Our German Chocolate Truffles have rich, creamy, moist middles with a hard chocolate coating. They are a delicious homemade holiday dessert that tastes just like the famous frosting found in both the filling between the layers and as a topping for the classic cake.
German Chocolate Cake Truffles
Let’s be honest: sometimes, you just need a little chocolatey pick-me-up. Look no further than our German Chocolate Truffles!
These bite-sized wonders are like tiny versions of that amazing frosting you love on German Chocolate Cake. Each truffle is packed with moist, creamy goodness and dipped in dark chocolate. Plus, they’re way easier to make than a whole cake! Whip up a batch and share the holiday cheer (or keep them all to yourself; no judgment here).
Ingredients Notes
- German Chocolate Cake: I used a box of Duncan Hines cake mix plus the ingredients listed on the box (water, eggs, vegetable oil). Feel free to use your favorite cake mix brand or bake your own cake from scratch!
- Unsalted butter: Make sure your butter is room temperature before beginning.
- Sweetened condensed milk: Gives the truffles a creamy, cohesive consistency while adding sweetness.
- Egg yolks: Contributes to a smoother, more cohesive texture.
- German chocolate baking bar: German chocolate baking bars are sweetened chocolate bars found in the baking aisle. A semi-sweet baking bar would be the closest alternative if you can not find German chocolate. German chocolate is slightly sweeter, though, but not as sweet as milk chocolate.
- Vanilla extract: Adds depth and complexity to the truffle mixture.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Provides a chewy texture and sweet coconut flavor.
- Finely chopped pecans: Adds crunchy texture and the traditional nutty flavor of German chocolate treats.
- Milk chocolate almond bark: Creates a smooth, hard coating for the truffles. You can also use chocolate melting discs to coat your cake balls.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make German Chocolate Truffles
- Bake The Cake: Bake the cake according to box directions for a 9×13 pan. Crumble the cooked cake once cooled. Set aside.
- Make The Custard Mixture: Whisk together the butter, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Increase the heat to medium and and continue whisking until it reaches a very thick consistency.
- Form The Filling: Remove the mixture from the heat and add the german chocolate and vanilla extract. Whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in the shredded coconut and chopped pecans.
- Combine Filling With Cake: Combine the warm filling with the crumbled cake until you have a uniform texture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll Round: Scoop 1 tablespoon of filling and roll into smooth balls. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Coat The Cake: Microwave the chocolate almond bark on high for 1 minute, stir, then heat in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Dip each truffle into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with shredded coconut.
- Set and Serve: Cool room temperature for 15 minutes or chill in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden and set. Serve and enjoy at room temperature or chilled.
How To Coat The Cake Balls
To coat, place a truffle onto a fork and gently dip the truffle into the melted chocolate. Turn to coat all the sides of the truffle, then gently lift the truffle from the chocolate, allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. You can gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to help any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Using a toothpick or second fork, gently place the chocolate-coated German chocolate truffle onto a lined baking tray.
Tips & Variations
- Melting In The Microwave:
- When melting the chocolate almond bark, be sure to follow the directions or your brand’s packaging for best results. Some brands of chocolate almond bark provide a melting tray with their packaging to be used in the microwave. A 1000 watt microwave was used for this recipe.
- Since this recipe makes so many truffles, you can melt one of the 16 ounce packages of chocolate almond bark and dip to coat 24 of the german chocolate truffles. Once that first amount of chocolate is used, you can melt the remaining 16 ounces of chocolate to finish coating the remaining 24 truffles. Alternately, you can heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals, being sure to stir well, if your chocolate starts to harden back up as you are working through coating all your truffles.
- Choose Your Chocolate: Chocolate almond bark is readily found in the baking aisle of your grocery store however, good quality chocolate melting discs can also be used to dip your german chocolate truffles. I like Ghirardelli brand melting discs as they melt nicely and are easy to use. Be sure to follow the melting instructions of the package for the brand you are using.
- Prepare As Cake Pops: You can make your truffles into German chocolate cake pops by pressing a lollipop stick into the center of each ball.
Proper Storage
- To Store: Store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Once the chocolate coating has fully hardened, you can store these German chocolate truffles in a single layer in an airtight container in the freezer for 5-6 weeks. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving.
Other Easy Truffle Recipes
If you tried this German Chocolate Truffles Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
German Chocolate Truffles
Serves — 48
German Chocolate Truffles takes the best part of the classic cake (the frosting), and prepares it as a single-serving cake ball. Perfectly portable for parties and holidays.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 ounce box German Chocolate Cake Duncan Hines Brand (plus ingredients listed on box to prepare the cake – 1 cup water, 3 large eggs and ½ cup vegetable oil – baked and cooled according to package directions in a 9×13 pan)
Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 14 ounces can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 large egg yolks room temperature
- 4 ounces German chocolate baking bar finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups sweetened shredded coconut
- ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
Chocolate Coating and Garnish
- 16 ounce packages milk chocolate almond bark
- ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350* F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with baker’s spray.15.25 ounce box German Chocolate Cake
- Prepare the German Chocolate cake mix according to box directions for a 9×13 pan. Bake and cool the cake completely.
- Once cooled, crumble the cooked cake into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Filling
- In a medium saucepan (3 quart) on medium-low heat, add the unsalted butter, sweetened condensed milk and large egg yolks. Whisk to combine as the butter melts. Be sure that you are whisking often to keep the egg yolks from scrambling as the mixture heats up.½ cup unsalted butter, 14 ounces can sweetened condensed milk, 3 large egg yolks
- Once the butter is melted, increase the heat to medium and cook the mixture, while whisking constantly, for 6-9 minutes or until it reaches a very thick consistency (similar to warm fudge or thick pudding). Be sure to whisk constantly to avoid burning the filling mixture.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the finely chopped german chocolate baking bar and vanilla extract. Whisk until the chocolate has melted completely into the warm filling mixture and the mixture is smooth.4 ounces German chocolate baking bar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To the german chocolate filling add the sweetened shredded coconut and finely chopped pecans. Stir to combine all the ingredients together.1¼ cups sweetened shredded coconut, ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
- Add the warm filling mixture to the large bowl of crumbled german cake. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine all the ingredients being sure to completely incorporate all the cake with the warm german chocolate filling. You should have a uniform texture for the truffle filling.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour. This will allow the mixture to cool enough to scoop and roll into balls.
- Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Remove the bowl of German chocolate truffle filling from the refrigerator and, using a small cookie scoop, scoop out a 1 tablespoon sized amount of filling. Place the scoop of filling into the palm of your hand and roll into a smooth ball.
- Place the truffle onto one of the prepared baking trays. Repeat until all the german chocolate truffles have been scooped and rolled into smooth balls. Cover the baking tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate the truffle balls for 1 hour.
Chocolate Coating and Garnish
- In a medium, microwave safe, bowl add the chocolate almond bark. Heat on high for 1 minute, stir, then heat in 30 second intervals until the chocolate almond bark is stirred into a smooth consistency. (see tips for additional heating methods)16 ounce packages milk chocolate almond bark
- Place a german chocolate truffle onto a fork and gently dip the truffle into the melted chocolate. Turn to coat all the sides of the truffle, then gently lift the truffle from the chocolate allowing any excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. You can gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to help any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
- Using a toothpick, or second fork, gently place the chocolate coated german chocolate truffle onto the second prepared baking tray. Top the truffle with a little of the sweetened shredded coconut while the chocolate is still wet and not set.¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Repeat steps 14 and 15 until all the german chocolate truffles have been coated in chocolate almond bark and topped with sweetened shredded coconut.
- You can allow the german chocolate truffles to sit at cool room temperature for 15 minutes, or place them into the refrigerator for 5 minutes, to allow the chocolate almond bark to harden and set before placing them onto a serving platter to enjoy.
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: Store these in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week.
- To Freeze: Once the chocolate coating has fully hardened, you can store these german chocolate truffles, in a single layer in an airtight container, in the freezer for 5-6 weeks. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before serving.
- Melting In The Microwave:
- When melting the chocolate almond bark, be sure to follow the directions or your brand’s packaging for best results. Some brands of chocolate almond bark provide a melting tray with their packaging to be used in the microwave. A 1000 watt microwave was used for this recipe.
- Since is recipe makes so many truffles, you can melt one of the 16 ounce packages of chocolate almond bark and dip to coat 24 of the german chocolate truffles. Once that first amount of chocolate is used, you can melt the remaining 16 ounces of chocolate to finish coating the remaining 24 truffles. Alternately, you can heat the chocolate in 30 second intervals, being sure to stir well, if your chocolate starts to harden back up as you are working through coating all your truffles.
- Choose Your Chocolate: Chocolate almond bark is readily found in the baking aisle of your grocery store however, good quality chocolate melting discs can also be used to dip your german chocolate truffles. I like Ghirardelli brand melting discs as they melt nicely and are easy to use. Be sure to follow the melting instructions of the package for the brand you are using.
- Prepare As Cake Pops: You can make your truffles into German chocolate cake pops by pressing a lollipop stick into the center of each ball.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 179kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
