An entire loaf of chocolate truffle? Have I died and gone to Heaven?
You’re still alive, but you have reached chocolate nirvana. Decadent chocolate desserts are the pride and joy of fall entertaining. The cooler, drier air keeps these delectable treats in their proper shape and free of condensing surface liquid. This deliriously rich loaf of velvety chocolate truffle is served cold from the refrigerator. With it’s generous helping of whipped cream, it can quickly begin to melt if left out for too long before serving, so keep this in mind when you decide to present it.
Don’t skimp on the cream. We’ll be using heavy whipping cream of at least 36% butterfat. Anything less is technically light whipping cream and we don’t want that. It’s also important to keep the cream very cold. Refrigerating the mixing bowl and balloon whip helps tremendously. Whatever you do, do not substitute Cool Whip (this isn’t even a dairy product) or any other pre-whipped creams or sweetened whipping cream in this recipe. The amounts listed are for the liquid, not the whipped amount.
And of course, don’t skimp on the chocolate. Ghirardelli chocolate bars can be found almost anywhere, and are significantly better than Nestlé and Bakers in our opinion. This recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate, not to be confused with bittersweet, double chocolate or 60%. It’s also not advisable to use chocolate candy bars as these have additional ingredients in them. So stick with baking bars, not chips here, and the higher the quality, the better.
It should go without saying that your raspberry sauce will be strained of seeds. And this raspberry sauce doesn’t get much easier to make. Thawed frozen raspberries and a small quantity of corn syrup are all that is needed. You can either use a food mill with the smallest mesh disk, or metal fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. The metal strainer is more work, but if you’ve got it, and have no other uses for a food mill, this is the way to go. We always prepare a double batch of raspberry sauce–everyone wants more–and freeze any of the leftovers. It can be eaten frozen as a sorbet or thawed and used as sauce.
Because of the deep red and brown colors of this dessert, it is prettiest if it’s plated on a simple white dessert plate. Less is more here, so start with a tablespoon of raspberry sauce in the middle of the plate. Tilt the plate to evenly cover the entire bottom surface with the raspberry sauce. Add a tablespoon extra at a time if you need more. This loaf is best if it’s sliced in half-inch thick slices. Guests can always have a second slice, but given how rich this dessert is, it’s unlikely anyone will ask for seconds.
With it’s overnight chill down, it’s the perfect make-ahead dessert. Why not give it a try this weekend.
Chocolate Truffle Loaf with Easy Raspberry Sauce
For the chocolate truffle
- 16 ozs. Semi-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces (do not use chips here)
- ½ cup butter, cubed
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 large eggs yolks
Line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap making sure to smooth the sides and bottom. Any creases will show in the finished loaf. In a small mixing bowl, mix the yolks and cream until they are thoroughly combined. Set aside. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and corn syrup until it is smooth and completely melted. Slowly pour the eggs and cream into the chocolate, whisking continuously to avoid curdling the eggs. Continue to whisk and heat the mixture for an additional 3 minutes. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and allow it to come to room temperature. Do not refrigerate.
For the whipped cream
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream, very cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Chill a large mixing bowl and the balloon whip until you are ready to whip the cream. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl and whip on medium high speed until the peaks stand. Do not overwhip or the whipped cream will dry out. Using a flat spatula, carefully fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. Spoon the truffle into the prepared pan, smooth the top and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or until firm. Do not freeze.
For the raspberry sauce
- 12 ozs. frozen raspberries, thawed
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
Either purée the raspberries in a blender and strain through a fine mesh sieve, or run the thawed berries through a food mill with the finest disk. Stir in the corn syrup and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Freeze any leftovers.