Birthday Cake Tartufo Recipe

Prepare

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment; lightly grease parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs briefly, then add milk, vegetable oil and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Slowly stir in hot brewed coffee (mixture will be thin) until smooth.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake 25–30 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs and tops spring back. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

Once cool, trim domes level and cut each cake layer horizontally to make four even thin layers (two cakes x 2 layers each) — you’ll use the layers to assemble shells around gelato scoops.

In a medium saucepan, heat milk, cream and half the sugar over medium heat until it just begins to steam (do not boil). Whisk together remaining sugar, cocoa powder and egg yolks in a bowl to form a smooth paste.

Temper the yolk mixture: slowly drizzle about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly, then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and reaches about 170–175°F (no boiling). Remove from heat and whisk in chopped bittersweet chocolate until fully melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Pour custard through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any solids. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (2–4 hours or overnight) until very cold.

Churn according to your ice cream maker's instructions until firm-soft. Transfer gelato to a shallow container and freeze until scoopable but firm (4 hours). If you do not have an ice cream maker, freeze in a shallow pan, stirring every 30 minutes until uniformly frozen and smooth.

Place chopped chocolate (8 oz) in a heatproof bowl. Heat 1 cup heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let sit 1–2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Add butter and whisk until glossy. Let ganache cool slightly to a pourable but not hot consistency.

For the truffle-style outer coating, melt semisweet chips in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water or in 20–30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between intervals until smooth.

Prepare optional garnish: place crushed sprinkles or chopped nuts in a shallow bowl for dipping.

Make a simple butter-cream spread: beat softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla and salt and beat to a spreadable consistency. If too stiff, add 1–2 tsp milk; if too loose, add more powdered sugar.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using an ice cream scoop, portion the chilled gelato into 8 evenly sized scoops (about 3–4 oz each). Place scoops on the lined sheet and return to freezer until very firm, at least 1 hour.

On a clean surface, take one cake layer round (trimmed into the thin layers). Spread a thin layer of the butter-cream spread around the edge of a cake disc to act as glue. Drape a second disc on top, pressing lightly to form a sandwich cylinder roughly the height of the gelato scoop.

Cut little circular shells from the layered cake sandwiches that will wrap around each gelato scoop (you want enough cake to fully encase each scoop). Alternatively, assemble each tartufo by flattening a cake disc into a thin round and molding around the frozen gelato later rather than pre-wrapping.

Working quickly, remove one firm gelato scoop from freezer. Center it on a cake round or wrap it with a cake shell: press cake gently around the scoop to cover completely. Return assembled ball to the lined baking sheet and freeze for 15–30 minutes to firm up the seam.

When all gelato scoops are wrapped in cake and very firm, dip each ball into the cooled ganache: hold with two forks or a dipping tool, spoon ganache over to coat completely, allowing excess to drip off. Return to parchment and freeze 10 minutes to set.

For an extra truffle texture, while ganache is still tacky, roll each coated tartufo in melted semisweet chocolate or in sprinkles/nuts. Return to freezer to set completely (at least 30 minutes).

Just before serving, allow tartufos to sit at room temperature 5–7 minutes to soften slightly. Plate whole or slice in half to reveal layers. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in the freezer up to 1 week.