I am so excited to share this recipe with you. These cake truffles are made with one of my most treasured cake recipes, the Chocolate Cherry Cake. Beautiful dark chocolate cherry cake is mixed with a small amount of chocolate buttercream frosting, and then dipped into melted dark chocolate. And just to be fancy, they are finished off with a little extra drizzle of chocolate. These are perfect to serve at a party or with your family and friends on a holiday.

Yes, I will admit, there is quite a bit of chocolate going on. But I find it not as overwhelming, as one would think. The subtle flavor of cherry and almond cuts through the richness of the dark chocolate and leaves your taste buds asking for more.

These are so fun to make and to eat! If I have leftover cake layers from when I am making a cake for a party (lets say I made 4 layers but only needed 3), I like to store the leftover cake in the freezer, wrapped in cling wrap and sealed in a zip lock bag. I can easily remove the cake from the freezer and whip up some of these cake truffles. The same goes for buttercream frosting. I frequently have leftovers and will put it in an airtight container, pop it into the freezer and when I need a little frosting, I have some on hand quickly. Being a mom of two boys and working as a nurse, time is of the essence and any little time saving tip is a lifesaver.

The cake portion can be made the day before and stored in the fridge overnight before assembling the truffles. Once the truffles are fully assembled, they can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. In my house they seem to go missing one by one through out the day so I’d be surprised if they would last that long.

The chocolate cherry cake is a very moist cake so it really doesn’t take a lot of frosting to achieve the right texture to form the balls. I use about ½ -1 cup of frosting. My chocolate buttercream recipe is for a full batch but feel free to half the recipe, which will be more than enough.

The cake recipe calls for a whole 21 oz can of cherry pie filling. I have traditionally used Duncan Hines Comstock Original Cherry Pie Filling. I’ve never tried using another brand, but you could certainly try. I cannot guarantee that the taste or consistency would be the same.

I use a basic kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients in the cake. I find using grams is much more accurate and leads to more consistent results time and time again. I bought mine on Amazon for about $10 and absolutely love using it.

Once the cake is baked and cooled completely, using your hands, break the cake into small crumbs. You can also use a stand mixer by putting medium sized chunks of cake into the bowl and with the paddle attachment, mix until small crumbs form. Add in ½ cup frosting and mix (with your hands or with the mixer). You have achieved the right consistency when the cake looks moist and if you roll a ball in your hands, it keeps its shape. Add more frosting if the cake appears to be dry and doesn’t stick together. Be careful though- too much frosting will cause the balls to be a sticky mess, making it difficult to assemble.

Once the right texture is achieved, it’s time to start rolling the balls! I like to use a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop that can be leveled to ensure that all the balls are equal in size. I use one that has a trigger to release the ball from the scoop. Gently roll the ball between your hands to ensure that it is smooth and spherical. Place on a baking tray, cover, and put in the refrigerator for several hours to firm up.

For these cake truffles I use Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers. They are easy to use and hardens quickly. The chocolate is already tempered giving the truffles a nice smooth and hard finish. Each bag contains 10 oz of chocolate and I used 2 bags for this recipe with a little chocolate left over in the bowl once I was finished. You may use regular baking chips but do consider tempering the chocolate. Untempered chocolate does not harden fully and can have a dull finish with white streaks or spots.

Now comes the tricky part that will require the largest amount of attention and skill, perhaps not a thing to do on a particularly taxing day. The dipping of the cake balls can be a source of frustration. I have tried many different methods and this is the one that has worked best for me:

Drop the cold cake ball into the melted chocolate. Using a small spoon, coat the ball completely.
Scoop the ball out with the spoon, and gently tap the spoon on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Gently place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You may need to use a toothpick or skewer to help gently release the cake ball off the spoon.
Once all the balls have been coated, place leftover melted chocolate into a small piping bag or zip lock bag. Cut a very small opening at the tip and drizzle over the chocolate-coated cake balls in a side-to-side pattern.
Leave at room temperature until chocolate has hardened.

Getting a nice finish on the chocolate on the outside can be tricky and can take some time and patience. But no matter how they look on the outside, they will still taste delicious. I hope you enjoy making this recipe. It’s truly one of my favorites and I love to serve it for people. Elegant, impressive and decadent, all in a tiny package!

XO- K

Chocolate Cherry Cake Truffles

Kayla Bauman

Beautiful dark chocolate cherry cake, mixed with chocolate buttercream frosting and dipped into melted dark chocolate. These are perfect to serve at a party or with your family and friends on a holiday!

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Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 30

Refrigeration time 3

Total Time 5

Course Dessert

Servings 36 Truffles

Ingredients

For the cake:

250 g all purpose flour
75 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
300 g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100 ml vegetable oil
50 ml brewed hot coffee
1 tsp almond extract
1 (21oz) can Duncan Hines Comstock original cherry pie filling

For the chocolate buttercream frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter softened
3 ½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
5 tbsp heavy whipping cream

For assembly:

2 (10 oz bags) Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers or high quality chocolate

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9×13 nonstick pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, sieve the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Use a whisk to combine everything evenly. Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan and smooth using a spatula.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out mostly clean and it is slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

For the frosting:

In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter for 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, extracts and heavy cream. Mix for several minutes until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Set aside.

For assembling the truffles:

Once the cake has cooled completely, using your hands, break the cake into small crumbs. You can also use a stand mixer by putting medium sized chunks of cake into the bowl and with the paddle attachment, mix until small crumbs form.
Add in ½ cup frosting and mix (with your hands or with the mixer). You have achieved the right consistency when the cake looks moist and if you roll a ball in your hands, it keeps its shape. Add more frosting if the cake appears to be dry and doesn’t stick together.
To roll the balls, use a small cookie or ice cream scoop and scoop the cake and frosting mixture making sure to level off the scoop to ensure that all the balls are equal in size. Gently roll the ball between your hands until it is smooth and spherical. Place on a baking tray, cover, and put in the refrigerator for several hours to firm up.
Place chocolate into a medium heat proof bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Drop the cold cake ball into the melted chocolate. Using a small spoon, coat the ball completely.
Scoop the ball out with the spoon, and gently tap the spoon on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Gently place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You may need to use a toothpick or skewer to help gently release the cake ball off the spoon.
Once all the balls have been coated, place leftover melted chocolate into a small piping bag or zip lock bag. Cut a very small opening at the tip and drizzle over the chocolate-coated cake balls in a side-to-side pattern. Leave at room temperature until chocolate has hardened.
Serve or store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days