Ever wondered if there is such a thing as too much chocolate? How much chocolate can you fit into one slice of moorish goodness before a state of coma is induced? Too many of these little morsels will probably do the trick.
I made my hubby’s birthday cake the other day and as it was a sculpted 3D thing I had cake left over.
What to do! What to do! I hate wasting cake!
And so with a little chocolate ganash and a bit of white chocolate these chocolate goodies came into being. Chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate. They are quite sweet and very rich. They aren’t glamourous or perfectly smooth. I like to think of them as rustic, home-made and not going to be around long enough to care about how they look.
You can make these with left over cake or start from scratch and make a whole seizure inducing batch…
You’ll need a chocolate cake. Use your favourite recipe, but not a mud cake. Do you want me to post my chocolate cake recipe? There are so many on the web already I’m not sure whether anyone wants or needs it. If I get enough comments asking for it I’ll post it. The chocolate cake should be at least the size of an 8 inch round or larger for the quantity of ganash I’m making below.
You’ll need chocolate ganash. I’ve been hunting for ganash recipes for years and finally come across one I like. All baking is a personal thing with personal tastes and preferences, so use chocolate that appeals to your taste. I tend to use Lindt chocolate as it is my hubby’s favourite.
Chocolate Ganash
400 gm milk chocolate, broken or chopped into small bits.
300 ml cream
To make the ganash, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl large enough to mix in. Using a saucepan over low – medium heat, warm the cream until it is just about to boil. (If it boils it splits and it will taste GROSS!)
Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir with a metal spoon. The chocolate will melt and combine with the hot cream. Mix gently until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Place in the fridge for 60 minutes (stir occasionally) so the ganash can cool and thicken.
You’ll need 200 to 300 gm white chocolate, chopped or broken up. Depending on how thick you coat the outsides you may need more. Again, personal preference applies here, although I find that mixing and matching brands of chocolate can end up making the flavours clash so I tend to stick with the same brand of chocolate the whole way through.
In a large mixing bowl crumb the chocolate cake into small bits.
Add chocolate ganash to the crumbed cake. Don’t pour it all in at once, but add it gradually and mix until the mixture is sticky yet pliable. If you make your mixture too gooey you won’t be able to make shapes that hold.
At this point be prepared to get your hands sticky and dirty. You’ll need a tray lined with baking paper, or a plate ready.
Using your hands, grab a small amount of the cake mixture and roll it into a ball, or squish it into a cube, or whatever other shape takes your fancy. I make my balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. The size you choose is entirely up to you. As you create each ball place it on the tray or plate. Repeat until you have used all the mixture.
Place the balls in the fridge for an hour or 2 to solidify.
About 5 minutes before you take the balls out of the fridge melt the white chocolate. Use the method you’re most comfortable with. I used the microwave with a few short 20 second bursts stirring with a metal spoon. Be very careful when melting chocolate as it can go from melting nicely to solidified mess of grossness very quickly if you overheat or contaminate it with water. Melt your white chocolate until all the lumps are gone and it has a smooth consistency. If it isn’t already, you probably want to put it in a bowl suitable for dipping the balls into.
Take a cold chocolate ball and carefully place it into the melted white chocolate. Using metal spoons coat it until completely covered. Using the metal spoons, remove the white chocolate ball and place on a tray lined with baking paper.
Repeat the process with as many of the balls as you can.
Place the white chocolate balls in the fridge to set and try not to eat them before you serve them to your friends, family and guests.
You can serve them however you like. On their own, with whipped cream, ice cream or even surrounded by fruit.
However you eat them, I hope you enjoy them!
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