Since we were celebrating Eric’s birthday and Memorial Day over the weekend with an indoor cookout for a few friends and neighbors, I used the truffles I made to decorate his birthday cake. Eric is as big of a fan of chocolate as I am so I made Amanda Hesser’s dump cake recipe that was included in the Flour Cookbook and topped it with ganache whipped with butter and confectioners sugar.
For my truffles, I went with a pretty traditional approach and changed up the recipe only minimally. I used all dark chocolate instead of a mix of bitter and semi-sweet and I didn’t add any alcohol. I doubled the vanilla and coated my truffles in toasted cocoa nibs and Valrhona dark cocoa.
See everyone’s efforts here:
What a fabulously creative group, huh?
Thanks to Stevie and Heavenly for organizing the Truffle Mania challenge! And thanks to a great group of friends for celebrating with us!
Shells! Fantastic! Sometimes the simple route is the way to go-a classic never dies. I like the texture of the nibs. Stunning cake! Love all your photos, what a fun celebration! I ♥ Amanda's Dump cake.
ReplyDeleteHappy B-day Eric! I hope that you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteShelly, the truffle cake is amazing. Such a creative idea.
I've been wanting to tell you that I got the book, "Tartine Bread," and now that my kitchen is more-or-less finished and replaced, I want to make the bread. No, I mean, THE BREAD. Do you still prepare it from your original recipe a while back? The chef, what's-his-name, oh, right, the book's right here, Chad Robertson, makes it sound like you could continue the starter indefinitely. It's a project of mine for summer. Wish me luck!
I've never met a truffle I didn't love. Looks like a fun party!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Eric :D. You've taken the truffle to the next level by decorating your cake with them. It looks absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for making truffles with us, its been so much fun :D
*kisses* HH
Wow, your husband is one lucky man! The cake looks amazing - I love how you decorated it with truffles. Happy birthday to your husband! Looking forward to following your blog. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou guys make a beautiful couple and I love the first photo of you guys. Also, wow! Truffles to decorate a chocolate cake?! I want.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to make truffles, but I was afraid to try it in the heat. I should have gone for it! Yours looks so great on Eric's birthday cake. And, the cake turned out beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThat is one fabulous looking cake. Happy Birthday to Eric!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous cake, Shelley! Happy birthday to Eric!
ReplyDelete@Stevie- Yes! You can keep your starter indefinitely. As you should- it will continue to reward you with delicious loaves if you tend to it well. Happy bread making in that fabulous new kitchen of yours!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to use the truffles as a garnish on the cake! Love the idea of the coating with cocoa nibs too!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Eric...and your cake looks fabulous...such a nice way to celebrate such an special occasion. Hope you are having a great week Shelley :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the use of the truffles on the cake. Brilliant! Great way to celebrate a birthday.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your hubby! And the cake looks amazing! I need to be on the lookout for the next mania challenge :)
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