These cakes are a labour of love, but well worth the effort. An ingenious halved truffle makes the dome at the top. If you don’t like coffee, swap in 1tbsp vanilla bean paste into both the sponge and buttercream.
These little cakes a fiddly to make but you will be rewarded with the most delicious morsels! Perfect for any afternoon teas you may be planning this summer.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
25
Prep Time:
1 hr
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 30 mins
Cal/Serv:
414
Ingredients
For the sponge
225 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
225 g caster sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
225 g self-raising flour
4 Tbsp. espresso or strong black coffee, cooled
13 chocolate truffles, we used Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles, halved
For the buttercream
175 g unsalted butter, softened
175 g icing sugar
2 Tbsp. espresso or strong black coffee, cooled
For the fondant icing
1 .25kg fondant icing sugar
40 g cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. coffee liqueur, optional
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 and grease and line a 20.5cm square tin with baking parchment, making sure there is a little overhang. For the sponge, in a large bowl and using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5min. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour if the mixture looks like it might curdle. Beat in the cooled espresso/coffee. Using a large metal spoon, fold in the (remaining) flour. Scrape into lined tin and smooth to level.
Step 2Bake for 30min, or until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5min, then transfer on to a wire rack (using the parchment) and leave to cool completely. Once cool, transfer on to a baking sheet or board (still in parchment) and freeze for 30min, to firm up.
Step 3Meanwhile make the buttercream. In a medium bowl and using a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter until pale and fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar and add the espresso/coffee. Beat until pale and fluffy.
Step 4Remove the cake from the freezer and peel off the parchment. Using a large serrated knife, trim the top and sides so all edges are neat and straight. Cut the cake into 25 squares.
Step 5Using a small palette or cutlery knife, spread the top and sides of cakes with a thin layer of the buttercream, keeping the edges neat. Press 1/2 a truffle on top of each cake, cut-side down. Chill until needed.
Step 6For the fondant icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl. Stir in just enough water to make a very thick, but pourable icing. Spoon 50g icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle (or snip a hole in the end); set aside. Sift the cocoa powder into the remaining icing, add the liqueur, if using, and stir to combine, adding a little extra water if needed to bring back to a thick, pourable consistency.
Step 7Remove the chilled cakes from the fridge and sit on a wire rack set over a baking tray. Working 1 at a time, spoon chocolate fondant over a cake to cover and spread using a small palette knife (See GH TIPS) to ensure all the sides are coated. Repeat to cover remaining cakes (see GH TIPS). Leave to set for 10min.
Step 8Pipe over the white icing in a zigzag pattern and leave cakes to set at room temperature for 1hr. Serve.
TO STORE
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
GH TIPS
• Wetting the palette knife can help spread the fondant icing more neatly.
• If you’re running out of fondant icing, simply scoop it up from the baking tray and re-use.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
