Yuzu Berry Chocolate Hearts

Yuzu Berry Chocolate Hearts with layers of silky strawberry ganache and yuzu caramel in a dark chocolate shell.

Inspiration

As I was making these Yuzu Berry Chocolate Hearts, the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon theme song popped into my head, and remained there on repeat! I've never liked dolls and I don't remember that show being a part of my childhood. Yet, as I painstakingly decorated, sprayed and peeled away polka dots and flowers from each mold cavity, I found myself belting out

STRAW-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BERRY

STRAW-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BERRY

STRAW-BUH-BUH-BUH-BUH-BERRY SHORTCAKE

Let's Get Crafty

Moving on from cartoons to crafting...

I made and shared these Yuzu Berry Chocolate Hearts on my Instagram feed back in 2018. I was using craft tape at the time. While the flower motif was easy to remove (because I left an overhang at the edge of the cavity), the circles in the middle of the cavity were a little trickier, and involved tiny tweezers. I later thought to use a light flexible acetate, which worked better. Or, you can skip both and paint to stamp the polka dot design.

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Grab your craft tape (or acetate), hole punches, cocoa butter, your airbrush and let's do this:

• Prepare your chocolate and set aside, hold at working temperature.
• Temper your cocoa butter colours (purchased or homemade) and hold at working temperature.
• Clean and buff your molds like I showed you here. Be sure to glove up, so you don't leave fingerprints on the molds.
• Grab your tape or acetate and craft punches and decorate away - for the flowers I used this hydrangea punch and these punches for the large and small circles.
• Place the shapes in random patterns onto your molds - they will be easier to remove, if you allow an overhang at the edge of the cavity.

• Once the shapes have all been attached, add your first colour (in my case, red), using an airbrush. Allow to set a few minutes and remove the shapes.
• Apply the second colour (green), with an airbrush and allow to set
• Cast the molds with the chocolate from above, tap out and scrape excess. Allow to set.
• Pipe a layer of yuzu caramel and allow to set. Top with the strawberry ganache and allow to crystallize.
• Seal molds with remaining chocolate, place in the refrigerator for a few minutes, remove and rest at room temperature for a few seconds before unmolding.

Not my best cut, and I would switch up the caramel to ganache ratio a touch, but yummy all around! All that's left to do is gift or enjoy, or both! Here's a little video for the visual learners.