Sweet NZ: Chocolate Truffle Mud Cake

This is my entry for Sweet New Zealand, currently hosted by Emma of My Darling Lemon Thyme.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Truffle Mud Cake

This cake was developed along the way. I thought it would be nice to give the cake an extra texture and melting sensation of homemade chocolate truffles.

250g dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup hot water (2 Tbs of it mixed with 2 Tbs instant coffee)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk

2 cups of Gluten-Free Baking Mix, sifted with

1 1/4 tsps baking powder

1 3/4 tsps baking soda

1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder

1 cup caster sugar

7 chocolate truffles, either homemade or store-bought

Preheat the oven to 180C. Prepare a 20-22cm round cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper.

Melt chopped chocolate, hot water, and coffee in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring. Remove from the stove when the chocolate is already melted. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Let it rest to room temperature.

Whisk in eggs and egg yolk in the chocolate mixture, and then buttermilk. Pour this into the sifted dry ingredients gradually, and mix well to combine.

Pour the batter into the cake tin. Arrange the chocolate truffles on the batter, press a little bit. (Now, what I notice is that this way will make your cake look like sunken, so I would suggest you pour 3/4 of the chocolate mixture, drop the truffles and then cover with the rest of the mixture; that way you will have the truffles melting inside and perhaps have a little peek on the surface that would tempt you and your loved ones--just an idea!).

Bake until cooked through, for about 45-55 minutes. I like the cake is still moist and heavy with slightly undercooked mixture although it is not runny. With the extra addition of chocolate truffles in the batter will give the cake an extra moistness and melting sensations. Beware, this could be addictive!