Chocolate Truffle Cake: Guest Post by Avery Aames

Today I welcome back Avery Aames a.k.a. Daryl Wood Gerber, author of A CHEESE SHOP MYSTERY SERIES and THE COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERIES.

This post and recipe originally appeared on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen, and if you haven't checked out this fabulous blog with recipes by mystery authors, now's the time. Reprinted with permission.

AVERY AAMES: 

When I went to the Malice Domestic Conference, I was lucky enough to join fellow authors for a dinner sponsored by our fabulous publisher Berkley Prime Crime. We went to a top-notch restaurant, RUTH'S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE, and were wined and dined. I sat at the table with my editor and other authors, including Ellery Adams, her writing partner Sylvia, new delightful author Erika Chase, and the fabulous Jenn McKinlay. The six of us laughed so hard! When dessert came around, we were stuffed, but we were offered two choices: individual cheesecakes and flourless chocolate cake. How could we say no?

I chose the chocolate, thinking I'd have a bite or two and push it aside. Well...what was that commercial way back when? "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." I did. Everyone did. A whole slice. It was like a smooth, satiny chocolate truffle candy. Throughout the experience (and it was an experience), I said I had to learn to make it.

So when I got home, I went on a hunt for a chocolate truffle kind of cake on the Internet. I promised myself I would make this cake until I got it right. On the first try, it was delicious and I ate another WHOLE slice in the first sitting.

I'm sharing this recipe with you today because it'll wow your family and friends...but I have to admit, this cake still doesn't have the consistency that the Ruth's Chris cake did. Which means, of course, POOR ME, I'll have to keep experimenting. However, I think I'll have to limit my experiments to every month and not every week, or I'll resemble the Pillsbury Doughboy in less time than it takes to spell,

"C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e!"  

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE 
ALA RUTH'S CHRIS FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
2 oz. flavored liquid of your choice (cordials, coffee, etc.) I used espresso
2 lbs. dark, milk or mixed chocolate, chopped (5 CUPS) * I used half dark, half semi-sweet
6 eggs (whisked)

DIRECTIONS: 
Preheat the oven to 300º.
Brush a 10" spring-form pan with butter, line the bottom with buttered parchment and wrap the pan in foil in case of any leaks. [MINE DIDN’T LEAK AT ALL.]
Bring the half-and-half, sugar and coffee JUST to a boil.
Place the chocolate into a mixing bowl.
Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate.
Let sit for a few minutes. [It will melt nicely.]
Mix at low speed for two minutes.
Add the eggs in all at once and mix thirty seconds, until incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared spring-form pan.
Bake until the cake is “set” - about 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours.
The cake will still look wet and slightly loose in the very center, but the edges will be set, slightly puffed and have small cracks. [looks like a cheesecake – I cooked mine one hour then turned off the oven and let it set for another 20 minutes]
Allow cake to cool on a rack (this takes about 2 full hours), then chill for 6 hours or overnight before removing pan sides. [Note: the cake was really "high" as it came out of the oven and then it sank to a firm 2 inches, more like a cheesecake.]
[Also, note, I "found" the basis for this recipe on a website called "Go New England." 

By the way, I'm thinking of adding a half cup of applesauce to see if that will bring out the velvety smoothness. What do you think?

You can learn more about me, Avery, by clicking this link.

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Also, do you know about my alter ego? DARYL WOOD GERBER...
That is my "second" name on the left. Daryl is what my husband actually calls me.

Daryl--I--will have a new series out in 2013: THE COOKBOOK NOOK MYSTERIES
featuring a cookbook store owner who is an avid reader and admitted foodie!

You can find her at: www.averyaames.com, www.darylwoodgerber.com, www.mysteryloverskitchen.com, and killercharacters.com.

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