I love to bake and try out new recipes, whether it be for a special occasion or just for fun. This past week was Valentine’s Day, and, while we don’t usually make a whole ordeal of it, this year was our first Valentine’s Day as husband and wife and Carlos had been gone for a few weeks, so we decided to go all out! We had a dinner planned at our favorite restaurant, but I wanted to do a few things to surprise him as well. I decided to make red velvet truffles, as that is Carlos’ favorite kind of cake, and they looked festive and delicious. They also looked relatively simple to make, about which I was horribly mistaken! These were a NIGHTMARE to put together! The first baking mistake was my own, putting too much batter into the pan. It overflowed into the oven and I had to clean out the oven, put some of the batter into another pan, and attempt to bake it again. The cake ended up being a bit crispy around the sides, but still tasted delicious. You then crumble the cake and mix it with cream cheese and roll it into balls before coating it in the chocolate. Perhaps if I had not left my cake in the oven for so long it would have mixed better with the cream cheese, but I found the mixture too dry and it didn’t form as easily into balls as I would have hoped. When it came time to melt the chocolate I was ready to create delicious and visually appealing truffles, but this was not to be. The white chocolate seized as I attempted to melt it, a phenomenon that I did not understand and had to look up. Essentially, the white chocolate heated too fast and became hard and lumpy like butter rather than melting. I had to go to the store and buy more white chocolate. I melted it much more slowly the second time, but the white chocolate was still quite thick when melted, and as soon as it touched the cake balls they began to crumble apart, mixing in with melted chocolate. I tried several different methods, but they refused to look picture perfect. I decided to cover half of the truffles in milk chocolate, which was far preferable both aesthetically and taste-wise, in my opinion. My husband preferred the ones coated in white chocolate, which made the laborious process worth it, but I can safely say I will not be attempting red velvet truffles again for some time! They received rave reviews from several friends and family members who tried them after Valentine’s Day, so overall they were a success, despite their frustrating and time-consumingĀ creation. I am under no false pretenses as to their appearance, they were not overly pretty! The milk chocolate ones looked passable, at best, but I am glad that I attempted a new recipe and that I was able to share them with others who enjoyed them. I also set up a little cheese board with Valentine’s Day themed cheeses, which we didn’t end up trying until the following day, but they were all amazing and we loved the unusual flavors. Valentine’s Day, and all the foods that accompanied it, was a smashing success and I loved having the entire day to spend with my husband.
Brianne Elizabeth 