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I'm trying to create a set of liqueur and cream filled chocolates by hand. My current idea is, having created the chocolate for the outsides, to build up layers of it on a "sugar scaffold". I can then inject the filling into the centre and melt closed the hole.

My problem is finding or making a suitable hollow sugar ball to act as the scaffold. I want them to be 1 to 2 centimetres in diameter, robust enough to have the hot chocolate built onto them, and flavourless. I can't find anywhere in the UK to buy such a thing, and I'm not sure how to go about making them.

Can anyone advise me on buying, making or finding an alternative for this project?

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    Not really an answer to the question you asked, but the traditional way to make, say, chocolate liqueur cherries is to coat the cherries in an alcoholic fondant (not the kind you cover cakes with - generally much softer than that, just barely solid), then dip them in chocolate. The fondant melts after just a little standing, and you get that lovely chocolate shell + alcoholic liquid + cherry combination. The point is, there's no need to mess around with hollow sugar balls or injecting filling or anything like that.
    – Marti
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 14:19
  • Alas, in my case, I don't even have the solid cherry to build around. Some of my fillings are just liquids.
    – Adam Wright
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 14:39

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An even simpler method is to freeze your filling until set but still pliable enough to work with. Shape your spheres (or squares, or tetrahedra, whatever), then chill again until they are as solid as possible. Insert a toothpick, dip in chocolate, shake off excess. Stick the other end of the toothpick in a potato or something. Repeat coverage as necessary. (Alternative to using toothpicks is a chocolate fork).

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    That's an interesting idea! I'll have to see how many of my fillings survive the freezing process.
    – Adam Wright
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 14:39
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For filled chocolates, in general your best bet by far is to get a set of polycarbonate molds. I originally got mine from a local gentleman ( http://www.chocolateman.com/ ) but they're available any number of places. Pour a first tempering of chocolate into the molds and let it set, fill your molds, and then cover them with another layer of tempered chocolate. This general approach should work even with liquid fillings, though you'll have to be reasonably careful (and I heartily encourage following daniel's suggestion of freezing your fillings). One caution - you may inadvertently take some of the magic out of the chocolates you buy! I know when I started shopping for polycarbonate molds I started recognizing a lot of the shapes on the pieces from local chocolatiers... :-)

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  • Know what you mean about losing the magic. But you do get really good at recognizing the true hand-dipped chocolates. :)
    – Marti
    Commented Oct 16, 2010 at 4:00

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