The content of this blog is strictly my opinion and comes from personal experience and individual research. I am not a medical professional so please contact your physician before drastically changing your diet and caloric intake.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Pumpkin Truffle Cake

This is a recipe I came up with a few years ago and it's now a staple around here during the holidays. It has a lot more sugar than recipes I normally make but it's worth it. My husband says it tastes like one of those big, soft gingerbread men dipped in chocolate from Godiva. When I made it to write down the measurements, I would have taken a picture but a wedge came up missing before I could get to the camera. I hope you try it and enjoy it.

PUMPKIN TRUFFLE CAKE

1 box yellow cake mix
3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°. Using the microwave, melt 4 ounces of chocolate in a medium bowl. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, water, and spices. Mix on low until smooth. Gradually add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add sugar or Splenda and cake mix and mix until thoroughly combined. Remove 1 cup of cake batter and mix with the melted chocolate. Pour 1/2 cake batter into a greased Bundt pan. Add all of the chocolate batter mixture, using a rubber spatula to ensure even coverage. Top with second 1/2 of the cake batter. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a platter and refrigerate until chilled.

Ganache

8 oz. good quality chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet (I use 1/2 of each)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 T. unsalted butter

If using solid bars of chocolate, chop chocolate into small pieces and place in glass or metal bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook cream, butter, and vanilla until a slow boil forms. Pour cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, stir cream and chocolate together until mixture is thick and glossy. Pour ganache over cake like a glaze. Work quickly because the chocolate will get thicker as it cools. Refrigerate cake until ganache is set.

Note: To reduce the amount of sugar in this cake, use Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Yellow Cake Mix and Splenda. You can also use baker's unsweetened chocolate in the filling but you may need to add more Splenda to the filling mixture as well.