent the center of the cake from sinking. Place the cake on a cooling rack and cover with aluminum foil until completely cool.

10. Slice horizontally into two or three even layers.

Chocolate cream

1. Warm heavy cream in a small pot over medium heat.

2. Once small bubbles appear around the rim, add the chocolate. Stir until melted. 

3. Remove from the heat and cool. The mixture should be still warm, with a nice, creamy texture.

4. Place one layer of the cake on a plate. Using a knife or offset spatula, coat with a generous amount of chocolate cream. Let cool a bit and then place the next layer on top, and coat with cream. (If the layers are added while warm, they’ll slide around.) Repeat the process until all layers are stacked; don’t coat the top yet. 

5. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, until it’s no longer warm. Remove the cake from the fridge and spread the remaining chocolate cream on the top and sides of the cake.

6. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes. Once the cake is completely cooled and the chocolate cream is set, sift cocoa powder on top and add strawberries if using.