Chocolate Truffle Torte Bombs are the perfect Christmas dinner party dessert. This rich and decadent dessert is filled with chopped roasted hazelnuts, spiked with brandy, and definitely brimming with festive spirit.
Jump to:
Ingredients
The simple ingredients for this recipe are very easy to get hold of. And this is also a flourless chocolate torte bomb recipe, which makes it ideal if you are hosting guests with dietary restrictions or preferences.
For the Chocolate Truffle Torte Bombs
- Dark chocolate - Use high-quality chocolate bars with 70% cacao solids. I like Lindt Swiss chocolate.
- Liquid Glucose - You can easily find glucose syrup or liquid glucose in larger grocery stores in their baking section. It normally comes in a pot or a tube.
- Brandy - Brandy gives us the most festive flavor, but you can swap it for rum, Amaretto, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, or leave it out altogether.
- Cream - Use double cream (or heavy cream if in the US) and ensure it is chilled for best results when whipping.
- Hazelnuts - Whole hazelnuts have the most amazing flavor when roasted, so don't skip this step!
For the garnish (optional but recommended)
Make this perfect dessert even more luxurious with a few extra flourishes. It will suit any special occasion!
- Cream - This chocolate bomb dessert is so dense and rich that you do need a bit of extra cream on the side. Either whip it up or drizzle over the top.
- Fresh mint - The pairing of mint and chocolate is a match made in culinary heaven, and the added benefit is that they look like little sprigs of holly!
- Raspberries - I often make raspberry caviar to emulate festive red berries, but this can be a step too far for some people! Usually, I serve fresh raspberries or raspberry sauce with this chocolate truffle torte bomb recipe, as it really cuts through the richness.
- Edible gold leaf - Certainly, this is an ingredient for special occasions. But it does really give the wow factor!
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make hazelnut chocolate truffle torte bombs.
Instructions
This is actually a very easy no bake dessert; and you don't need any complicated equipment, either. Make sure you check out my expert tips before you start to get the best results.
How to make chocolate bombs
Roast the hazelnuts on a tray in the oven at 190C for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Allow to cool, then peel.
Pulse the roasted nuts a few times in a blender or roughly chop them into small pieces.
Melt the chocolate and liquid glucose in a large mixing bowl over a saucepan of water on medium heat. Then, stir in the brandy and hazelnuts. It will be quite stiff.
Whip the cream in a separate bowl until it is thick and gloopy, then fold it into the chocolate mixture half a time using a rubber spatula.
Spoon the mixture into silicon bomb molds, cover with parchment paper to get a flat, smooth surface, and refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate over the surface and then sandwich the molds together to form the chocolate truffle torte bombs. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes before gently turning out and serving.
Top tips
I decorate each hazelnut chocolate dome dessert to look like little Christmas puddings (a traditional British Christmas dessert) in a bed of snow. Guests always go crazy for how cute they are.
Dust some icing sugar/powdered sugar on top to look like snow, and serve the chocolate truffle torte bombs on a bed of silky whipped cream with a sprig of fresh mint on top.
How to make raspberry caviar
- Pour neutral oil (like canola or rapeseed oil) into a tall, thin glass and place it in the freezer for an hour to chill. It needs to be very cold.
- Mash a large handful of raspberries through a sieve to remove the pips and create a raspberry sauce. Gently warm it in a saucepan or in the microwave, but do not boil.
- Mix gelatin or agar agar powder into the raspberry coulis and then use a spoon or pipette to drip small pearls into the very cold oil. The surface tension will create a sphere, and the raspberry caviar will slowly drop to the bottom as it sets. After you have used all the coulis, sieve the oil to extract the raspberry pearls and reserve the oil for other cooking.
Wine pairing for chocolate truffle torte bombs
Serve with a lightly chilled glass of Masala or a Tawny Port. This chocolate bomb dessert is incredibly rich and decadent, so it needs a wine that can stand up to it.
Chef notes and expert tips
- To easily peel roasted hazelnuts, rub them between slightly damp hands. The skins will simply flake off!
- Don't allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the simmering water when melting the chocolate.
- The chocolate and liquid glucose mixture will stiffen and almost seize up once it is melted together, but it will slacken again once you add the first half of the cream. Be more gentle when folding in the rest of the cream.
- Feel free to swap the brandy for rum, amaretto, Frangelico, or Grand Marnier. Or even espresso for a coffee kick that is booze-free. You could also use almonds instead of hazelnuts.
- These chocolate dessert bombs are quite small but very rich, and a little goes a long way, even for serious chocolate lovers!
- Serve the chocolate truffle torte bombs chilled rather than at room temperature.
Storage and freezing
Store leftovers of this chocolate truffle torte bombs recipe covered or in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days. But one of the best things about this easy chocolate truffle torte bomb recipe is how easy it is to freeze, so you can make them ahead of time. You can wrap individual chocolate bombs in plastic food wrap and put them in a ziplock bag. Freeze chocolate truffle torte bombs this way and defrost to consume within one month.
Equipment
You will need a glass mixing bowl and a saucepan to create the double boiler and melt the chocolate. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the hot water. Whip cream using an electric hand whisk or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Then, I used demi-sphere silicon molds to make the chocolate bombs. They are really handy for making But if you don’t have any truffle molds or dome molds for making chocolate bombs like this, simply pour the mixture into ramekins instead. You can also pour the mixture into a springform pan lined with greased parchment paper to make a truffle torte cake of chocolate perfection, but this will take much longer to set.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! You can either leave out the brandy or replace it with espresso for a coffee kick.
Yes, but it will taste much sweeter and have a less rich and chocolatey taste.
Yes, double wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and use within one month.
A cake is made with eggs, butter, flour, and sugar, whereas a torte does not contain eggs or flour and has a much thicker and more dense texture.
📖 Recipe
Decadent Chocolate Truffle Torte Bombs
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 230 grams (1 ⅓ cups) 70% Dark chocolate (plus a little extra to glue the bombs together)
- 2.5 tablespoon (2 ½ tablespoon) Liquid glucose
- 2.5 tablespoon (2 ½ tablespoon) Brandy
- 285 ml (1 ¼ cups) Double cream /heavy cream
- 75 grams (⅓ cups) Hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
- Roast the hazelnuts on an oven tray for 10 minutes or until fragrant. Allow to cool slightly, then peel and pulse in a blender or roughly chop into small pieces with a knife.
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a mixing bowl with the liquid glucose over a saucepan of simmering water. Allow it to melt together, then stir in the brandy and chopped roasted nuts.
- Whip the cream until it is thick and gloopy but not stiff, then fold it into the chocolate mixture, half at a time.
- Spoon the mixture into the molds, level off the top, and cover with parchment paper/baking paper. Place a flat tray on top, then flip the molds over so they are dome-side up. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set.
- Peel off the parchment paper, and spread a small amount of melted dark chocolate over the flat side of one set of truffle bombs, and then sandwich the other molds on top to form the chocolate bombs.
- Refrigerate for a further 30 minutes, then gently turn out and serve with whipped cream, fresh mint and some raspberries.
Notes
Nutrition
Other decadent dessert recipes
Looking for other easy elegant dessert recipes like this? Try these:
Louise and Steve says
Soooooo rich and decadent, these went down a treat. I might make them with rum next time. Do you think it would work with white chocolate?