If you are a sweet truffle fan, take a look at my Baileys Truffles. So let’s talk about Valentine’s Day desserts. I usually have grand plans and, even if I don’t make one myself, I buy something spectacular. The thing is though by the time we are done with our starters, bubbly and a main course I am feeling pretty full, so stuffing myself with a piece of cake doesn’t seem very appealing all of a sudden. Let’s just be honest for a minute here. Valentine’s Day dinner is not just a date, it’s a MEGA date and feeling bloated is just not an option!!
That being said, we all want a sweet little bite to finish off a delicious dinner, so that is when these chocolate cake truffles come to the rescue.
What are cake truffles?
These little chocolate bites, sometimes also called cake balls, might look luxurious but they have a very humble origin. They are made from a mixture of cake crumbs and frosting and the concept was developed in commercial bakeries. The bakers were desperate to use up day old cakes and cake scraps to increase their profit margins, so they came up with this idea. Simple and genius. I grew up eating similar little pastries that are called ‘Kartoshka’ in Russian. Funny name actually, Google it if you are curious what it means and let me know in comments! 😉
I still remember buying one of those incredibly cheap cake truffles once a week from a little tea house/bakery near a bus stop on my way home from a speed skating practice. Ha! I just realised how incredibly Russian this sentence sounds!
How to make chocolate cake truffle balls
Traditionally these chocolate cake truffles are made from a plain white sponge and a standard Russian buttercream, then rolled in cocoa powder. For the Valentine’s Day though, I decided to use my favourite chocolate cake recipe and dip them into melted chocolate instead of cocoa, then dust with a bit of freeze dried strawberry powder. My kids were the first taste testers and they both commented on how much they loved the strawberry dusting on top. It gives truffles just the right balance of the fresh strawberry taste and a rich chocolate flavour! If you want to make these even more kid friendly, put them on sticks, decorate with colourful sprinkles and call them cake pops!
Can I freeze them?
This amazing recipe makes 20 chocolate cake truffles, so quite a lot for just the two of you! Luckily, they freeze beautifully, which is what I am planning on doing. What I also love about this recipe is how easy it is, even children would be able to roll these little beauties! I hope I gave you some Valentine’s Day inspiration.
More Valentine’s Day dessert recipes:
Be my Valentine Red Velvet Truffle Cake Chocolate Truffles Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Tart My Honey Valentine Russian Honey Cake Medovik
Recipe originally published 02/2017. Updated and republished in 02/2020 Happy Valentine’s Day!! xo Julia and Brad
Photo credit: Noemi Photography
