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Whether you plan to bake a pan of brownies or a layer cake, the recipe will probably call for a few squares of "baking" chocolate.
While that may seem like a simple ingredient, it's not. There are unsweetened, bittersweet and semisweet bars to consider. Others boast 56 percent cacao, 70 percent cacao and even 99 percent cacao.
And those are just the offerings at the grocery store. At a gourmet food shop, the number of chocolate options multiplies.
"The whole definition of baking chocolate is a little bit fuzzy," explains Art Pollard, owner of Amano Artisan Chocolate in Orem.
The one-year-old company makes high-quality chocolate designed to be savored slowly as a sweet indulgence. But lately, many Utah pastry chefs have been using Amano's rich chocolate to create decadent desserts.
"We designed our chocolate to be eaten rather than baked with, but those who use it that way end up with some superior products," said Pollard. "Besides, I don't think it's wise to cook with something you don't want to eat."
Pollard said home cooks should follow the professionals and worry less about the commercial monikers on the chocolate labels, and pay more attention to what is inside the chocolate they are buying.
Some manufacturers use poor quality less expensive cocoa beans to make their chocolate, assuming that when mixed with flour, eggs and sugar "those other ingredients will cover up some of those imperfections," Pollard said.
But like anything else, you get what you pay for.
"You can't use a poor cut of meat and expect that you are going to have a masterpiece at the end," said Pollard. "No matter how good your skill is, you've got to start off with good quality."
From bean to bar
All chocolate comes from the tropical cocoa bean. The beans are removed from their outer pods, dried, roasted and cracked open, revealing the inner core called a "nib."
These nibs are then ground into a smooth liquid called chocolate liquor which despite its name contains no alcohol. This dark, bitter liquid is made up of two things: cocoa butter and cocoa solids.
Chocolate manufacturers add sugar and flavoring in varying amounts to the cocoa liquor to create their own signature chocolate.
For chocolate to be labeled "bittersweet" or "semisweet" it must contain a minimum of 35 percent cocoa butter and solids, according to standards set by the Food and Drug Administration. Sweet chocolate must have 15 percent and milk chocolate only 10 percent.
Manufacturers of lower-grade chocolate stick to the FDA's minimum requirements, bulking up their bars with sugar, emulsifiers, vegetable oil and other fats and fillers.
Higher-quality semisweet and bittersweet products can contain anywhere from 55 to 85 percent cocoa, or more commonly referred to as "cacao."
When it comes to baking, the editors at Cooks Illustrated suggest ignoring the names such as "bittersweet" or "semisweet" and concentrate instead on finding chocolate that contains about 60 percent cacao "the type most recipes calling for dark chocolate have been developed to use."
Anything higher and cakes and brownies will tend to be dry and lack sweetness, the magazine editors said in the February, 2008 issue in which they tested 12 brands of dark chocolate on sweetness, intensity of flavor, texture and overall appeal.
"When chocolate manufacturers increase cacao content, they correspondingly decrease the amount of sugar and usually add less cocoa butter," the report notes. With less sugar and fat, the end product will have a different result.
Surprisingly, the magazine's top chocolate picks were not the most expensive. The moderately priced Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate bar, with 60 percent cacao, was the favorite. The dark chocolate from Belgium only cost about 43 cents per ounce.
The Ghirardelli's Bittersweet Chocolate baking bar, about 75 cents per ounce, was a close second. Both bars beat out more expensive brands such as Valrhona and Guittard.
Finally, the best chocolate for baking just like wine, coffee or other food stuff really boils down to personal taste, said Bob Carter, owner of Bakers C&C in Salt Lake City.
"There really are no rules," said Carter whose store sells a variety of different baking chocolate. "It's really what kind of taste people are looking for and, of course, quality."
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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@sltrib .com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
Types of baking chocolate
UNSWEETENED: Pure chocolate liquor that contains no sugar or flavorings.
BITTERSWEET: Unsweetened chocolate with some sugar and vanilla. Quality brands contain anywhere from 55 to 70 percent cocoa solids. Lower-priced versions will have around 35 percent.
SEMISWEET: A classic dark chocolate with more sugar than bittersweet. Semisweet and bittersweet are usually interchangeable in recipes.
SWEET: Most commonly sold as German's Sweet Chocolate, this contains more sugar and flavorings than semisweet and usually has between 15 percent and 35 percent chocolate liquor.
MILK: Contains a higher percentage of milk solids and sugar than other chocolate but should have a minimum of 10 percent chocolate liquor.
WHITE: Not considered a true chocolate because it contains no chocolate liquor, only cocoa butter mixed with sugar, vanilla, milk solids and emulsifiers.
COCOA POWDER: Cocoa liquor that is ground into a fine powder. Because it contains no sugar it is bitter, but imparts a deep, rich chocolate flavor in baked goods and desserts. Both natural (or nonalkalized), and Dutch-processed (which has been treated with alkali to reduce bitterness) are available.
Chocolate buttermilk cake
with bittersweet chocolate icing
Cake:
Cocoa powder for dusting
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups plus 3 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Icing:
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream, or more as needed
2 to 3 tablespoons liqueur (brandy, rum etc.) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 2 (9- by1 1/2 -inch) round metal pans or a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Spray again and dust with sifted cocoa powder. Tap out extra cocoa. Set pans aside.
Put chocolate in the top of a double boiler, set over boiling water and heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Set aside (Or chop chocolate into 1-ounce chunks and heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat process in 10- to 20-second increments, checking chocolate and stirring between each interval until chocolate is smooth.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until well blended. Scrape down bowl and beater. Beat in vanilla and then eggs, adding them 2 at a time. Beat well to blend, then scrape down bowl and beater.
With the mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk. Stir melted chocolate to make sure it is smooth, then scrape into batter and beat until even in color and no longer streaked.
Divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans, smoothing tops. Bake layers 25 to 30 minutes. Cake should be springy to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean.
Remove cakes from oven. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans to release cake layers. Top each cake layer with a plate or a foil-covered cardboard cake disk. Invert and remove pan. Peel off parchment and cool layers completely before frosting.
For frosting, combine chocolate and cream in the top of a double boiler over boiling water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool. (Or melt chocolate in microwave as suggested above.)
Whisk flavoring into chocolate cream. If using a glass double boiler, transfer mixture to a metal bowl.
Place some ice cubes and cold water in a large metal bowl. Set bowl of chocolate into ice water bath. Beat chocolate with a hand-held electric mixer for a few minutes until cool, lighter in color and nearly doubled in volume. It should be thick, creamy and spreading consistency. (Add a little more cream, if necessary, to soften or refrigerate to firm.)
Spread icing on the cake with a spatula.
Serves 8 to 10.
Makes about 3 cups frosting.
Source: Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes by Susan G. Purdy
Brownies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso (optional)
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until well blended. Scrape down bowl and beater. Beat in vanilla and then eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until combined.
In a small bowl, combine the salt, flour, cocoa and espresso, if using.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the flour-cocoa powder mixture until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Spread evenly with an offset spatula or knife.
Bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Makes 12 squares.
Source: Adapted from Julie Neilson
Chocolate crackles
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. Set aside and let cool. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl of a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. mix in eggs and vanilla, then melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide each of the four pieces into 16 (1-inch) balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers for up to three days.
Source: Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies magazine, 2006