Chocolate Truffle Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely ground
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Recipe

• 1 for crust, combine pecans, cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. press onto bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9-inch spring-form pan. set pan aside.
• 2 in a large saucepan cook and stir chocolate and shipping cream over low heat till the chocolate melts. transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl. set aside.
• 3 in a large mixing bowl combine eggs, the 3/4 cup sugar, and flour; beat 10 minutes or till thick and lemon colored. fold one-fourth of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture; fold chocolate mixture into remaining egg mixture. pour into crust-lined pan.
• 4 bake cake in a 325°oven about 45 minutes or till puffed around edge and halfway to center (the center will be slightly soft). cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. remove sides of pan. cool for 4 hours. if desired, serve with whipped cream. cover any leftovers and store in refrigerator.
• 5 orange-chocolate truffle cake: prepare as above, except stir 2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel into the egg mixture after beating.