Belgian Chocolate Truffle Cake

Are you getting the feeling that its chocolate week. Its not a daunting to make as it looks.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

1 Candied Hazelnuts and Chocolate Curls Recipe * 1

3 cups Hazelnuts (about 13 ounces)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Granulated Sugar

1 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

2/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (plus more for pan)

2/3 cup boiling Water

1 2/3 sticks Unsalted Butter (room temperature; plus more for pan)

1 3/4 cups Packed Dark Brown Sugar

4 large Eggs (at room temperature)

1 1/3 cups Buttermilk (at room temperature)

2 1/2 teaspoons pure Vanilla Extract

1 Whipped Ganache Frosting Recipe * 2

1 Chocolate Ganache Glaze Recipe * 3

step-by-step directions

You can bake the cake up to three days ahead; cool completely and keep at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic. The chocolate curls and candied nuts will also keep for up to 3 days in separate airtight containers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. Toast nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel; rub to remove skins. Place any unskinned hazelnuts back in the oven for a few minutes and then run again to remove skins. Let cool.

In a food processor, pulse one-third of the nuts with granulated sugar just until finely ground. (Reserve remaining nuts for the garnish; recipe follows.) Transfer to a large bowl; stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water in a heatproof bowl until smooth. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.)

With an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well combined.

Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in 2 batches, alternating with cocoa mixture; beat just until combined (do not overmix).

Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack to cool completely.

Place cooled cake on a 9-inch cardboard round. Spread whipped ganache frosting smoothly on top and sides of cooled cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Place cake (still on cardboard round) on a wire rack set over a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a small ladle and a circular motion, pour ganache over top of cake, letting ganache run down the sides (use an offset spatula to spread evenly, if needed). Let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours. Garnish with candied nuts and chocolate curls before serving.

*1 CANDIED HAZELNUTS AND CHOCOLATE CURLS

1 cup Sugar, 2 tablespoons toasted Hazelnuts, 1 pound Bittersweet Chocolate (very finely chopped) 1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

step-by-step directions

Combine sugar and the water in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, washing down, sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming, until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook, without stirring, unti mixture is amber, about 3 minutes. Add nuts; stir with a wooden spoon until caramel hardens around nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool completely.

Place half the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until chocolate is melted. Add remaining chocolate to bowl; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.

Spread half of the chocolate onto the back of a rimmed baking sheet until 1/4 inch thick (chocolate should be opaque on surface). Let stand until just tacky. Holding scraper at a 45-degree angle, scrape chocolate into thick curls. [CHOCOLATE CURL HOW-TO: Spread melted chocolate in a thin layer on the back of a baking sheet. Let stand until set. Hold a bench scraper at a 45-degree angle, and use it to scrape off curls. If chocolate gets too warm, refrigerate briefly to set.] Store at room temperature in an airtight container, between layers of parchment, up to 3 days.

Add candied nuts to remaining chocolate in bowl, and stir until coated. Spread nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and let stand until set.

Sift cocoa on top of dried nuts; toss to coat. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

*2 WHIPPED GANACHE FROSTING

8 ounce best-quality Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate (coarsely chopped) 1 cup whipping Cream, 1/8 teaspoon Coarse Salt

step-by-step directions

Put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in saucepan. Pour over chocolate; add salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and shiny, scraping bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. Let cool to room temperature, stirring often, until thickened, 45 to 60 minutes.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat until paler in color and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. Use immediately.

*3 CHOCOLATE GANACHE GLAZE 8 ounces Semisweet Chocolate (finely chopped) 3/4 cup whipping Cream 2 tablespoons

golden Syrup

step-by-step directions

Put chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup just to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to combine.

Pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes. Whisk until smooth and shiny, scraping bottom of bowl with a flexible spatula. Use immediately.