Few ingredients are as fundamental in chocolate making as cream.
It is the cream that defines the experience of a fine bonbon or truffle. Most of the luxurious, more-ish mouthfeel sensations are a result of the cream used in your product.
The choice of cream impacts the texture, flavor, shelf life and quality. The provenance and type of cream used in your bonbons and truffles are as important as the quality of the chocolate itself.
Summary
Milk cream (or a suitable vegetarian substitute) is the main liquid component of a ganache. The water content in the cream dissolves the sugar in the chocolate, while the fat globules from both the cream and the cocoa butter intermingle, creating a stable, smooth, and rich mixture with a wonderful mouthfeel.
This emulsion is the basis for bonbon fillings, chocolate truffles, glazes, and dessert sauces.
A higher fat content, found in heavy cream or whipping cream (typically 36-40% fat or more), will produce a richer, denser, and more stable ganache.
A lighter, less fatty cream (30% fat or less) will result in a softer, more fluid ganache, perhaps better suited for a glaze or sauce.
In other words; the more fat in the cream, the more dense and firm and rich the result will be. It’s for this reason that the choice of cream is part of the planning process before you start making your chocolates.
Warning: there are cheaper products that substitute dairy fat with palm oil, palm kernel oil or various hydrogenated vegetable fats. Do not use these products for chocolate-making: the results will be substandard.
Always read the list of ingredients of everything you buy for chocolate-making.
Select your cream
A classic dark chocolate bonbon, for instance, might feature a ganache made with a high-fat (around 38%) fresh pasteurized cream. The goal here is purity of flavor.
The chocolatier wants the cream to provide a luscious, smooth texture without overpowering the complex fruity or earthy notes of the single-origin dark chocolate. The fresh, clean flavor of a high-quality pasteurized cream acts as a perfect vehicle, allowing the nuances of the chocolate to shine through while contributing a luxurious mouthfeel. The ganache will be firm enough to be enrobed in a thin shell of tempered chocolate, yet will melt away effortlessly on the palate.
Now consider a different creation: a caramel-filled or dulce de leche bonbon. Here, you might opt for a cream with a slightly lower fat content or even an Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) treated cream. A good quality milk cream with about 25% fat content should work well.
The intense cooking process for the caramel requires a stable liquid, and UHT cream, which has been heated to around 130°C, offers exceptional stability and a longer shelf life due to the deactivation of enzymes that can cause a ganache to break down.
The provenance of the cream is a factor that top-tier chocolatiers take very seriously. Just as the terroir of a wine region influences the grapes, dairy cream is influenced by the diet, breed of cow, and processing methods.
European dairy creams are often held as the benchmark: a crème fraîche from Normandy, with its characteristic tang and thick consistency derived from natural culturing, can introduce a beautiful, subtle acidity to a white chocolate ganache, balancing the sweetness and adding a layer of sophistication.
Similarly, an Alpine cream from Switzerland or Austria, produced from cows grazing on high-altitude wildflowers, can possess delicate floral character that can be integrated into a milk chocolate ganache, creating a wonderful flavor experience.
The different types of cream available offer multiple possibilities for the creative chocolatier. Beyond fresh, pasteurized and UHT dairy creams, there are other options:
- Clotted Cream: A specialty of Southwest England, this incredibly high-fat (around 55-60%) cream is gently scalded, creating a thick, rich product with a slightly cooked flavor. It can be incorporated into specialty fillings for an exceptionally rich, fudge-like texture.
- Double Cream: A British term for a rich cream with about 48% fat, it creates rich and firm ganaches. Its lower water content contributes to a more stable emulsion.
- Cultured Creams (Crème Fraîche, Sour Cream): As mentioned, these creams introduce acidity. While sour cream has a lower fat content and can be less stable, crème fraîche is a high-fat, high-stability option perfect for adding a tangy counterpoint to sweet chocolates.
It is a false economy to invest in premium couverture chocolate only to compromise it with a substandard cream. Always buy the best cream you can afford.
A low-quality cream, which might contain stabilizers, thickeners, or have a higher water content, will invariably lead to an inferior ganache.
Conclusion
The marriage of cream and chocolate is one of balance and respect for the ingredients. The chocolatier acts as a matchmaker, seeking the perfect cream to complement and elevate the chocolate.
The process is a testament to the fact that in the world of fine food, the final product is only as good as its weakest link. A silky, decadent, and flavorful ganache, nestled within a glossy chocolate shell, is not an accident: it is the result of conscious, quality-driven decisions, and the understanding that the humble milk cream is not just a liquid, but the heart of the confection.