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Narrator:
A CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE
HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH THOSE RARE AND PRICEY
FUNGI
THAT ARE A CULINARY DELICACY,
NOR IS IT DIRECTLY RELATED
TO THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE,
A DECADENT CONFECTION
CONSISTING
OF A CHOCOLATE GANACHE CENTER
COATED IN EITHER CHOCOLATE,
COCOA POWDER,
OR TOASTED, CHOPPED NUTS.
A CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE
HAS MANY VARIATIONS.
THIS VERSION FEATURES
A FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE
TRUFFLE CAKE BASE
UNDER A LAYER
OF CHOCOLATE MARBLE
CHEESECAKE,
GARNISHED WITH FUDGE GANACHE.
TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE LAYER,
THEY BEGIN WITH CREAM CHEESE.
THEY MIX FOR THREE OR FOUR
MINUTES TO SOFTEN IT,
THEN BLEND IN SUGAR AND SALT.
NEXT, THEY ADD SOUR CREAM
TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE
CREAMIER AND FLUFFIER.
THE LAST INGREDIENTS
ARE WHOLE EGGS
BLENDED WITH VANILLA EXTRACT.
ANOTHER THREE TO FOUR MINUTES
OF MIXING COMPLETES THE
BATTER.
TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
CAKE BASE,
THEY COMBINE WATER, SUGAR,
CORN SYRUP, AND CREAM OF
TARTAR,
WHICH IS A LEAVENING AGENT
THAT WORKS IN FLOURLESS CAKES
LIKE THIS ONE.
IT ALSO PREVENTS
THE SUGAR THEY JUST ADDED
FROM CRYSTALLIZING.
WHILE HEATING THOSE
INGREDIENTS TO A BOIL,
THEY SOFTEN BUTTER IN A MIXER,
THEN ADD MELTED
SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE,
WHICH CONTAINS VANILLA
EXTRACT.
THEY MIX FOR ANOTHER
FIVE MINUTES OR SO
UNTIL THE CHOCOLATE
IS THOROUGHLY BLENDED IN.
THEN THEY ADD
THE BOILED INGREDIENTS,
THEN COFFEE SYRUP...
...THEN BLENDED WHOLE EGGS.
A FINAL
FIVE MINUTES OF MIXING,
AND THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE
CAKE BATTER IS READY.
THEY PUMP IT INTO
THE FUNNEL-SHAPED FEEDER
OF A DEPOSITOR.
WORKERS MEANWHILE LINE
ALUMINUM CAKE PANS WITH
SILICONE
AND PLACE THEM
ON A CONVEYOR BELT.
THE DEPOSITOR IS SET UP
TO SQUIRT
EXACTLY 28 OUNCES OF THE THICK
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE BATTER
INTO EACH PAN.
THEY PUMP THE THINNER
CHEESECAKE BATTER
TO THE FEEDER
OF A SECOND DEPOSITOR,
WHICH SQUIRTS AN IDENTICAL
AMOUNT OF CHEESECAKE BATTER
INTO THE PAN.
THIS BATTER IS MUCH LIGHTER
THAN THE DENSE CHOCOLATE
TRUFFLE CAKE BATTER.
SO RATHER THAN BLEND,
THE TWO BATTERS FORM
SEPARATE LAYERS.
USING THE SQUEEZE BOTTLE,
THEY DRIZZLE ON SOME EXTRA
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE BATTER
AND DRAG A KNIFE BACK AND
FORTH,
CREATING WHAT'S KNOWN
IN PASTRY MAKING
AS A NAPOLEON-STYLE DESIGN.
THEY PUT THE PANS IN THE OVEN
FOR 90 MINUTES
AT 90 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THE LONG BAKING TIME
AT A RELATIVELY LOW
TEMPERATURE
ENSURES THE HEAT PENETRATES
THE DENSE TRUFFLE
BATTER GRADUALLY.
OTHERWISE, THE OUTSIDE
OF THE CAKE WOULD BURN
BEFORE THE INSIDE
IS FULLY BAKED.
THE CAKES COOL
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE,
THEN GO INTO
A FREEZER OVERNIGHT.
THE NEXT DAY, WORKERS
EASILY POP THE ROCK-SOLID
CAKES
FROM THE PANS
THANKS TO THAT SILICONE LINER.
THEY PLACE THE CAKE
ON A CARDBOARD CIRCLE,
THEN, WITH A PASTRY BAG,
GARNISH THE EDGE
WITH FUDGE GANACHE.
THE GANACHE IS MADE
OF HEAVY CREAM,
CORN SYRUP AND THE SAME
MELTED CHOCOLATE
THEY PUT IN THE TRUFFLE
CAKE BATTER.
THEY PLACED THE FINISHED
CHOCOLATE MARBLE TRUFFLE CAKE
INTO AN AUTOMATIC CAKE SLICER.
THE TURNTABLE ROTATES AFTER
EACH STRIKE OF THE BLADE
UNTIL THE MACHINE HAS CUT
THE CAKE INTO 12 SLICES
AND SEPARATED THEM
WITH PAPER DIVIDERS.
THEY WRAP THE CAKE
IN A CARDBOARD BAND
PRINTED WITH THE BRAND NAME.
THEN THEY PUT THE DESSERT
THROUGH A MACHINE,
WHICH ENCASES THE CAKE
IN PLASTIC FILM,
THEN APPLIES HEAT
TO SHRINK THE FILM TAUT.
TO SERVE THIS DECADENT
DESSERT,
YOU LET IT DEFROST
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
FOR FOUR TO FIVE HOURS
OR IN THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT.
IMPATIENT CHOCOHOLICS
TAKE NOTE --
YOU CAN ALSO DEFROST
A SLICE IN THE MICROWAVE
IN JUST 30 SECONDS.
