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German Pastry Chef, home

Chocolates and Pralines

Homemade Black Forest Cherry Truffles with Kirsch

by Lisa

Trained pastry chef

Black Forest cherry truffles coated in white chocolate and topped with dark chocolate shavings

5.0 (12)out of 5, 12 ratings

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Prep
5 min
Bake
30 min
Total
35 min
Makes
60

Creamy cherries, a splash of kirsch and a smooth ganache inside a delicate dark chocolate shell. To me that is what makes this praline, and the finished truffle looks really elaborate, but at heart it is just a ganache plus two ingredients. I work with ready-made truffle shells because they break cleanly and set a lovely contrast to the white coating that goes around them later. The chocolate shavings on top are the classic Black Forest touch that everyone recognizes right away.

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This recipe is part of my chocolate series and is a little more refined than the simpler pralines I showed you before. Only one thing really matters: the ganache must be completely at room temperature before it goes into the shells, otherwise the walls soften from the inside and break on you when you seal them. Here is my recipe for Black Forest cherry truffles with kirsch:

Ingredients

Makes 60

  • ½ cup75 gcherries
  • 5 tbsp75 gheavy creamGerman cream for whipping has about 30 to 32 percent fat. In the US use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; in the UK, whipping cream (double cream also works but whips faster, so watch it).
  • 2 ¾ oz75 gmilk couverture chocolateCouverture is chocolate with a high cocoa butter content that melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
  • 4 oz110 gdark couverture chocolate
  • 1 ¾ tsp12 gglucose syrupA clear, thick syrup that keeps sugar from crystallizing. In the US use light corn syrup; in the UK, liquid glucose.
  • 2 tbspkirschOptional. A clear cherry brandy. In the US use kirsch (kirschwasser); in the UK, kirsch.
  • 1 traychocolate truffle shellsReady-made hollow chocolate spheres that are filled with ganache and closed to make truffles. In the US and the UK, chocolate truffle shells are sold online.
  • 10 ½ to 17 ½ oz300 to 500 gwhite couverture chocolatetempered

Method

  1. Purée the cherries (with the kirsch).

  2. Bring the heavy cream and glucose syrup to a boil & pour it over the two couverture chocolates. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then stir thoroughly until smooth.

  3. Add the cherry purée to the ganache and blend everything together once more.

  4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then pipe it into the truffle shells. Let them set overnight.

  5. Pipe white couverture chocolate from a piping bag onto the openings of the shells to seal them. Let the caps set firmly.

  6. Coat the truffles twice in white couverture chocolate and garnish them with shaved dark couverture chocolate.

Questions and answers

Which truffle shells work best for Black Forest cherry truffles?
I use dark chocolate truffle shells, because the bittersweet cocoa flavor goes so well with the cherries and the white chocolate. What matters is that the walls are evenly thick and not too fragile. I have ordered mine from the same supplier for years, and very few of them arrive broken. If you'd rather mold your own shells, you can of course do that too, it just takes a lot longer.
Can I make the Black Forest cherry truffles without alcohol?
Sure, that works. Kirsch is a classic part of anything Black Forest, so I do recommend it, but if you don't want alcohol, simply leave it out. The ganache will taste a little less lively, but it is still really delicious. Alternatively, you can use a little cherry juice to marinate the cherries, which adds some extra flavor.
How long do the pralines keep, and how should I store them?
Mine keep for two to four weeks, especially when there is kirsch and glucose syrup in the ganache. I store them in the fridge in an airtight plastic container so they don't pick up other smells. Before eating, I let them come to room temperature for half an hour; then the flavors open up much better and the ganache turns nice and creamy again.
Why are my truffle shells stuck in the tray?
That happens when the ganache was still too warm when you filled them and the shells softened on the inside. Sometimes it helps to put the pralines in the fridge for about ten to fourteen minutes, and then they often come loose on their own. Be very gentle when you press them out, though, otherwise the walls will break.
What makes truffles special compared to regular pralines?
Truffles have a creamy ganache filling and are usually covered in an extra chocolate coating, often decorated with unsweetened cocoa powder (in the US, not hot cocoa mix; in the UK, cocoa powder rather than drinking chocolate) or sprinkles. That gives them their typical, slightly rustic look and a soft, melting bite. For my Black Forest cherry truffles I combine the classic truffle build with a chocolate shell, which makes the whole thing a little more elegant.