Cake of the Week: 6x6’s Dark Chocolate Truffles

This is a guest post by our dear 6x6 WHOM I MISS COME BACK TO ME. 

As regular readers of Mollie’s blog will remember, I moved from Washington, DC to Cape Town, South Africa at the end of last year to attend grad school. Aside from the distance, my life has not changed much. I’m still running, but up to Rhodes Memorial instead of on the Georgetown Canal. I’m still reading, but it’s books left behind in my student housing instead of recommendations and loaners from Mollie.

Chapman's Peak

Also, gratefully, I am still cooking! While the African grocery shopping experience has been less than pleasant (Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have clearly spoiled me. When I’m back in the States, those will be the first places I go!), I still have been able to cook some delicious, albeit simple, desserts.

This dessert, Dark Chocolate Truffles, I have cooked already several times since moving to Cape Town. I have two roommates – one French and one German – and the truffles were a huge hit with them. The German even experimented with her own variations on the recipe, and for a while our house had two plates of truffles perpetually in the fridge. [Umm hello flight to Cape Town, can I come over???]

Hike to Rhodes Memorial.

The French roommate, who is prone to hyperbole, likened the truffles to the “best, most refreshing chocolate ice cream in the whole world.” I encourage you to try!

6x6’s Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate such as Lindt (or whatever you can get, depending on the country. In South Africa, Cadbury is equally delicious)
• 1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate such as Ghiradelli
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon prepared coffee
• 1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
• Cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream into the chocolates until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in coffee, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. 
4. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball. Roll in cocoa powder. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve them at room temperature.