Hot Cross Bun Truffles
Hot Cross Bun Truffles combine two wonderful treats. Classic chocolate truffles plus the dried fruit and warm spices found in the traditional Easter sweet bread.
A rich dark chocolate ganache centre, flavoured with mixed spice and cinnamon, is studded with raisins, sultanas and citrus peel. This is surrounded by a silky milk chocolate coating. The truffles are finished with a cross of sweet white chocolate and a sprinkle more spice. The perfect grown-up Easter chocolates and no-bake gift.
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INDULGENT HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Chocolate truffles are a luxurious indulgence, but not difficult to make at home. The basic recipe is simply chocolate melted into warm cream, left to set, then rolled into balls. From that starting point it’s possible to create an almost infinite range of homemade chocolate truffles. You can use different types of chocolate (dark, milk, white), add flavourings like alcohol, vanilla or orange, stir in dried fruits and nuts, roll the balls in cocoa powder, coconut, sprinkles, or coat in melted chocolate.
And the homemade chocolate truffles I’m sharing today are perfect for Easter: Hot Cross Bun Truffles.
HOT CROSS BUN TRUFFLES
For my Hot Cross Bun Truffles, I take the classic melted chocolate and cream base (known as ganache) and combine it with the traditional Easter bun flavourings of mixed spiced and cinnamon. Just like real Hot Cross Buns, there’s plenty of dried fruit too: chopped peel, juicy sultanas and raisins. As well as a hint of vanilla, I make the rich ganache especially creamy with the addition of a little butter.
But that’s just the dark chocolate centre! Encasing it is a layer of silky milk chocolate finished with an Easter cross of sweet white chocolate and a final sprinkle of spices. Hot Cross Bun Truffles are the perfect grown-up Easter chocolate and, packed in a box a gift bag, make a wonderful no-bake gift.
HOW TO MAKE HOT CROSS BUN TRUFFLES
You’ll find ingredient amounts and full instructions in the recipe card at the end. But I recommend you read the whole of this post first for extra tips and step-by-step images to guide you.
While there isn’t a lot of hands-on time required in making Hot Cross Bun Truffles, you do need to allow the chocolate to chill and/or set at various points. So, make them when you have a few hours to spare, but know that you can be getting on with other things, or just relaxing, between stages.
INGREDIENTS
As I’ve mentioned, the ganache that forms the base of truffles is chocolate melted into warm cream. For the centre of my Hot Cross Bun Truffles, you’ll need good quality dark chocolate. This means it should contain at least 55 per cent cocoa, so do check the pack. My preference is for the 70 per cent chocolate pictured below. This is made for fine desserts and cakes and gives a firm truffle which melts beautifully on the tongue. Truffles with the lower cocoa content will be softer, which is fine if you want that. But for this recipe, don’t go below 55 per cent or the ganache will be unworkably soft.
For the correct texture, you must use double cream as this has the necessary fat content. In the US you can use heavy or whipping cream. They’re not as rich as British double cream but should still work.
The other ingredients you’ll need for the ganache are:
- Butter. A tablespoonful makes the whole batch creamier.
- Mixed spice. A particularly British blend popular at Christmas as well as Easter.
- Ground cinnamon. Adds sweeter notes to balance the mixed spice.
- Vanilla extract. Adds a subtle background flavour but can be left out if you don’t have it.
- Dried fruit. You can’t have hot cross buns without juicy dried fruit. I’ve used sultanas, raisins and peel, but you can swap in your favourite. I roughly chop any larger pieces.
For the coating you’ll need milk chocolate plus a few drops of bland oil (e.g. sunflower) to thin it. The traditional Easter crosses are made with a few squares of white chocolate. To finish you’ll need some extra pinches of the spices.
MAKING DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
To make the ganache, you start by finely chopping the dark chocolate. This means it should melt more quickly and evenly. Put it in a metal or glass bowl (this helps retain heat) along with the room temperature butter in pieces.
Now put the cream, spices and vanilla in a small saucepan and whisk together. Over medium heat bring to a gentle simmer. You should see a few bubbles round the edges, but DO NOT let it boil. If you have a thermometer, it should read around 85 degrees Centigrade (185 F) but no more. It’s important not to have your cream too hot or it could split the chocolate when you combine them.
When it’s ready, pour the cream over the chocolate and butter but do not stir yet. If you stir now, the mixture will become cool and won’t be hot enough to melt the chocolate. If you find the cream doesn’t cover the chocolate then tilt the bowl around until it does rather than stirring. Leave for 5 minutes, placing a plate on top to keep the heat in.
After 5 minutes, stir the ingredients so the melted chocolate is completely combined with the cream. If you find it doesn’t all melt (perhaps because you didn’t chop the chocolate finely enough) place the bowl over a saucepan with a few centimetres of simmering water in it. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl and stir continually until all the chocolate has melted. This should only take a minute or two then immediately take the bowl off the saucepan. Again, it’s important not to let it get too hot or the chocolate could split.
When it’s completely smooth, stir in the dried fruit and peel.
COOL AND SET
Before it can be formed into balls, the ganache needs to cool and set. To speed things up I transfer it to a shallow dish, spreading out evenly. So that it doesn’t get wet with condensation, lay a sheet of cling film directly on the surface. It should now go in the fridge. Using high cocoa chocolate, mine only takes 1 hour. But leave for longer if necessary, e.g. if you used lower cocoa content chocolate.
FORM THE TRUFFLE BALLS
When the truffle mixture has firmed, you divide into individual chocolates and roll into balls. I recommend using a teaspoon or small scoop to get pieces approximately 13 – 14 grams each. This should give you around 28 Hot Cross Bun Truffles in all. If you think the balls look small, bear in mind they’ll be bigger once their milk chocolate coating is on.
Rolling the balls is the only slightly tricky part of homemade chocolate truffles. But only because it’s messy and sticky! The chocolate will definitely start to cling to your hands, but there’s a couple of ways to limit this. Firstly, after you’ve divided the ganache into portions, place them on a baking paper-lined tray and put back in the fridge to firm; 15 – 30 minutes depending on the softness of your mix. You should also wash the chocolate off your hands every 6 – 8 balls so you don’t get a build-up.
You’ll notice that my truffles aren’t perfectly round. That’s because I prefer speed to perfection! In any case the chocolate coating does even them out a little bit. But if you want completely spherical chocolates, just keep rolling.
Once you’re happy with them, put the truffles on a paper-lined tray in the fridge for at least an hour. This is so they’re completely cold before we add the milk chocolate coating. If it’s more convenient, you can leave in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
ADD THE MILK CHOCOLATE COATING & CROSSES
You can melt the milk chocolate for coating the truffles either in a microwave or on top of the stove. I’ve given instructions for both in the recipe card. As mentioned in the Ingredients section above, I include a little oil when melting as this makes it easier to coat.
After you’ve turned the truffles in the melted chocolate, lift them out with a fork. This allows excess chocolate to drip off. Tapping the fork against the bowl or jug should shake off more. Set the coated truffles on a fresh piece of baking paper and leave at room temperature until the milk chocolate is set.
Next, melt the white chocolate and pipe on the crosses. I use a small squeezy bottle, but a piping bag is fine too. Or you could just drizzle off the end of a teaspoon.
Finally, sprinkle over a few pinches of mixed spice and ground cinnamon. Do this while the white chocolate is still wet so the powders stick. Leave to firm up at room temperature before storing or eating.
STORING HOT CROSS BUN TRUFFLES
To enjoy the texture of the creamy ganache centre, these truffles are best eaten at room temperature. They should keep for 4 days, although can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge. Note that when chilled the coating may develop a whiteish colour, but this won’t affect the taste. Do let them come back to room temperature for the best eating experience though.
EASY, LUXURIOUS HOT CROSS BUN TRUFFLES
While the instructions may seem long, achieving indulgent and delicious chocolate truffles at home is incredibly easy. Make them once and you’ll quickly get the hang of it and see that most of the time involved is hands-off. From there, you can make even more luxurious versions like my Hot Cross Bun Truffles.
A sumptuous Easter treat that literally melts in the mouth, plus the flavour of warm spices and juicy fruit. Either enjoy them yourself or pack into bags or pretty boxes as gifts. A grown-up chocolate confection everyone will love!
If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought. Please leave a comment and rating.
Hot Cross Bun Truffles
These grown-up Easter chocolates are a wonderful treat or no-bake gift.
Rich chocolate truffles combined with the dried fruit and warm spices found in the traditional Easter hot cross bun. The dark chocolate ganache centre is flavoured with mixed spice, cinnamon, and is studded with raisins, sultanas and citrus peel. Encased in silky milk chocolate, finished with a white chocolate cross and more spice.
Please read the accompanying blog post before starting and use metric measurements for the best results.
Ingredients
For the dark chocolate ganache centre
- 200 g good quality dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa, but 70% recommended: see Recipe Notes)
- 15 g butter (at room temperature)
- 140 ml double/heavy cream
- 1 rounded tsp mixed spice (add extra for a stronger flavour)
- 1 level tsp ground cinnamon (add extra for a stronger flavour)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (can be omitted)
- 80 g mixed dried fruit, roughly chopped (e.g. sultanas, raisins, dried citrus peel)
For the milk chocolate coating
- 250 g milk chocolate
- 1 tsp bland oil (e.g. vegetable, sunflower)
For the white chocolate crosses and decoration
- 50 g white chocolate
- a few pinches mixed spice and ground cinnamon
Instructions
Make the dark chocolate ganache
-
Chop the dark chocolate very finely and put into a glass or metal bowl.
Break the butter into smaller pieces and dot among the chocolate.
Set aside.
-
Put the cream in a small saucepan and whisk in the spices and vanilla.
Gently bring to a simmer but do not let it boil. If you have a thermometer, let the cream reach 85°C (185°F) but no more.
-
Pour the cream over the chocolate and butter but DO NOT STIR. If the cream doesn't cover the chocolate, tilt the bowl until it does: avoid stirring as this will cool the mixture down.
Put a plate or similar over the bowl to keep the heat in and set aside for 5 minutes.
Stir until the chocolate is completely melted into the cream.
Tip: if there is still some chocolate un-melted, place the bowl on top of a saucepan containing a few centimetres of simmering boiling water (don't let the water touch the bottom of the bowl) and stir until melted. This should only take a minute or two so don't overdo it and immediately take off the heat when smooth.
Stir the dried fruit and peel into the ganache.
Transfer to a shallow dish and spread out to cool it more quickly.
Place a piece of cling film directly on top of the ganache to prevent it becoming wet with condensation.
Chill in the fridge for 1 hour (if lower cocoa content chocolate used, it may take up to 2 hours).
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Remove from the fridge and use a teaspoon or small scoop to divide into 28 pieces, each one approximately 13 - 14 grams. Place on a baking paper-lined tray.
Roll each piece into a ball and place back on the paper.
Tip: If you find it very sticky, you can chill the pieces for 15 - 30 minutes before rolling. Washing and drying your hands every 6 - 8 pieces will help too.
Put the tray in the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour. Can be left up to 24 hours if liked.
Add the milk chocolate coating
-
Break up the milk chocolate and place in a microwave safe jug or bowl.
Sprinkle over the teaspoon of oil.
Melt in the microwave on full power in 10 - 20 second bursts, stirring between each one, until just a few small pieces of un-melted chocolate remain. Stir vigorously until completely smooth.
Alternative: on top of the stove. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl above a pan with a few centimetres of gently simmering water. Stir constantly and make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
Set aside for 2 - 3 minutes to cool a little.
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Take the truffles from the fridge and, one at a time, drop into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to turn and completely coat them. Use the fork to lift the truffle out, letting excess chocolate drip back in. Tap the fork on the rim of the jug or bowl to get more excess off.
Place the truffle on a clean paper-lined tray or board.
Repeat with the remaining truffles and leave at room temperature to set.
Add the white chocolate crosses
-
Break the white chocolate into pieces and melt in a microwave or on top of the stove as per the instructions for the milk chocolate (do not add any oil this time).
Transfer the chocolate to a piping bag/small piping bottle (or just drizzle from the tip of a teaspoon) and pipe/drizzle a cross on each truffle.
While the white chocolate is still wet, sprinkle a little mixed spice and ground cinnamon over each one.
Leave at room temperature until the white chocolate is set.
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Truffles should be stored in an airtight container and eaten within 4 days if at room temperature.
Will last for up to 14 days if stored in the fridge but note that the milk chocolate coating may develop a whiteish bloom, although this is completely harmless.
Bring back to room temperature before eating for the best texture.
Recipe Notes
Dark chocolate. For the correct truffle texture use good quality chocolate that contains at least 55% cocoa, so check the pack. For a firm truffle that melts deliciously on the tongue, I recommend a 70% chocolate made for fine cakes and desserts. Note that the lower the cocoa content, the softer the resulting truffle will be, and they'll take longer to set.
Note: this recipe is not suitable for truffles with a lower cocoa content (including milk or white chocolate centres) as they'll be too soft to roll.
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