Salted caramel and chocolate torte

You really only need a small slice of this! It will keep your chocolate cravings at bay for sure. I really do love salt used in desserts. It helps to provide a layer to compliment the rich ingredients of the cream and chocolate. The chocolate torte is from BBC Good Food (my go to website for recipes I trust). The truffles are also from BBC Good Food. This torte is perfect for GBBO chocolate week!

Recipe (serves 16-20)

Torte

  • 175g digestive biscuits
  • 85g butter
  • 396g can caramel (for example Carnation caramel)
  • 1 tsp sea salt, and extra to serve
  • 300g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 600ml double cream
  • 25g icing sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Melting caramel truffles (makes 20)

  • 225g dulce de leche caramel toffee
  • 50g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 100g milk chocolate, broken into small pieces
  • 70ml double cream
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 40g cocoa powder to coat

Method

Chocolate melting caramel truffles

  • Melt the dulce de leche caramel in a pan until runny. Break small pieces of the dark chocolate into it and stir until all melted and smooth.
  • Encase the mix in cling film and place in the freezer for 2 hours until firm (but not solid).
  • Heat the cream until boiling and then pour this over the broken milk chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and then mix in the vanilla. This is the truffle mix.
  • Peel the cling film off the freezer caramel and then cut it into 20 penny size pieces. A knife ran under hot water for a bit works well here.
  • Put the cocoa powder on a surface such as a plate. Spoon a tsp of the truffle mix into the ball of your hand and flatten it. Place a piece of caramel into the centre and the mould the truffle mix around until you encase the centre. Place onto the cocoa powder. Do the same for the others.
  • Roll the truffles in the cocoa until a coating is formed. Chill in the fridge with cling film protecting them.

Torte

  • Line a 20cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper and grease it with butter. Grease the sides of the tin also.
  • Crush the biscuits in a food processor (or alternatively use a rolling pin in a plastic bag).
  • Melt the butter in the microwave for around 20-30 seconds and stir this into the biscuits. Press the mix down into the lined cake tin.
  • Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes (this gives you time to have a cup of tea).
  • Place 2 tbsp of the caramel aside and mix the rest of the caramel with the sea salt. Spread this evenly on the base of the biscuit mix, leaving a 2cm border around the caramel circle. Chill this for 20 minutes.
  • Stir in 1 tbsp of the cream into the remaining caramel mix and leave to chill in the fridge until needed.
  • Melt the chocolate in a large pan over simmering water. Turn the heat off once melted but leave the bowl where it is.
  • Gradually stir the cream into the chocolate until a smooth and glossy mix presents itself to you.
  • Sift in the icing sugar and stir this in along with the vanilla. Take off the heat and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.
  • Spoon some of the mix around the edges of the biscuit and caramel base, to form a circular wall. Fill the inside of the wall and smooth down. Be careful not to disrupt the caramel underneath.
  • Leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours and maximum of 24 hours.
  • Take the caramel and cream and place in a piping bag. You can buy disposable ones in the shops but if not just use a freezer bag!
  • Place the chocolates evenly and decoratively on top and then drizzle the caramel sauce over the whole masterpiece, in a zigzag motion.

Torte framed

Serve to lots of nice people. It really is a rich dessert but chocolate is just the best!

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