Mistakes Everyone Makes When Baking With Chocolate

The most common mistake people make when baking with chocolate is choosing the wrong variety. Not all chocolate is created equal, and you can't swap a particular variety stipulated in the recipe with whatever you have on hand. Chocolate is divided into categories, and the one that is commonly used in pastry making will be labeled as baking, cooking, or unsweetened chocolate. This variety usually has no added sugar, as it is supposed to be used in desserts where sugar is added as a separate ingredient. Usually, a lot of sugar is needed to match its bitter character. This variety delivers intense chocolatey flavors and is available in many forms. It is best used for classic chocolate cakes and sponges, but perhaps it's not suitable for creams, frostings, or ganache that usually don't call for added sugar.

Along with the classic unsweetened form, baking chocolate can be labeled as semisweet or bittersweet. As the FDA stipulates, these varieties include added sugar, and the cacao percentage needs to be over 35%. In reality, the brands keep the percentage much higher. Bittersweet varieties usually surpass 60%, while semisweet typically stay around 50%. As the market lacks detailed standardization, these percentages may vary, and the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. So, it's best to read the label for precise info. When in doubt, bittersweet is a great all-rounder suitable for most desserts.

Despite the popular belief, chocolate chips are not a perfect all-rounder for most chocolate-based recipes. They win in the convenience department as you can avoid the tiresome, messy chopping, but baking chocolate is generally a much better option.

Compared to baking chocolate, the chips usually have less percentage of cocoa butter — though this varies across brands — and also include more stabilizers, in most cases soy lecithin. Stabilizers help the chips retain firmness and the desired shape, making them also more difficult to melt. Baking chocolate is usually free or has fewer additions and has much better melting properties. The difference is not so noticeable if you plan to use the chocolate in a melted form and add it to a classic batter. However, you want to stick to baking chocolate if you are working on any recipe that calls for fluid, smooth, glossy chocolate that will not set too fast. Even in muffins or the classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, chopped chocolate might be better as it will create an exciting, eclectic texture with melted bits dispersed throughout the cookie. But if you like that snappy chip brittle, chocolate chips are the best option.

If your recipe calls for melted chocolate, and you decide to follow the advice and skip chocolate chips, you'll need to chop the chocolate bar into smaller chunks. The mistake many people make is to cut the bar into pieces that are either too large or not uniform.

Melting huge chunks of chocolate will simply take too long, and there is a likely chance that you might burn the chocolate in the process. The heat can't melt much chocolate at once, and getting through the layers to get to the center of each piece is difficult and time-consuming. Having uneven chocolate chunks means that some pieces will melt faster than larger ones, possibly leaving you with pieces that haven't melted, and leaving it on the heat for too long leads to a scorched chocolate mass. Ideally, you want to have small, even pieces that will melt quickly and approximately at the same time. Surprisingly, large and irregular pieces are sometimes acceptable. If you plan to add chopped chocolate to cookies, you might want to have uneven pieces as they make the cookie far more exciting to eat, constantly keeping you on the lookout for the next chocolate kick.

The fundamental baking law stipulates that every successful bake starts with room temperature ingredients. Unsurprisingly, the same applies when you add chocolate to the mix. Though the rule is easy to follow, many often make a mistake and disregard its importance or simply don't remember to plan ahead.

The primary purpose of baking is to blend ingredients that don't usually mix to create the perfect dessert alchemy. You are generally working with elements that don't have the same consistency — think of butter and eggs — which means that blending can sometimes be quite demanding. However, the whole process becomes more manageable when working with softer or warmer components. They are much easier to break into to achieve emulsification that helps build tall, well-structured bakes. With melted chocolate, you want to avoid adding cold products that will bring the temperature down and have problems with blending in properly. Don't be impatient and rush it up. Wait for your ingredients to set and warm up, and you will have a successful baking experience.

You might argue that cocoa is not legitimate chocolate, but in reality, this is the most authentic version, but it only comes in a powdered form. It is made from cacao beans that go through the same process as regular chocolate but with an additional step in which all butter is removed to get solids that are then milled into powder. However, in post-production, cocoa goes through different processes, and in the baking world, we mainly differentiate between natural cocoa powder and Dutch-processed variety. While natural cocoa is left to preserve the inherent acidity, the Dutch-processed version is alkalized to reduce the astringency, resulting in milder-tasting powder.

Many people make a mistake and assume that these are two identical, and though they are very similar, they react differently when used in baked goods. Less acidity in the Dutch-processed version means that cocoa won't react with baking soda to give that airy quality to your bake, but it will work perfectly with baking powder. Alternatively, natural cocoa keeps its original acidity and will successfully pair with baking soda and help leaven your cakes without adding baking powder. Flavor-wise, both display intense chocolate flavor, but Dutch-processed cocoa has a more mellow and rounded chocolate character.

Tempering chocolate is one of the most challenging tasks when it comes to chocolate desserts. This technique is usually called for when you want your chocolate to hold shape, have a uniform, glossy finish, and attain that distinctive crunch and snap. It is mainly used for glazes, coatings, dips, and molds, such as these festive hot chocolate bombs. Along with its ritzy appearance, tempered chocolate is less likely to bloom.

Home bakers often skip this step or make a similar mistake of not tempering the chocolate properly. There are several ways to temper chocolate, and though the counter technique looks quite neat, it calls for a lot of space and cleaning. The best and easiest way for home kitchens is to melt ⅔ of the chocolate stipulated in the recipe and then add the rest. You'll have to keep mixing until all the chocolate is entirely melted and the mix is ready for immediate use. The trick is to melt the chocolate and not exceed the specified temperature. Though it differs across types and brands, the ideal temperature for dark chocolate should be around 120 — 130 degrees. Anything higher than that might result in a split chocolate far from the glitzy version you were aiming for. You can melt the chocolate using any method you prefer, but the double broiler is again the safest way to go, allowing you to control the temperature quickly.

Chocolate bloom usually occurs when the chocolate is not adequately tempered or stored, allowing the fat or sugar to separate and resurface. Fat will usually separate due to heat, while sugar bloom mostly happens if the chocolate is stored in the fridge. Fat or sugar will crystallize on the surface, creating a crumbly, whitish coating. The dull streaks are usually noticeable and give chocolate an unattractive appearance. But don't throw it out; bloomed chocolate is still fine to eat and cook with. The taste is usually not compromised with chocolate bloom, but you might feel the difference in the texture as the chocolate might not be as smooth as it used to be.

Bloomed chocolate is great for baking, especially in a melted form, as the crystals will be reintegrated with other ingredients, and the chocolate will return to its original form. If you temper it, it will again have the ability to attain its unblemished shine. Alternatively, use it for creams, fudge, ganache, chocolate tarts, and mousse, or turn it into a cup of comforting hot chocolate.