What is a chocolate truffle?
Traditional truffles
Here is a very simple traditional truffle that are very easy but very decadent as well. You can even book a virtual truffle making/tasting with me and as a fun event for your family, friends, or colleague!
Traditional truffles are essentially a ball or dollop of chocolate ganache which are coated in cocoa powder or dipped in tempered chocolate to create a chocolate shell around the ganache. The recipe for a ganache has many variations. Traditionally, it is an emulsification of chocolate and cream. Usually butter is added as well. When allowed to set, it creates a semi-solid soft mixture similar in consistency to cookie dough, and so can be shaped. Depending on the ratio of fat to liquid, it can be very firm or more malleable and soft.
The reason they are called truffles is because they look similar to a actual truffle which is a type of fungi. So no, a chocolate truffle does not contain mushroom or truffle (unless you wanted to add it to the recipe!) and unfortunately doesn’t grow on its own either. A traditional chocolate truffle is pinched, loosely formed and not a perfectly round shape, similar to an actual truffle So this is where the name for this chocolate confection comes from.
Modern day truffles
I’ve seen some very bad information on social media, claiming what a truffle is. Some even suggest it is considered a truffle based on what the ganache is made of or what is inside the chocolate truffle. This could not be farther from the truth. What makes a chocolate truffle a truffle (as opposed to a bon bon or an enrobed chocolate) is the unique way it is made.
As mentioned above, a more traditional way to create a truffle is to make a firm ganache recipe, allow it to set, and then roll or shape them and coat them in either cocoa powder or dipped in tempered chocolate. This is the simplest and most well known way to make chocolate truffles.
Modern day truffles are still finished in the same way, with the outside being rolled and finished last. Here you have various truffles each coated in either sugar, crushed feuilletine, or cocoa powder.
Today, many use pre-made empty chocolate shells to fill with a ganache, and then roll this filled shell in chocolate and various coatings such as cocoa powder, granulated sugar, ground nuts, freeze dried fruits, chocolate shavings, and so on. The difference with these, is that since you have a hollow empty solid shell, the ganache does not have to be very firm anymore. It can be very fluid, since the shell will keep it intact. You can also now fill the shell with different layers of ganache, or include a whole hazelnut, a drop of caramel, or add some fruit compote even. The possibilities are endless. Again, this is because what makes it a truffle is not it’s contents, but how it is made. Once the truffle shell is filled, and the hole capped, it is rolled just like a more traditional truffle.
It also doesn’t have to be ground. Today, many chocolatiers use what is called a guitar cutter, which cuts sheets of firm ganache. You can cut them into rectangles or other shapes, and then coat them in chocolate and roll them in whatever coating you wish. This is somewhat different than enrobing a piece of ganache.
Regardless if you make a traditionally truffle, filled pre-made shells, or cut long pieces of ganache, it is the way they are finished that makes them a truffle. You can have a more traditional filling, or you can get creative and mix it with various types. The ganache itself does not have to be chocolate and cream either. It can also be chocolate and fruit puree, or chocolate, fruit puree, and cream. It can also be chocolate, cream, and a type of liquor. Ganaches themselves are quite versatile.