Decadent Chocolate Truffles Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Steps:

• Get your equipment ready (see tips below). Break the chocolate in small pieces into a large heatproof bowl. Spoon in the syrup and pour in about a quarter of the cream. Stand the bowl over (not in) a pan of hot water over the lowest possible heat and leave until the chocolate has melted, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir to combine. Leave until barely warm - dip your little finger in to check.
• Get your cake tin ready. Do this while you are waiting for the chocolate to melt and cool so you're not hanging around. Cut open the plastic folder along the bottom, then cut out a disc to fit in the bottom of the tin and 3 strips to line the sides. (See step 2).
• Pour the rest of the cream into a very large bowl and tip in the coffee and cinnamon. Whip with a balloon whisk until the cream looks like step 3. When you shake the bowl the cream should wobble like a thick milkshake, and when you dribble some cream from the whisk, the trail it leaves in the cream below should disappear in 1-2 seconds.
• Fold the two together. Pour the cooled chocolate into the bowl containing the cream. With the largest metal spoon you've got, fold the cream and chocolate together in a figure-of-eight motion. Don't be nervous - keep going until they are evenly and smoothly mixed and the mixture has a soft, pillowy, downy texture - you will see and feel it thicken as you fold.
• Set the torte. Pour the chocolatey cream into the tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon. Put the tin in the fridge and leave to firm up. This can happen in under an hour, but you may need to leave it longer, depending on the coldness of your fridge (you can leave it overnight if this is more convenient).
• Unmould and serve. Unclip and remove the side of the tin, then remove the pieces of plastic around the sides. Invert a serving plate over the torte and turn the torte upside down on to it. Lift off the tin base and peel away the plastic. Dust all over with cocoa (including the plate if you wish to be fashionable) and serve in thin slices.

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Place 16 ounces of chocolate and the cream in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted; remove from heat. Add butter and Cognac and stir until combined.
• Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until the mixture is very cold and set, but still pliable, about 2 hours.
• Melt remaining 12 ounces chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted; remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Using a 1/4-ounce ice cream scoop, drop ganache onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Chill 10 minutes.
• Coat the palm of one of your hands with about 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate. Roll balls, one at a time, between your palms until evenly coated with chocolate. Roll in cocoa powder to coat. Transfer to second baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls, coating your palm with more chocolate as needed. Chill until ready to serve.