Chocolate Cake Truffles
These chocolate cake truffles are absolutely delightful and make perfect gifts! Made from rich chocolate cake, swiss meringue buttercream, and coated with dark chocolate, they’re beautiful and delicious.
This is probably my favorite chocolate cake recipe, I’ve used it in my reimagined black forest cake and chocolate strawberry cupcakes. It is super easy, basically just needed the wet ingredients and dry ingredients to be mixed together.
The swiss meringue buttercream can be a little technical, but I love how it’s less sweet than the classic American buttercream (butter and powdered sugar). I use vanilla for this recipe, but feel free to stream in melted chocolate when you are making the buttercream for extra chocolate (why not?). I describe the pitfalls and things to look out for below.
And finally, I like to coat these in dark chocolate. While the chocolate is still wet, decorate with sprinkles or flaky salt! Or, melt down a little bit of white chocolate and put it in a piping bag. Drizzle it onto the coated truffles however you like!
Check out some of my other dessert recipes here!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup hot water
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup melted chocolate, cooled (optional)
Assembly
- 3 cups dark chocolate, melted
- rainbow sprinkles or flakey salt (optional)
Instructions
Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line three 9″ round cake tins with a parchment paper circle and grease well with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside while you make the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, eggs, egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar (sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking). Stream in the hot water slowly so that you don’t cook the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined and there aren’t any more flour lumps. Pour the batter evenly between the three pans and spread it out evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes, then let cool completely in the pans.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Heat about 2″ of water in a medium pot until it is boiling. To a completely clean and dry bowl, add 6 egg whites (make sure there aren’t any traces of yolks, this can mess up the meringue) and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Put the bowl over the boiling water, making sure it isn’t touching the water.
- Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160ºF and the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the bowl with the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is stiff (it doesn’t droop) and the bowl is cool to the touch on the bottom.
- Cut the softened, unsalted butter into 1″ cubes and add slowly to the buttercream, beating constantly. Once all the butter is added, add the vanilla, salt, and optionally stream in the chocolate. Set aside.
- Tips: If your buttercream is very stiff or even separates, place it back over the boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then transfer back to the standmixer to keep beating. If your buttercream is too soupy, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes and then take it back out to beat.
Assembly
- Add your three cakes and about half of the buttercream into a bowl. Mix together (you can use a fork, spoon, or potato masher) and add buttercream as needed until the mixture sticks together. Use a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon to portion out about 60 truffles. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
- After the truffles have firmed up a little, roll each one between your hands to form them into perfect balls. Place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt down the dark chocolate. In a heatproof bowl, either microwave the chocolate in 30 second intervals or heat over a double boiler until melted.
- One at a time, place a truffle on a fork (just put it on the prongs, don’t poke it) and lower it down into the chocolate. Make sure it is completely coated and then raise the truffle back up, letting the extra chocolate drip down. Place onto parchment paper. Sprinkle with flakey salt or sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet. Let the chocolate set and enjoy!
Chocolate Cake Truffles
These chocolate cake truffles are absolutely delightful and make perfect gifts! Made from rich chocolate cake, swiss meringue buttercream, and coated with dark chocolate, they're beautiful and delicious.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup hot water
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 6 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup melted chocolate, cooled (optional)
Assembly
- 3 cups dark chocolate melted
- rainbow sprinkles or flaky salt optional
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Line three 9″ round cake tins with a parchment paper circle and grease well with butter or nonstick spray. Set aside while you make the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, eggs, egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar (sugar is considered a wet ingredient in baking). Stream in the hot water slowly so that you don’t cook the eggs.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined and there aren’t any more flour lumps. Pour the batter evenly between the three pans and spread it out evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes, then let cool completely in the pans.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Heat about 2″ of water in a medium pot until it is boiling. To a completely clean and dry bowl, add 6 egg whites (make sure there aren’t any traces of yolks, this can mess up the meringue) and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Put the bowl over the boiling water, making sure it isn’t touching the water.
- Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160ºF and the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the bowl with the egg white mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk for 10-15 minutes until the meringue is stiff (it doesn’t droop) and the bowl is cool to the touch on the bottom.
- Cut the softened, unsalted butter into 1″ cubes and add slowly to the buttercream, beating constantly. Once all the butter is added, add the vanilla, salt, and optionally stream in the chocolate. Set aside.
- Tips: If your buttercream is very stiff or even separates, place it back over the boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then transfer back to the stand mixer to keep beating. If your buttercream is too soupy, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes and then take it back out to beat.
Assembly
- Add your three cakes and about half of the buttercream into a bowl. Mix together (you can use a fork, spoon, or potato masher) and add buttercream as needed until the mixture sticks together. Use a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon to portion out about 60 truffles. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
- After the truffles have firmed up a little, roll each one between your hands to form them into perfect balls. Place back in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt down the dark chocolate. In a heatproof bowl, either microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals or heat over a double boiler until melted.
- One at a time, place a truffle on a fork (just put it on the prongs, don't poke it) and lower it down into the chocolate. Make sure it is completely coated and then raise the truffle back up, letting the extra chocolate drip down. Place onto parchment paper. Sprinkle with flakey salt or sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet. Let the chocolate set and enjoy!