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- Chocolate used for baking comes in many forms: bars, morsels, chips, chunks, unsweetened cocoa powder and melted chocolate.
- There are several types of chocolate used in baking:
- Unsweetened baking chocolate contains chocolate liqueur and between 50% and 58% cocoa butter.
- Bittersweet chocolate contains at least 35% chocolate liqueur, sugar and vanilla.
br> - Semisweet and sweet chocolate contain between 15 and 35% chocolate liqueur, sugar and vanilla.
- Milk chocolate contains 10% chocolate liqueur, sugar, vanilla and at least 12% milk solids.
- Melted chocolate, which is unsweetened chocolate packed in 1-ounce packages, is found in the baking section of the grocery store. It is made with vegetable oil rather than cocoa butter. It does not have the same intense chocolate flavor as other unsweetened chocolate.
- Unsweetened cocoa is cocoa liqueur that has been dried and ground into powder.
- Dutch-processed cocoa has been treated with an alkali to help neutralize chocolate’s natural acidity creating a richer, darker product than regular unsweetened cocoa.
- White chocolate is not “true chocolate” because it contains no chocolate liqueur, though it is a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids and vanilla.
- Store chocolate tightly wrapped in a resealable plastic food bag in a cool (60° to 70° F) dry place.
- Unsweetened, bittersweet, and semisweet chocolate stays fresh for years when stored properly.
- Unsweetened dry cocoa powder will keep indefinitely.
- Milk chocolate and white chocolate should be stored for no longer than nine months because they contain milk solids.
- If stored at warm temperatures, chocolate will develop gray surface streaks and blotches called “bloom”. The gray blotches are cocoa butter that has risen to the surface. If stored in damp conditions, chocolate may form small gray sugar crystals on the surface. In either case, the chocolate is still safe to use and will not affect the quality of the final baked product.
- Bittersweet and semisweet chocolate may be used interchangeably in recipes, but there may be slight differences in flavor and texture.
- Unsweetened cocoa and Dutch-processed cocoa may be used interchangeably in any recipe although the Dutch-processed cocoa will produce a milder-flavored, richer, darker product.
- Substitute for 1 ounce semisweet chocolate: use 3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate pieces or 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Substitute for 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate: use 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tablespoon butter, melted.
- Substitute for 1 ounce sweet baking chocolate: use 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa plus 4 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons butter.
- Do not substitute chocolate syrup for melted chocolate in any recipe.
- Do not substitute instant cocoa mix for unsweetened cocoa. Instant cocoa mix contains milk powder and sugar and could alter the flavor and texture of the finished baked product.
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