Chocolate Truffle Torte

And once again, it's birthday time at the office. I wanted to make something that would wow the crowd. Katie's Sachertorte would have done the trick, but late on a Sunday night, I didn't have the energy. I then remembered this recipe , a guaranteed surefire showstopper. And the bonus is that it's incredibly easy to make with very little clean up afterward. In no time at all, I had a thick fudgy cake with a beautiful glossy chocolate glaze ready to take to work.

As it turned out, however, most of the students, including the birthday girl, had other commitments on Monday. Hmmm... A dilemma. What should I do with this cake. I brought the cake home, and we contemplated for a split second giving the cake away. But then, we quickly remembered it was Family Home Evening night, and we didn't have a treat. There. Problem solved. And oooh, it was yummy!

With a cake this simple to make, I had no problem whipping up another to bring to the office on Wednesday when all the students would be there. And the cake did not disappoint.

Here is my recommendation. If you want to impress and have the time, make the Sachertorte. If you need something faster, go for this Chocolate Truffle Torte.

Heather with her birthday torte. I can't figure out how to put it into words how much I love this cake. But then, I remembered a cartoon from my youth, Quick Draw McGraw. Do you remember how Quick Draw's dog, Snuffles, reacted to dog biscuits? Well, I'm pretty much the same with each bite of this torte. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, click here. 

Chocolate Truffle Torte


Torte:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter
  
• ½ cup light corn syrup
  
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  
• ½ cup light brown sugar
  
• 3 eggs
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup flour
  
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
  

Glaze:

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅓ cups semisweet chocolate chips
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
  

Butter and flour a 9-in. round cake pan. In a saucepan, heat butter and corn syrup together until butter is melted; stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Add sugar and eggs, and then stir until well blended. Stir in vanilla and flour. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes and then turn cake out on a rack.

For the glaze, bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Add chocolate and gently whisk until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. If it is too thick, thin with more cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Place a piece of wax paper under the cake and rack. Pour the warm glaze over the cake and spread it with a spatula over the top and sides. Let it set for about 1 hour before transferring to a cake plate or serving dish. Makes 6 to 8 servings.