Make chocolate truffle cake with Mary Berry’s recipe

Mary Berry said her chocolate truffle cake is “impressive” and “delicious” – and can be considered a “real celebration of chocolate”.

Perfect for confident bakers, it helps to have all the equipment necessary on hand, such as springform tins, an electric whisk, and a food processor.

Whether you decide to serve Mary Berry’s chocolate truffle cake as a birthday treat, or a treat just because it’s the weekend, it will taste moreish.

Serving between eight to 10 slices, it’s great for a large family or friend gathering, or it could easily be eaten up by fewer people if they help themselves to a second serving.

Here’s how to make Mary Berry’s glorious chocolate truffle cake recipe that’s ready in just 45 minutes (but will need to chill in the fridge for six hours).

Mary Berry’s chocolate truffle cake recipe

Ingredients

Chocolate cake:

Butter, for greasing

250g Bournville plain chocolate, broken into pieces

Six eggs, five of them separated

225g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

Truffle filling

180g Bournville plain chocolate, broken into pieces

75g caster sugar

One tbsp brandy

Three egg yolks, beaten

300ml pouring double cream

Decoration

Cocoa powder, for dusting

200ml pouring double cream

Four chocolate truffles, halved

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Grease and line two × 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed sandwich or springform tins with baking parchment.

To make the chocolate cake

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted. Leave to cool a little. Whisk five egg whites in a large mixing bowl with an electric whisk until stiff but not dry.

In a separate large bowl, use an electric whisk to whisk together the five egg yolks, the remaining whole egg and the sugar until thick and light in colour.

Mary Berry said: “The mixture should be thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.”

Stir in the almonds, melted chocolate and one tablespoon of the whisked egg whites. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites using a metal spoon. Mix carefully until combined, without knocking any air out of the mixture.

Spoon into the prepared tins and gently tilt the tins to level the surface. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a slight crust forms on the top and the cakes have started to shrink away from the sides of the tins. Leave to cool in the tins for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

To make the truffle filling

Meanwhile, to make the truffle filling, place the chocolate pieces in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped.

Measure the sugar and six tablespoons of water into a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring up to the boil and boil for 20 seconds.

Pour this sugar syrup into the processor while the motor is running. Scape down the sides of the bowl to make sure there are no lumps. Add the brandy and egg yolks and whiz again. Spoon into a bowl.

In a separate large bowl, use an electric whisk to whisk the cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the chocolate and brandy mixture.

Grease and line the sides of a deep 20cm (8in) loose-bottomed cake or springform tin with non-stick baking paper. Place one cake into the base of the springform tin, top side down, and press down firmly.

Spoon the mousse filling on top and spread to the edges. Place the second cake top side up on top and press gently. Sprinkle the top with cocoa powder and chill in the fridge for six hours.

When ready to serve, remove the tin and transfer it to a serving plate. Whip the cream to soft peaks and spoon into a piping bag fitted with a rosette nozzle. Pipe eight large rosettes on top and place half a chocolate truffle in each one.