Ganache Truffles

Over Easter I bought a chocolate mould, and to keep things simple, I decided that the first batch of truffles I made should be plain ganache truffles. Ganache is just a mix of cream and chocolate, melted together until smooth. It produces a wonderful silky mouthfeel with a melt in the mouth texture.

To start with I melted the chocolate and gave the moulds two coats to act as a casing, then added the leftover chocolate to the heated cream to make the ganache. I then filled the moulds with the ganache, waited for it to set and topped each one off with a little extra melted chocolate to form a base.

The thing I loved about the moulds is how I was able to pour the soft ganache into each indent, rather than trying to roll them into balls by hand. The moulds also resulted in a wonderfully glossy shine to the truffles.

If you don’t have a chocolate mould you can still make the truffles by allowing the ganache to set and then rolling it into balls using your hands and then dusting them in cocoa powder or dipping into melted chocolate. In the past I have also brushed mini petit fours paper cases with melted chocolate and used these as moulds, which work well, as you can easily peel away the paper once they are filled.

Making sure to use good quality chocolate is essential – as the quality of chocolate you use will determine the quality of the finished truffle.

Ganache Truffles
Ingredients
150g dark chocolate 60%-74% coco
50g milk chocolate
170ml double cream
½ tsp vanilla
35g extra dark chocolate for the bases.

Method
Melt the 150g dark chocolate and the milk chocolate together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water until melted and smooth.
Brush the insides of your moulds or paper cases with the melted chocolate, ensuring there are no gaps. Turn the moulds upside down to allow any excess chocolate to dribble down and coat the sides of the mould where it is most needed.
Repeat once again when the first layer has set.
Heat the double cream and vanilla in a pan set over a low heat until small bubbles begin to appear, but do not let it boil.
Remove the cream from the heat and pour over the chocolate leftover from brushing the moulds (It will probably have reset but this is fine.)
Stir gently until the chocolate melts into the cream and it becomes smooth, thick and glossy.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before pouring into the moulds, making sure to leave a 2mm gap at the top of each one.
Allow the truffles to set for about 30-60 minutes.
Melt the extra dark chocolate and then spoon a little over each of the truffles, sealing the ganache inside a case of chocolate.
Place somewhere cool for 3-4 hours to ensure the truffles and properly set. Then either tap out from the moulds or carefully peel away the paper cases.