How to master Chocolate – Baking Basics #2
Working with chocolate is often harder than it seems. In this second part of my Baking Basics series, I´ll share with you some tips on how to master chocolate!
Chocolate is one of my favourite things in the world! I LOVE CHOCOLATE!
I love using chocolate in my baking, for example, in my Black Forest Gâteau, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Mini Chocolate and Raspberry Sandwich Cakes or to ice my French Chocolate Éclairs.
It´s also quite fun to make your own chocolate decorations, for example, for this Festive Chocolate Pavlova with Bailey´s Cream or Fraisier Cake.
I even go as far as having chocolate for breakfast, for example when I make Chocolate Overnight Oats or Chocolate and Banana Porridge.
There are a lot of different techniques out there for using and baking with chocolate, so this post will be all about how to master chocolate: melting chocolate, tempering chocolate, making chocolate decorations and making chocolate icing/ganache!
1) Types of Chocolate
In order to master chocolate, you have to understand what types of chocolate are available for you to use.
I´m pretty sure you are aware of this, but there are 3 “colours” of chocolate you can use for baking: White, milk and dark chocolate.
White chocolate is only rarely used in baking and doesn´t have any cocoa solids. It melts at lower temperatures than milk or dark chocolate and doesn´t set as firmly. For me, white chocolate is best for just adding to bakes in chunks, for example when making brownies or triple chocolate cookies.
Milk chocolate has a sweet taste and contains about 30-40% cocoa solids and is good for sweeter bakes. The best chocolate to use for baking is dark chocolate, with about 50-75% cocoa solids. They are perfect for making lovely rich chocolate cakes or adding as chunks to biscuits (for example, in these German Christmas biscuits).
You can also use unsweetened cocoa powder for baking chocolate cakes, however, don´t use drinking chocolate, as has sugar and milk powder added to it!
2) Melting Chocolate
Although you can melt chocolate in the microwave, I wouldn´t recommend it, as it´s hard to control the heat in the microwave.
“Seizing” – If your chocolate seizes, it means that it has overheated. Your chocolate will become lumpy and grainy, and you´ll have to start again.
I would always recommend melting chocolate over a bain-marie. What´s a bain-marie I hear you asking? It´s a fancy Frech word!
The English word for it would be “double boiler”, it´s basically a heatproof bowl set over a pot of hot, steaming water (see picture above).
When melting chocolate, it is very important that your bowl ISN´T TOUCHING THE WATER.
Otherwise, the chocolate could overheat and seize (it will become thick and grainy). To avoid overheating and the chocolate seizing, you must also make sure that the water is only hot, barely simmering. When it comes to chocolate, I always think of something Mary Berry says: “Chocolate melts in a child´s pocket”! You really don’t need a lot of heat to melt it!
Heat the chocolate and stir until fully melted then immediately remove from the heat.
Take special care when melting white chocolate at it melts at even lower temperatures and overheats really quickly due to the high fat and sugar content!
If you want to find out more about seized chocolate and how to try and save it, I´d recommend reading this article here.
3) How to Temper Chocolate
To master chocolate, you need to understand what tempering is.
Tempering chocolate is key to ensuring your chocolate is shiny and smooth when coating cakes, or when making homemade chocolate decorations.
Tempering chocolate involves melting the chocolate until it reaches a certain temperature, immediately cooling it, followed by heating it again. This will alter the crystalline structure of the cocoa butter in the chocolate in a way that results in the smooth glossy result you want.
To temper your chocolate correctly, you will need a sugar thermometer.
Step-by-step Guide:
- Melt the chocolate as explained above. Stirring constantly, let the chocolate come up to 45°C – no more as it will seize at 50°C!
- Set the bowl with the chocolate over a slightly larger bowl with cold (not icy) water. Stir and cool the chocolate until it reaches 27°C.
- Return the bowl to the heat by setting it on top of the pot with steaming water again and heat to 29-30°C.
- The tempered chocolate is now ready to use.
4) Master Chocolate Decorations
If you are planning to use the chocolate decorations on the day you make them, in my experience, it is fine to simply melt the chocolate (see above).
If, however, you want to store the chocolate decorations in an airtight container for a few days before using, I´d recommend tempering the chocolate (see above) first, to avoid the chocolate losing its shine and going a grey-ish colour.
Chocolate “squiggles” or “zig-zags”
These are undoubtedly my favourite chocolate decorations to make, and I use them to top my Fraisier Cake or Festive Chocolate Pavlova.
Simply spoon the melted or tempered chocolate into a piping bag (or a sturdy freezer bag) and snip off a small corner at the bottom. Pipe some squiggly lines or zig-zags of chocolate onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and then run a line of chocolate through the middle, to give the decorations some strength. You could also pipe some stars, hearts, leaves or write something. It is completely up to you!
Leave to set before peeling off the parchment paper.
Chocolate shards
Thinly spread the melted or tempered chocolate onto a piece of baking paper and smooth the surface with the back of an angled palette knife. Leave until set hard, then use a sharp knife to cut the chocolate into shards.
Chocolate shavings
Probably one of the easiest chocolate decorations to make, as it doesn´t require melting the chocolate. Simply use a vegetable peeler to shave off small chocolate curls from the side of a chocolate bar.
Chocolate curls
Spread the melted chocolate onto a piece of baking paper as with the chocolate shards above. As soon as the chocolate starts to set (this won´t take long), use the back of a knife, place it on the chocolate and draw it towards you. The chocolate should then form curls.
5) Chocolate Icings
Chocolate Buttercream
Check out my Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes to find out how to make a chocolate flavoured buttercream icing! It´s perfect for spreading over cakes or piping onto cupcakes! For tips on how to make the perfect buttercream icing, check out my other baking basics post here.
Chocolate Ganache
A chocolate ganache is a silky-smooth mix of chocolate and double cream, perfect for cake decorating or making truffles. You have to use double cream (which is higher in fat), otherwise, the ganache won´t set properly.
For making a ganache icing that can be spread over cakes, you have to use equal amounts of chocolate and double cream.
To make truffles, use twice as much chocolate as cream. Make it as you would a normal ganache, then use to roll into balls and dust with cocoa powder. Or check out these delicious Bailey´s Chocolate Truffles!
Basic Ganache Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 300g dark chocolate
- 300ml double cream
Method:
- Finely chop the chocolate and put it into a glass bowl.
- Put the double cream into a saucepan and heat until just below boiling point.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate and cover the bowl with a plate. Leave to sit for about a minute.
- Uncover the bowl and stir the ganache with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has completely melted. You can now use the ganache 3 ways!
a) Use immediately as a smooth, glossy icing.
b) Leave to cool until slightly thicker, then spread over the cake and create a swirled effect. You can also pipe on the ganache at this stage.
c) Let the ganache cool completely and then whip with an electric whisk until pale and frothy. Great for icing cakes or cupcakes.
Smooth Chocolate Icing
A perfectly smooth, glossy icing, that can be used to spread over cupcakes or choux pastry. You could use this to decorate some classic French Chocolate Éclairs.
Ingredients:
- 50g dark chocolate
- 2tbsp water
- 15g butter
- 75g icing sugar, sifted
Method:
- Melt the butter, chocolate and water in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl isn´t touching the water.
- Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the sifted icing sugar. Mix well until it turns into a smooth, shiny icing.
- Spread the chocolate icing over some chocolate cupcakes or choux pastry. Then leave until set.
