What Is Chocolate?
While it is not technically an alcoholic drink, chocolate has many commonalities with alcohol and therefore the word chocolate, is commonly used interchangeably. While the majority of people that consume chocolate do so for pleasure, there are some who actually prefer the flavor of chocolate to other types of food. The health benefits of chocolate may seem somewhat vague, but there is no doubt that consuming chocolate has many positive effects. In fact, chocolate contains the most antioxidants among all types of food – including fruits, vegetables, and meats.
Chocolate itself is made from the seeds of the cocoa plant and is commonly sold in the form of chocolates, barbeque sauce, pudding and even in the shape of the letter “C”. A dark chocolate bar are more than 40% cocoa powder and has an intense taste which is not found in white chocolate. Dark chocolate has the most health benefits when compared to white chocolate. Dark chocolate contains higher levels of polyphenols, the same type of antioxidants that are found in red wine and blueberries.
Although there are many benefits of chocolate, the best thing to know about chocolate is that it does contain some calories. A cup of dark chocolate is about 60 calories; while dark chocolate has been said to increase energy and reduce the risk of getting cancer, there is still some debate over whether the cocoa content of this chocolate can actually cause cancer. Other studies show that dark chocolate can actually fight fat in the body by inhibiting the absorption of calories into the bloodstream. If you prefer to avoid the bad stuff, then look for a milder flavored chocolate instead.
Different Types of Chocolate Cake – Chocolate At Home
If you love chocolate then you have to try out some of the best chocolate cakes. For one thing they are a lot of fun. These cakes can give you an idea of what it’s like to taste a real, quality chocolate cake. They are also a very easy dessert to make and they don’t take too much of your time either. Some people even prefer to make their own chocolate cakes because they can use any ingredients that they like. So now we will talk about the different types of chocolate cake that you can make and how to make it.
The first type of chocolate cake that you can make is a chocolate gâteaux. This is usually the most basic kind of chocolate cake and is usually created by baking a simple vanilla or chocolate cake and then topping it with a layer of cream cheese or chocolate sauce. If you want a less traditional and simpler version then you can make a chocolate gazebo cake. These are usually made by using chocolate syrup, fruit and chocolate chips. The next type of chocolate cake is a chocolate fondue cake. Instead of using cream cheese, some people use butterscotch or caramel for this cake. If you are having a party and want your guests to be able to taste some of the best desserts that there are then you should consider making some chocolate fondue cake.
Finally you can try out a chocolate cake that is shaped like a football. There are many different types of football themed chocolate cakes that you can make, and they usually contain either cream cheese or chocolate chips. If you want something different then why not try making a chocolate peanut butter cup cake. This cake will have a peanut butter frosting on top and it will have a chocolate crumb on top. You can then put a small piece of chocolate fondue inside of the peanut butter cup to make the cake look like a real candy bar.
A Few Facts About the Dark Chocolate – Chocolate At Home
The dark chocolate comes from the Brazilian cacao trees. Cocoa beans are roasted to make this sweet treat, and then they are ground into a fine paste before being used in making these delicious treats.
Chocolate is also sometimes made into powder or in a solid block. When it is made into solid blocks, they are usually sold at the grocery store because the chocolate can be quite expensive.
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Benefits of Chocolate
Chocolate has many benefits, although most people only think of the taste when eating chocolate. The cocoa bean is a complex carbohydrate, and it is important to consume this type of food to keep the blood sugar levels in check. It is also important to keep the blood sugar level normal in order to avoid diabetes. As people age, they tend to have a harder time digesting the cocoa beans. They tend to get less energy and feel tired more often. They are often advised to eat less chocolate as they age. However, it is important to know that there are healthy benefits to consuming chocolate as well.
Chocolate has a lot of antioxidants, and one of the best ways to get the antioxidants in your body is to eat chocolate. The antioxidant activity is what fights off the free radicals, which are damaging agents in our bodies that cause damage to healthy cells and organs. They are also thought to be responsible for many diseases, so it is good to avoid them as much as possible. There is also the added benefit of chocolate having a lot of calcium in it. This helps to prevent bone disease. However, when it comes to the taste of chocolate, people usually find it a little too bitter.
You will only need four basic ingredients to create your very own homemade, delicious chocolate! Don’t you love recipes with such a short list? Here is an overview of what you will need the same ingredients listed in the recipe chocolate card below are in order of importance: virgin coconut oil: prefer the natural sweet flavor it offers to the chocolate. It can be purchased from most health food stores, supermarkets, and online, as well as in health food sections of many stores.
Cacao powder: the beans that make up cacao are not edible! They are black in color and smell like roasted coffee. They are used for brewing espresso and as one of the main ingredients in chocolate! The cacao bean is the blackest part of the bean, and when combined with the cocoa butter and the other cocoa solids, the final product is a chocolate that have the dark, bitter taste of the beans and has been transformed into something tasty and nutritious. It is best to get the highest quality cacao powder and avoid the lower quality chocolates.
Cocoa butter: this is another ingredient used in making chocolate. It is a fat that comes from the cocoa bean. When melted and combined with the rest of the ingredients, cocoa butter creates a rich creamy chocolate taste. When compared to virgin coconut oil, it is more expensive but has a better consistency and flavor.
Dark chocolate: this is a mixture of both cacao powder and cocoa butter. The added chocolate allows it to have a richer flavor and longer shelf life. Dark chocolate can be found in many grocery stores, but it is usually sold as an exotic treat and is much more expensive.
Baking Soda: this is a very important ingredient in creating a rich, creamy chocolate, and is often overlooked by beginners. Simply mix one cup of baking soda with four tablespoons of cocoa butter, or one tablespoon of lemon juice.
You can also find baking soda in most drugstores or supermarkets. The only difference is that it is usually much less concentrated, so if you want to use a higher concentration of baking soda it will take a little longer to create a thick, rich chocolate.
Once you have everything you need to get started on making chocolate, you can learn how to make chocolate at home. If you do not know how to cook, there are many books and articles out there to help you learn how to bake delicious chocolate. delicious, home made chocolate is a great treat to share with your friends and family.
Once you have mastered how to make chocolate at home, you can begin to enjoy it every time you have the opportunity whether it is a gift, as a dessert, or a snack. You may even surprise someone with a homemade chocolate gift basket!
There are also many recipes for chocolate that you can find on the Internet, and once you master how to make chocolate at home you will have a wide variety to choose from. You can find anything from a recipe for homemade chocolate bar to how to make delicious dark chocolate pudding. There is something for everyone.
Another thing you can learn how to make chocolate at home is making delicious chocolate wedding favors. When guests get a gift such as a simple chocolate box, they will be sure to think of you for years to come. These gifts can be wonderful keepsakes for all occasions.
So, if you want to learn how to make chocolate at home, you are going to need some information to help you get started. It doesn’t matter what type of chocolate you like. You will be able to create chocolate of any quality and it will taste even better than when it is in the store.
How to make chocolate at home has never been easier. It is not difficult to find the right ingredients, and once you find them you can learn how to create delicious chocolate that will leave your guests asking for more. You can also find great ways to impress your guests by using various flavors of cocoa butter and baking soda. So, take a few minutes and learn how to make chocolate at home today.
How to Make Chocolate at Home, It’s clear to me that the more I buy chocolate, the more money I spend… and that’s ok in lots of ways as it’s keeping the economy alive, and that’s cool!
Some days I make chocolate on request, or I just make it cause I have the urge to have bulk amounts in the freezer – yes freezer! Freezing your homemade chocolate is a great way to keep it fresher than in the fridge. Simply take what you want out and let it rest at room temp for a few minutes then… EAT!
My chocolate making recipes have come a long way. I started long ago using cocoa powder, sweetener and coconut oil, then I changed the fat to cacao butter, cacao powder and sweetener.
Nowadays I don’t use cacao powder anymore. I use cacao paste or liquor, cocoa butter and sweetener, and boy has this made a massive difference to the texture. It’s truly next level chocolate.
What is there not to love about truly decadent chocolate that feels somewhat like a store bought bar of LINDT chocolate?! That’s the kinda texture I’m speaking of when I say my recipes have changed…
The love of chocolate, what is there not to love?
When I talk about chocolate with my friends, we come to this point that we get all those lovely memories and feelings every time we eat chocolate together. It’s epic and delicious at the same time.
Chocolate is such a big part of our lives – well mine anyways – but do you have any idea how we get it? It’s story time guys!
Well, it all starts with chocolate pods, which can be of different colours. If you get a chance to pick one from a tree, you can open it up, and you’ll find incredible, sticky, tiny seeds covered in white stuff that looks much like garlic. If you taste one of these, you will sense a mild flavour similar to lychee or mango, but if you bite it… OMG, it’s so bitter! You’ll immediately run to the bin and spit it out…
…Anyway, these seeds are put into barrels to ferment, and they go from one barrel into another until the fermentation time is up (ALL CACAO SEEDS ARE FERMENTED). They are then tipped onto a huge platform when this process of fermentation is over. They are left on this platform so that the sun can dry all the stickiness and white stuff off.
From here, the fermented seeds travel to a massive big oven where they are roasted on a very low heat. At this point, the seeds are no longer white and sticky and don’t resemble garlic at all. Instead, they are much smaller in size and light to dark brown in colour. Actually, they look like small very dark brown almonds. OMG, it’s getting exciting!
These roasted seeds are then taken to a massive stone mill where they are ground so that they come out as a paste. We are getting closer to that chocolate that we love so much. The paste is then pressed, and BOOM, out comes cacao butter and cacao powder. How cool is that?!! This just makes me so excited.
So Here Is How We Make Chocolate At Home – Grab the Kids and Have Some Fun
Okay, now I want you to take some cacao butter. Fill a saucepan with water, set a pot on top of it and bring the water to the boil. Let it boil for some time, then turn off the heat. Shave your cacao butter, add it to the pot and let it melt naturally. Then, shave some chocolate paste. It is as bitter as a bark, just taste or smell it. Then smell the melted cacao butter; it’s pure fat. Now combine the two fragrances. It smells like chocolate!
Anyway, let’s get back to this chocolate making business…..
Melt the cacao paste in the same way as the cacao butter. Now you have the two basic ingredients, but don’t rush. I can understand your impatience, but don’t risk ruining your chocolate.
So, when you take the upper pots where the melted butter and paste are, make sure to wipe away every bit of moisture so that water doesn’t go into the chocolate. And here comes the fun part. Just pour the melted butter into the melted paste and give it a stir.
Now is the time to add something sweet to this chocolate, don’t you think so?
Take that glorious maple syrup and feel free to play and add as much, or as little as you want.
But don’t stop at the maple syrup though.
Add a pinch of salt and add some essential oils, like peppermint, orange, ginger, tangerine, cayenne – anything you like.
Get your moulds ready, fill them up, pop them into your fridge and BOOM!
This is next-level chocolate guys, made right at home in just a few minutes.
INGREDIENTS
- 250g cacao butter
- 200g cacao liquor or cacao paste
- 1/2 cup maple syrup plus an extra 2 tbsp
- 1/2 tsp vanilla powder
- pinch salt
METHOD
To prepare the chocolate:
- Prepare two pots – one for the cacao butter and the other for the cacao paste.
- Finely chop the cacao butter and paste.
- Add the cacao butter to the top of your double boiler (the pot with hot water), let it melt and set aside.
- Add the cacao paste to the top of the double boiler, melt and set aside.
Tip the melted cacao butter into the cacao paste, add the remaining base ingredients and mix well to incorporate.
Combine the chocolate base with any of the flavour combos above.
Pour into your mold or ice cube tray and place in the freezer to set.
Pop the chocolate treats out and enjoy!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2-5 minutes
Serves: Makes 28 chocolates per batch
Freezer friendly: YES
Kwabena Okyire Appianing
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