Oh my! Vanilla cake truffles are one of the most decadent bakes out there. Perfect for every occasion too! I love making these as little gifts for friends and family, as well as a snack from using up ‘failed recipe tests’ or ‘old’ cake sponges. Make sure to keep reading to find out more on the latter. These beauties are one of my desserts of choice too. They are super versatile and easy to nibble on when you only want a little something. Plus, everyone who loves baking will likely have some leftover sponge laying about. Not too on the leftover side though, if you know what I mean.
These are heavenly. Who doesn’t love spooning buttercream into their mouth anyway? Two in one really.
As mentioned above, these vanilla cake truffles are ideal for using up any leftover sponge you have. Whilst this recipe calls for vanilla, you can use anything you like! It would work amazingly with chocolate or red velvet too. Cake truffles are actually an incredible way of using up slightly drier sponge too. I often find myself recipe testing of a weekend and having multiple leftover cupcakes, such as my funfetti vanilla and vegan chocolate recipes. Instead of letting these waste, if they still remain after a few days, I revive them with a little buttercream. It works wonders in adding moisture into the older crumb. Saying this – my recipe also works with ‘new’ sponge too. It will be a lot softer and more dense though, but still fab!
Whilst these look complex in the recipe section, they are super simple! Just picture buttercream and sponge mixed together. You don’t even need to make the sponge from scratch if you don’t fancy – a boxed mix will do – I love the ones from wow cake company.! Oh and a note on storage when talking about being pretty and simple: do not freeze! Not only will they likely stick together (especially when not coated) but they really don’t look as lovely when defrosted. I highly recommend storing in the fridge. I popped 3-5 days below as a guideline, just in case – but I do often find them ideal for 2 weeks!
Vanilla Cake Truffles
Equipment
- Oven
- Mixing Bowl x2
- Mixing spoon
- Greaseproof Paper
- Whisk
- 20cm cake tins x2 (or square baking tins)
- Cling film/non-stick surface
- Large tray x2
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Small scoop
- Microwave/Bain-Marie
- Fork x2
Ingredients
For the cake crumb
- 185 grams Dairy-Free Butter Recommendation: Stork baking block
- 4 large Eggs
- 80 ml Dairy-free milk Recommendation: Coconut or GF oat
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 200 grams Gluten-free Self-raising Flour
- 185 grams Caster Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
For the buttercream binding
- 170 grams Dairy-free butter
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 330 grams Icing Sugar
To coat and decorate
- 250 grams Vegan Milk Chocolate
- 100 grams Vegan Dark Chocolate
- 1 tbsp Dairy-free Butter
- 50 grams Vegan White Chocolate
Instructions
To create the sponge cake
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (conventional) or 160°C (fan)
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl
- Create a well in the centre of the dry mix and add the eggs
- Mix until the eggs and dry ingredients together
- Add the wet cake ingredients to the bowl and whisk until there are no lumps and it is fully combined
- Line two cake tins/baking dishes with greaseproof paper
- Pour the cake batter evenly between the two tins
- Bake for 30-35 minutes (until light and golden)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the cake tins for about 20-30 minutes
- Remove the sponge from the cake tins and allow to cool completely on a wire rack
To create the buttercream
- In a bowl, beat together the icing sugar and butter until combined into a thick but smooth cream (this will take a few minutes)
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix in well
Creating the sponge and buttercream truffles
- Line a large tray and set aside
- Crumble the vanilla sponge into a large mixing bowl (either using your hands or a food processor)
- Add the buttercream to the sponge crumbs and mix together using a spoon until it is fully combined
- Use a scoop to take portions of the cake truffle mixture and create balls using the palms of your hands
- Place these, one by one, onto the lined tray
- Pop into the fridge, for about 15 minutes, to set slightly (this makes them easier to handle when decorating but will not dry them out)
To coat/decorate the truffles
- Melt the dark and milk chocolate and butter, in a bowl, using either a microwave (in short bursts, mixing intermittently) or using the Bain-Marie method
- Add the cake truffle balls to the chocolate bowl and gently coat the entire surface using forks to move the ball around
- Balance the coated truffle on one of the forks and gently shake any excess chocolate off and back into the bowl
- Place the chocolate-coated truffle back onto the lined tray and repeat until all are coated
- Pop the truffles in the fridge to set the first layer of chocolate (~10-15 minutes)
- Melt the white chocolate in the way stated above
- Take a spoon and drizzle the white chocolate over the top of the set truffles
- Leave to set again then tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days
- You can use any sponge cake recipe - it doesn't necessarily have to be this one - you will just need to adjust the quantities
- Calories are per truffle with all the trimmings
