CHOCOLATE By Sheilah Kaufman

Many people do not understand the differences between the various types of chocolates, and do not know which is which when it comes to baking or using chocolates.

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans that are cultivated in many parts of the world.

After harvesting they are fermented, dried, cleaned, blended and roasted - something like coffee. During roasting the chocolate flavor is developed, and ground into a mass called chocolate liquor. This later becomes unsweetened chocolate and has a minimum of 50% cocoa butter.

Blending produces a wide range of chocolate with different flavor characteristics. Depending on how much sugar is added it becomes sweet, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate. If 12% of milk solids are added, it becomes milk chocolate. Because white chocolate contains no chocolate liquor it is not officially considered chocolate.

Bittersweet and semisweet dark chocolate have to contain at least 35% chocolate liquor, but depending on the manufacturer it can vary greatly by the addition of milk solids, butterfat, additional cocoa butter, lecithin and flavorings, as well as the overall amount of chocolate liquor.

European style recipes usually call for bittersweet chocolate, while American style recipes call for semisweet. European companies refer to the chocolate they export to the US as bittersweet or dark, while American companies generally label their chocolate as semisweet.

Sweet dark chocolate is a blend of chocolate liquor and different amounts of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, butterfat, lecithin and flavoring and must have at least 15% chocolate liquor.

Milk chocolate is America’s favorite eating chocolate, and has to have no less than 3.66% milk fat (butterfat), no less than 12% milk solids, and at least l% chocolate liquor. Various amounts of sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin and flavorings are added. Because it does not have as much chocolate liquor it CANNOT be substituted for dark chocolate in a recipe that calls for sweet, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate.

Cocoa Powder is made from chocolate liquor that has almost all the cocoa butter removed. It is important to understand the difference between non-alkalized (natural processed) and alkalized (“Dutch processed” or European style unsweetened) when you bake. Many American brands are non-alkalized. Non-alkalized natural processed cocoa powder is naturally acidic and has the fruity flavor of cocoa beans. Alkalized is treated with an alkali that neutralizes some of the natural acidity in the cocoa and tastes less harsh and is usually darker. If you can’t tell what type of cocoa powder to use, ( usually they are interchangeable), and if you want to be correct in choosing a type of cocoa, look at your recipe. If baking soda is the only leavening agent, or if more baking soda is used than baking powder, the cocoa used probably should be non-alkalized (natural processed). If the opposite is true, the cocoa to use most likely should be alkalized (Dutch processed).

Unsweetened chocolate has about 147 calories and 16 grams of fat per ounce, semisweet and bittersweet have about 135 calories and 9 grams of fat per ounce, and milk chocolate has 148 calories and 9 grams of fat per ounce. White chocolate (that isn’t really chocolate) has l62 calories and 9 grams of fat per ounce.

Got it? Now we’re ready to bake!

CHOCOLATE: TO RID YOU OF YOUR WINTER BLUES

Next time you are tempted to take a box of candy as a hostess gift, or for a housewarming,

try a home made chocolate cake...after all if “nothing says lovin’ like something from the oven,” then that must go double for something from the oven made of chocolate!

MUD CAKE

Packaged brownie mix makes this rocky road-type cake a breeze, and anyone with a sweet tooth will savor the results.

20 oz package of fudge brownie mix
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 cups miniature marshmallows (or big ones cut up)
35 vanilla wafers
16 oz box confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 / 2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 / 2 cup softened margarine
1 / 2 cup milk
1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, adding pecans to batter.
Spread in a greased 9x13" pan and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Sprinkle marshmallows over how cake and return to oven for 4 minutes or until marshmallows are slightly puffed.
Remove from oven and arrange vanilla wafers over marshmallow layer.
In a large bowl, with mixer on medium, combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Spread immediately over wafers and let cake cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut into squares and serve.

PEANUT BUTTER & FUDGE CAKE

Another of my friend Ginnie’s irresistible desserts that combines chocolate and peanut butter to create a fabulous results!

1 cup butter or margarine
l cup water
1 / 2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons canola oil

Frosting

1 /2 cup butter or margarine
6 Tablespoons buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
16 oz box confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan, stirring well.
Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts.
Stir a little of the hot mixture into the eggs, and then return this to hot mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly.
Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly.
Combine flour, baking soda and sugar, and with an electric mixer on medium, add to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended.
Stir in vanilla.
Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13" baking pan and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes, or until cake tests done.
Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Combine peanut butter with oil, stirring well, and spread carefully over top of cooled cake.
To prepare the frosting, combine ½ cup butter, buttermilk, and cocoa in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the butter melts, and mixture is bubbly.
Remove from heat.
Combine warm cocoa mixture with confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl and beat at medium speed until smooth.
Stir in vanilla and spread over peanut butter topping.
Chill until serving..

CHOCOLATE POUNDCAKE

This moist pound cake’s ideally suited to people who like the sensuous flavor of chocolate but who prefer a less sweet dessert.

3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons grated unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Sift together the first 4 ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, with mixer on medium, cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy - about 5 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and milk to bowl, beating well after each addition.
Stir in grated chocolate and vanilla.
Turn batter into greased and floured l0" tube pan or Bundt pan and bake at 350 F for 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on wire rack l0 minutes, then turn out of pan onto wire rack to cool completely.
Refrigerate several hours, wrapped in foil, for easier slicing.

UPDATED OLD FASHIONED CHOCOLATE PUDDING

This recipe is from The American Medical Association’s new FAMILY HEALTH COOKBOOK and is healthy, in moderation!

1/ 2 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch processed
2 1/ 2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 cups skim milk
1/ 2 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
l 1/ 2 teaspoons vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt.
Gradually whisk in about half of the milk until smooth, then whisk in the remainder.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the pudding thickens and comes to a boil, 5 - 8 minutes. Cook, stirring, l minute more.
Remove the pudding from the heat and add the chocolate and vanilla. Allow the pudding to stand l minute to melt the chocolate, then stir gently just until smooth.
Pour the pudding into a serving bowl. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a “skin” from forming. Refrigerate at least l hour and up to 8 hours.

Serves 4

HORATIO’S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

4 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened to room temperature.
1 1/ 2 cups sugar
l 1/ 2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
l cup whipping cream

In a large bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese.
Slowly add the sugar and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
Beat until light and fluffy - about l0 minutes.
The sugar should be well dissolved. Taste a little, if it is grainy, beat longer.
Add the cocoa and beat until mixture is smooth and the cocoa dissolved.
In another large bowl, with the electric mixer at high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the cheese mixture one half at a time.
Divide into individual serving dishes, or place in a large serving bowl.
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Serves l0 to 12.

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES

These old favorites taste better than any cupcakes. I always make a double recipe and freeze half.

Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
l egg, well beaten
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
6 ounces chocolate chips

Cake:

l 1/ 2 cups flour
l cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
l teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
l cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
l tablespoon vinegar
l teaspoon vanilla

Filling: In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the cream cheese with the eggs, sugar, and salt until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Place paper cupcake liners in 2 or 3 inch muffin tins.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla, and mix well by hand.
Fill the cupcake liners halfway full with the cake batter.
Drop about l tsp of the cream cheese filling over the cake batter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cake part tests done.
Cool on a wire rack for l0 minutes before removing them from the tins.
Chill for several hours or overnight before serving, or else it will be difficult to peel the paper liners off of the cupcakes.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

Back to Articles