Truffle filling for cakes and candy is a decadent thing because it’s basically a ganache that’s been whipped to create a fluffy consistency.
It’s delicious, and because there’s no shortening in it, it has a low melting point and feels light when you eat it even though there’s nothing light about it, calorie-wise!
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What is ganache?
Ganache is a mixture of chocolate and heavy cream, and can be used to cover cakes or cookies with a dark, glossy coating, or whipped to make a light, fluffy truffle filling.
It’s easy to make, but never fails to impress people, so it’s a good filling to use for special desserts.
You can also use it as a flavoring in meringue buttercream, which gives the icing a nice chocolate flavor that isn’t as heavy as straight ganache by itself.
For an article about how to fix a broken meringue buttercream, click here.
Jump to Recipe
Step one, put the chocolate in a bowl. I used chocolate chips here, but you can use any good chocolate, chopped up or in chip form.
Step two, heat the cream. Take it off the heat before it boils.
Step three, pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes to melt the chocolate.
Step four, whisk the chocolate and cream together until it smooths out and has a shiny appearance.
If using the mixture to cover a cake, let it cool to room temperature, then pour it over the smoothly crumb-coated cake.
To make the truffle filling, you should put the ganache in the fridge to cool off.
When it’s cool but not set, take it out of the fridge and whip it with an electric beater.
Step 5. Whip the cold ganache on high speed with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. The color will lighten and the ganache will get fluffy and more solid.
This picture shows the difference in color between the whipped truffle and the unwhipped ganache on the edge of the bowl.
Once the truffle has been whipped and is stiffer, but still spreadable, you can use it on cakes as a filling or frosting.
After it’s refrigerated for a while it should stiffen up and be more solid.
When it’s cold it should be too stiff to spread, though, so make sure that you use it on cakes before it’s refrigerated, or you’ll probably have to re-whip it before using it.
The ratios for different chocolates when making ganaches varies based on the type of chocolate and how stiff the end product needs to be.
The more cream, the softer the resulting truffle will be.
The basic ratio is about 1 part cream to 1 part chocolate or 1 cream to 2 chocolate for dark chocolates, and 1 cream to 3 chocolate for white chocolates.
I use about 8 ounces cream to 12 ounces dark chocolate for most fillings.
Truffles and ganaches can be flavored using liquers, herbs, and other flavorings by either infusing the cream while it’s heating up, or by adding the flavorings to the warm ganache.
You can pipe with it and cover cake tiers with it if it’s not whipped too stiff. It can also be used as a drip on cake tiers when it’s in the liquid ganache form.
Chocolate Truffle Cake Filling
Ingredients
- 8 liquid ounces heavy cream
- 12 ounces good-quality dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Put the chocolate in a medium to large bowl.
- Heat the cream in a pan on the stove, removing it right before it boils. Don't let it boil!
- Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute to melt.
- Whisk the chocolate to melt it completely.
- Put the bowl in the refrigerator to cool it completely.
- Whip the cold filling with a whisk beater until it's light in color and fluffy. The longer you whip it, the stiffer it will be, so adjust the time to match what you're using it for. Stiffer for a stiff filling, softer for an icing or a soft filling.
- Use immediately, or store for a short time at room temp. If you need to store it for longer you'll have to refrigerate it but that will make it stiffen up, and you'll have to warm it and rewhip before using it.
