I’ve recently received a few emails from students sharing the same issue: molded bonbons leaking syrup.
Today, let’s explore some of the common reasons why this happens, plus three tips that can help you avoid this issue.
These are the possible reasons why your bonbons might leak:
1) Your recipe is not well-balanced and has too much water
When developing your recipe, knowing how much water every ingredient brings to your filling is crucial.
This includes all the usual liquid ingredients (like cream, milk, fruit purées, and infusions), but also glucose syrup, invert sugar, and butter.
When in doubt, ask your provider for the technical sheet of your ingredients.
Solution: Ensure all your fillings have 22% water content max.
2) You’re using a filling that doesn’t contain chocolate (or cacao butter)
I love layering caramels, fruit compotes, and ganaches in my bonbons.
What I don’t suggest is using caramels or compotes as the only filling, or as the last layer.
Since these products don’t contain any cacao butter—and, therefore, are not stabilized through pre-crystallization and crystallization—they can easily leak.
Solution: Make caramels stabilized with cacao butter or chocolate (like the one in my caramel e-book). If it’s a fruit compote you’re worried about, make sure you pipe it as the first layer of your bonbon.
3) You’re using a caramel or jelly as the last layer of your bonbon
This one is closely related to my previous point. The order in which you pipe your fillings matters.
If you take a look at my recipes, I usually pipe compotes and caramels first, followed by my fat-based fillings or ganaches. These two are usually the last layer before I close the shells.
Solution: Pipe a layer of fat-based filling or ganache over your water-based fillings.
What other issues do you commonly run into? I’d love to help you solve them.
-Melissa