Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

Do you ever make a recipe and not until it’s baked do you realise you’ve missed an ingredient? Yeah, me neither! Oh, I do it all the time lately. I think I’m pretty smart and remember the recipe off by heart by I’m not really that smart at the end of the day. Must be old age creeping in I think. I’m reminded all the time that I should always refer to the recipe and not second guess. That’s how these Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles came about. By accident.

I make this ‘crazy’ cake recipe ALL the time and I mean all the time. This particular time I made a banana cake but forgot the sugar! Like seriously! Anyway, it tasted kind of okay but just wasn’t as good as it should’ve been but I couldn’t waste it. I wanted to turn it into truffles and I nearly always have Nutella in the pantry and I had hazelnuts as well so that’s what I decided on turning this sugar-less cake into.

Break up the cake into chunks and blitz until fine crumbs form.

Add the flavouring of your choice. I had added chopped and ground hazelnuts, 1/4 cup cocoa and about 1/2 cup of Nutella. You’ll find, as you’re mixing it, whether it needs to be more dry or more http://www.homedatingnetwork.com/member/blog_post_view.php?postId=278613 wet. I’d rather add less ‘wet’ ingredients from the start, like the Nutella, so you’re not left with a really wet mixture and it’s hard to form into balls.

The mixture should be the same consistency as a meatball, I guess which will allow you to form quite firm balls. Using an ice cream scoop or just a spoon, scoop mixture into your hand and form into a ‘ball’ shape.

Set on a tray and refrigerate until firm, approximately 30 minutes.

You can eat them like that or dip them completely in melted chocolate or just drizzle a little chocolate on top, which is what I did. You don’t need to use too much chocolate that way.

I find the messier the better. Return to the refrigerator until chocolate has set.

And that’s it. You can do this with any cake, store bought or home made. If your cake is starting to get a little stale, this recipe is perfect. You can add any kind of nuts, dried fruit, nut spread, melted chocolate. Just remember, you’re aiming at getting the consistency of a meatball and you can have any flavoured truffle. It’s a great way to use up cake and they look a little fancy for a special occasion. They freeze well too.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

A delicious way to use up leftover cake (or a cake that hasn't gone quite to plan, as was the case with me) and turn it into something a little more decadent.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 18

Author Anne

Ingredients

• cooked cake approximately 1 cake or adjust the other ingredients to the amount of cake you have left
• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
• 1/4 cup ground hazelnuts optional
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• chocolate melted (for drizzling or dipping truffle into)

Instructions

1. Blitz cake until fine crumbs are formed.
2. Add cocoa, Nutella, chopped and ground hazelnuts and mix well.
3. Mixture should be the same consistency as if you were making meat balls.
4. Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, take mixture and roll between hands until a ball shape is formed.
5. Set on a tray lined with baking paper and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6. Melt chocolate by breaking up into pieces and put in the microwave for 30 second increments until melted.
7. Using a fork, take chocolate and 'drizzle' onto truffles.
8. Return to the refrigerator until chocolate has set.
9. Suitable to freeze.

Recipe Notes

Any kind of cake can be used.
I used a banana cake for this recipe.
Any ingredients can be used, eg dried fruit, chopped candy bars, nuts and a binding ingredient like nut pastes or melted chocolate.

 

Mini Choc Hazelnut Cheesecake Cups

I had a couple girlfriends around for a party just before Christmas and I wanted to treat them to dessert instead of the usual savoury snacks. If I made a large, whole cheesecake, they’d probably only feel like eating that and nothing else. I got the idea from a recent blogging event that if I made mini cups of cheesecake, everyone would get a couple bites and enjoy the cheesecake dessert without filling up too much and get to try a few other things I had on offer.

These are ridiculously easy to make using the spreadable tub of cream cheese. No need to worry about setting it with gelatin or adding butter to the biscuit base to firm it up. Great for a large buffet too. My recipe made 10 but you could double or even triple the recipe if you were feeding a crowd.

I had a couple rows of chopped hazelnut milk chocolate, melted that and added about the same quantity of Nutella. Then just mix in a 250gm tub of cream cheese.

I then crushed a basic chocolate biscuit and put a spoonful into the bottom of these clear, plastic cups I bought from the dollar store.  I

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think it was about $2 for a pack of 10. You could use any small cup or glass, like a shot glass. They looked cute on the serving tray. You could make them in a larger glass or cup.

You could just spoon the cheesecake mixture straight onto the biscuit crumbs but I piped it on. I sprinkled the remaining chopped hazelnut milk chocolate on top for garnish and refrigerated. The cheesecake mixture set just enough to firm up. It looks a little soft in the photo because it was a hot day. Stay tuned for the other flavour mini cheesecake cups I made for the party.

Mini Choc Hazelnut Cheesecake Cups

• 250gm tub of cream cheese
• 2 rows of hazelnut chocolate, roughly chopped (or any plain chocolate with a few chopped hazelnuts)
• extra chopped hazelnut chocolate for garnish
• 1/4 cup Nutella
• 10 plain chocolate biscuits, made into crumbs

1. Melt chocolate. (I use the microwave in small bursts to melt chocolate.)
2. Add Nutella and mix well.
3. Allow to cool and add cream cheese and mix well.
4. Spoon a tablespoon of biscuit crumbs into the bottom of a small cup.
5. Pipe or spoon cream cheese mixture onto biscuit crumbs.
6. Garnish with extra chopped chocolate.
7. Refrigerate before serving.

Makes 10 small cups.