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Troubleshooting Cracked Feet on Bonbons


secast1992

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So I've been experiencing cracks on the foot of my bonbons that I've been unable to find the cause of, hoping to reach out to the community to get to the bottom of this costly problem. 

 

I work for a small chocolate company that makes our own bean to bar couverture. We use a continuous tempering machine with enrobing belt attachment. 

The process: ganache is made and then piped into round silicone molds, which are then footed with tempered chocolate before being placed in the freezer until frozen enough to pop out of the molds. They are then set up right and left to thaw and dry out overnight on a equipped with fans aimed at the bonbons. The next day we send the bonbons through the enrober, and then they are transferred to a speed rack to set up, either at room temp (generally around 68-70 degrees F) or in a homemade cooling cabinet (an insulated box equipped with an air conditioner + dehumidifier + fans) that generally fluctuates between 50-56 degrees F (I know, large range). 

 

Problems occur with both milk and dark couverture, with bonbons kept at room temp or in cabinet, thickness of foot doesn't seem to make a difference (we've tried thicker and thinner). Crack doesn't immediately appear; it usually takes a couple of minutes after being completely set before showing. It looks as though the foot is popping out, cause a hairline crack between the shell and the foot. I've attached pictures. You'll notice in the photos, that when the bonbon is cut in half, the foot separates from the shell pretty significantly. 

 

Thoughts? Suggestions? Similar experiences? 

 

bonbon.jpg

bonbon2.jpg

bonbon3.jpg

bonbon4.jpg

bonbon5.jpg

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My first thought is that after you bottom the ganache in the molds with chocolate and freeze it the chocolate may be crystallizing too quickly and is unable to properly bond with the chocolate when it is enrobed.

 

Have you ever piped chocolate directly onto a block of ice or a frozen sheet tray?  the cocoa butter sets up so quickly that it is rendered flexible and can be shaped and folded as it has taken on a plastic quality.  

 

You may want to try bottoming the the ganache after it has set up enough to pop out of the molds or try whipping the ganache after it has cooled in order to pipe it out of a bag directly onto disks of tempered chocolate (see the books by either Wybauw or Grewling for examples).

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I would agree with what @artiesel is saying. Is there a way you can leave the bottoming of the ganache until after it has been removed from the molds?

 

 

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Your external chocolate is contracting and squeezing the filling, putting pressure on the weak point as described by @artiesel. Would it be possible to try using the same ganache into pre-made truffle shells and then enrobing those to see if you get the same problem?

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