I don’t know about you, but whenever we have someone over for dinner, my first thoughts go to what I’m going to serve for dessert. Of course if I am planning a themed dinner, the dessert might have to be changed or decided on a little later in the planning process, but dessert is by far the one aspect of any dinner that I believe must hold the “WOW” factor.
Don’t think for one minute however that every time someone crosses our threshold to break bread with us that I serve something they’ll be talking about for weeks to come. No, it is probably more of a rarity for that to happen than the norm. When I can accomplish the “WOW” factor however and really give our guests something to rave about, it’s as if the stars have all aligned and everything is right with the world.
A bit dramatic for sure, but after all the canning and harvesting I’ve been inundated with the past couple of weeks, breaking the monotony with an absolutely awesome dessert for a change really helped rejuvenate my spirits.
We had my parents over for dinner a few nights ago. Nothing special, just stuffed burgers on the grill, homemade onion rings, fresh vegetables from the garden, and some sweet Michigan corn. Seeing as the dinner was just a typical “barbecue” I thought I would spice up the evening a bit with a little cake – a strawberry truffle cake.
Strawberry Truffle Cake
Cake
- 1 Box Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, prepared according to package directions
- 2 Cups Cut-up Fresh Strawberries
Ganache
- 2 packages Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 Cup Butter
Garnish
- Fresh Strawberries, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 Cup White Vanilla baking Chips
- 1/2 tsp. Vegetable Oil
Prepare cake according to package directions in a 13 x 9 inch pan and allow to cool completely. I made the cake the night before.
In a large bowl, place chopped chocolate, set aside.
In 2-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil.
Pour cream over chocolate.
Stir until chocolate is dissolved.
Line bottom of 8-inch springform pan with a circle of waxed paper.
Cut cake into 1-inch cubes.
In large bowl, beat half of the cake cubes on low speed until crumbly.
Add remaining cake cubes and 13/4 cups of ganache (reserve remaining). Beat on low speed until well combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture should look like fudge.
Fold in 2 cups cut-up strawberries.
Spoon mixture into springform pan and press down to flatten; smooth top.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 45 minutes or firm enough to unmold.
Run knife around side of pan. Place serving plate upside down on pan and turn pan and plate over. I actually just ran the knife around the side of the pan, loosened the band on the springform pan and slid the cake onto the serving plate. Either way should work.
Top cake with remaining ganache.
Arrange strawberries on top of ganache.
In small bowl, microwave baking chips and oil for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until melted. Place in small resealable food-storage plastic bag; cut off tiny corner of bag. drizzle over top of cake.
This cake is definitely best served the day it is made, but it will keep in the refrigerator for two to three days, if it lasts that long.
Hubby, Zeb, and Grace all fought over who was going to get the few leftover pieces of this cake. To me this means it was a success and one that I will most certainly be making again. In fact, I’m thinking of how I can make individual ones for Christmas get-togethers — wouldn’t that be decadent!
Taking a break and mixing up my daily to do list really makes a huge difference in my attitude and resolve, and for this I am — Simply Grateful.
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