Deeply Delicious & Indulgent Eggless Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake … decorate like a pro

Eggless Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake … decorate like a pro. Deeply delicious, indulgent and special occasion, this is a cake that tells its own story, stands apart and is a great canvas to decorate. There are cakes and chocolate cakes and then there is the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Let’s see what sets this Chocolate Truffle Cake apart from a regular chocolate cake and then the most fun part, how to decorate it like a pro!

As you probably know, for decades my most favourite ingredient to ‘cake with‘, create and bake with has been chocolate, an ingredient that also inspired my dessert cookbook ‘Passionate About Baking – Chocolate‘. For me, chocolate is virtually a language, one that carries its own tales…

Other than how good chocolate tastes on its own, it’s also my most favourite pantry staple because it pairs beautifully with so many of my favourite ingredients like pistachios, walnuts, almonds, coffee, raspberries, caramel, cherries, orange, vanilla bean, blueberries, cocoa nibs, garam masala, strawberries etc. Natural flavours, rich, beautiful, vibrant, eye grabbing, satisfying and above all delicious, that’s exactly what I love about creating desserts with chocolate.

Chocolate is an ingredient so loved that books have been written around it, quotes and captions too, and it continues to be the most popular cake flavour in the world. As Christelle Le Ru so aptly said “Chocolate is more than just a food–it is therapy.”

Comfort, celebration, romance, happiness, hunger, companionship … words synonymous with chocolate emotions, and quite predictably, the most popular cake on order globally is chocolate! While recipes, tastes and pairings across the globe vary, one of the most popular choices we find locally is the Chocolate Truffle Cake.

How is a Chocolate Truffle Cake different from a normal chocolate cake?

To begin with, the stand out difference comes from taste or rather the indulgence a Chocolate Truffle Cake offers. Deeply moist, intense, velvety smooth, rich and satisfying, this isn’t your normal everyday chocolate cake. While most chocolate cakes are a celebration, a Chocolate Truffle Cake is often the choice for a special occasion, also one for an intimate gathering etc. The temperature it’s served at is also very important. In addition, because it’s fairly rich, the portion sizes are smaller and a little goes a long way … though understandably that is very debatable, this being such a delicious dessert!

Chocolate Cake vs Chocolate Truffle Cake

As compared to a regular though very delicious chocolate cake, the Chocolate Truffle Cake gets its characteristic texture and crumb from the choice of ingredients used, namely cocoa powder and couverture chocolate that are used in the baked cake to add depth of flavour and richness. This sets it apart from normal chocolate cakes that often use just cocoa powder to get the chocolate flavour.

I recently experimented with the very ingredients in an attempt to bake an Eggless Dark Chocolate Truffle Tea Cake and oh my, it turned out so good. Take a look at the moist, perfect crumb above. The only thing the cake missed was the quintessential ‘truffle cake frosting‘ skipped only since this was a trial and I wanted to test the crumb first!

Icing on the cake

That brings me of course to the truffle frosting or rather the icing on the cake that is always made of a deeply delicious rich dark chocolate ganache. For me, decorating a Chocolate Truffle Cake is the most fun, an empty canvas for creativity and what draws the eye to the cake!

How to decorate a chocolate truffle cake like a professional baker…

There are so many ways to frost and decorate a Chocolate Truffle Cake and most professional or hobby bakers have developed there own personal style. Here are a few of my favourite ways to decorate a truffle cake. This takes a leaf out of my way of dressing up cakes in general, methods I have enjoyed doing for years. Among my top favourites are piping a ganache, a dark chocolate drip and my signature dark chocolate lace collar, sometimes all three!

While a simple dusting of cocoa powder works well, I sometimes add a flavour or often just a garnish to my truffle cake, coffee, maybe berries or a liqueur for a special touch depending on what inspires me, perhaps what I have on hand, or then whichever produce is in season! My favourite to date was the pop of colour from a light covering of pistachio cream atop the truffle frosting and a garnish with pistachio truffles to tie it all together!

Do tell me which your favourite way decoration is and which would catch your attention first!