Many people ask the question: what are chocolate truffles made from? and while the obvious answer is chocolate, it actually gets a little more complicated than that. The ingredients that go in to chocolate truffles are much more than simply ‘chocolate’ and include a variety of items depending on the assortment of truffle you would like to make. For the purpose of this article I will focus simply on the general chocolate truffle.
The sumptuous confection known as the chocolate truffle came about in Chambery, France in 1895 when Dufour created them but they soon traveled to London in 1902 through the Dufour families proprietorship of a chocolate shop in the area. As the sweet and succulent treat began to travel worldwide there became three varieties of truffle, the European, American and Swiss truffle.
Each variety of truffle varies slightly from the other. The European chocolate truffle uses syrup and a base made with milk powder, cocoa powder, and fats, which result in an oil-in-water emulsion. The American chocolate truffle is a mixture of dark or milk chocolate using butterfat and occasionally hardened coconut oil. The Swiss chocolate truffle is made by pouring melted chocolate into a hot mixture of cream and butter. When the Swiss truffles are set they are usually sprinkled with cocoa powder rather than covered with a hard shell of chocolate. Due to the use of fresh dairy ingredients Swiss truffles have a short shelf life as opposed to their American and European cousins.
The most general recipe for the chocolate truffle focuses on a round chocolate shell containing within it a delicately made chocolate ganache. Occasionally the chocolate shell is replaced simply with cocoa powder (as seen in Swiss truffles) and with each variety of truffle the chocolate ganache can be replaced with an equally delicious but widely varied candy filling. Focusing on the basic chocolate truffle, the ganache within the center is some combination of chocolate and cream, although the amounts and quality of these ingredients vary by each truffle manufacturer and the variation of truffle being made.
How is the ganache made? Ganache is made by heating heavy cream and once heated it is poured over chopped dark chocolate at a ratio of 2:1 – meaning two parts cream to one part dark chocolate. As chocolate melts under the heated cream the mixture is stirred to combine the ingredients and create the ganache which fills each truffle. Ganache is not just used for chocolate truffles; however, and is frequently used to ice cakes and combine in to other desert dishes with slight variations in the formula.
Truffles are such a versatile confection that they can be created with many dietary restrictions in mind including vegan diets, organic diets, and diabetic diets. The lack of limitations on the variety of truffles does not just focus on dietary needs either. As personal tastes vary truffles can be made with a variety of luscious fillings including mint, hazelnut, lemon and many more!
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I found your post to be very informative and interesting concerning everything about Chocolate Truffles from their country of origin, France, to the number of varieties of truffles being three that are called the European, American and Swiss truffle. Loved reading about the differences of the ingredients that make the three varieties unique. I was enlightened by the technique used to make the ganache. The fact that truffles can be made to fit varied dietary needs makes them a very versatile food item. And was happy to find that there are many types of tasty fillings in truffles to satisfy different palates. Thanks, Amy!