Chocolate Truffle Loaf

Do you love chocolate?

That's not good; I hear you thinking. How do I know that? In the Netherlands, we eat approximately 11 pounds (five kilograms) of chocolate per person yearly. That's a lot, Mars, Twix, and not to mention chocolate bars.

Fortunately, we don't have a shortage yet (and let's hope it will never get that far), so I'm going to spoil you today with the recipe for this delicious chocolate truffle cake.

Chocolate Truffle Loaf

I love almost everything chocolate, but let's make one thing clear: it has to be used properly. I'm not too fond of dry chocolate cakes, too much cocoa, and so on. 

But this Chocolate Truffle loaf has got the best of all worlds. A delicious chocolate cake with a great crumb. Not too sweet, but exactly right. Then it's layered and smeared with rich and soft chocolate truffle cream. On top, some chocolate rosettes are piped, so creamy. And in the middle, a little drop of chocolate ganache is dripped. So many chocolate flavors that all blend.

And though you might think this recipe would become difficult, I'll have your back. In fact, this is quite an easy recipe, with clear steps. Of course, you must ensure you'll take the time to cool everything. And then it becomes easy-peasy! 

It's perfect, and I'm sure this will be my go-to recipe for chocolate truffle loaf forever!

This recipe is adapted from the Dutch blog Zoet en Verleidelijk.

What do you need for Chocolate Truffle Cake?

To prepare this Chocolate Truffle Loaf, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature, the cake becomes airy, and the cream and ganache will be great.

Ingredients Chocolate Cake

• Flour - All-purpose flour can be used
• Baking powder - Ensures that the chocolate cake rises and becomes airy
• Cocoa - Regular cocoa powder works just fine here.
• Sugar - "Normal" sugar. Sometimes it is advised to use fine sugar. That dissolves better in the batter. I've tried it, but it doesn't matter much for the result.
• Salt - By adding a bit of salt, the sweet flavor of the cake will be enhanced.
• Butter - Butter, unsalted. Remove the butter from the refrigerator half an hour before use, so it is at room temperature.
• Eggs - Provide binding and a full taste. Use eggs-sized L. 

Chocolate Truffle Cream and Chocolate Ganache

• Milk - This makes the chocolate truffle cream creamy.
• Vanilla Extract - If you can get it, use natural vanilla extract, which has a slightly deeper flavor than artificial vanilla extract. With this recipe, you can make your own vanilla extract (and certainly, if you bake a lot, it is highly recommended because you can use this for a reasonable amount of time).
• Egg yolks - Make the custard rich and creamy and will bind it.
• Flour - For binding the custard
• Chocolate - chocolate is undoubtedly essential in this dish, so it's advisable to choose good chocolate. Buy chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content and not cheap chocolate because it contains too much oil, and the cream and ganache won't get a great texture.
• Butter, unsalted - Remove the butter from the refrigerator half an hour before use, so it is at room temperature.
• Confectioner's sugar - Confectioner's sugar is used for the chocolate truffle cream. This distributes well and ensures that no sugar grains remain in the cream. 
• Cream - Needed for the ganache. By boiling the cream, you can melt the chocolate in it.

How to prepare Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.

1. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl and mix for 3 minutes on high speed. Add the eggs one by one while mixing. Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt and mix on low speed until everything is just incorporated. Put the batter in a cake tin and bake in a preheated oven (350 °F / 180 °C) for 70 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes, take it out of the tin and let it cool to room temperature.
2. Heat milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan. Add egg yolks, flour, and sugar to a heatproof bowl and stir for 3 minutes with a whisk until pale and yellow. When the milk boils, add the liquid to the bowl drop by drop while stirring. Put the custard back into the pan and heat for another two minutes, or until the custard thickens. Pour on a plate, cover with plastic foil (or a skin will form), and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Melt the dark chocolate au bain-marie. Take the butter and confectioner's sugar and beat for a minute. Add the cooled custard and mix for another minute. Pour the melted chocolate into the cream and fold the chocolate into it with a spatula. Chocolate cream is a thick liquid at room temperature; you put your cake and cream before piping for 10 minutes in the refrigerator. Therefore, it won't drip.
4. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into three slices. Put one slice at the bottom and smear a thin layer (about ¼ inch) of chocolate truffle cream on top. Add the second slice and repeat. Then top it with the third slice. Next, smear the outside of the cake with a thin layer of truffle cream (sides and top). Put the remaining truffle cream in a piping bag with a star piping mouth (I used Wilton 1M) and pipe rosettes on top. Put the cake back in the fridge to stiffen.
5. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it boils, and take off the stove. Add the chocolate pieces and stir until dissolved. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a small tip (I used Wilton 002) and let it cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Take the cake and ganache out of the fridge and pipe a drop of ganache in the middle of each chocolate rosette. Then, put everything back in the refrigerator and let it cool further.