My Chocolate Fantasy

Chocolate Queen asked:


This is a very dense, moist and delicious white chocolate cake – one of my favourites and perfect for Chocolate Week!

Ingredients

For the cake:

310g plain flour

5g baking soda

2g baking powder

3g salt

170g white chocolate, chopped

120ml hot water

225g butter, softened

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

235ml buttermilk

For the icing:

200g white chocolate, chopped

20g plain flour

235ml milk

225g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

5ml vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F/175C/Gas Mark 4. Grease two 9inch round cake tins. In a bowl sieve together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and the salt. In a small pan mix together the white chocolate and hot water over a low heat until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, leave to cool to room temperature. In a bowl mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well. Stir in the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately. Mix in the melted chocolate. Put the cake batter into the cake tins and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Use a fork to see if the cake is cooked, if it comes out clean then it’s ready, if it has some batter on it, cook it for a little longer. When cooked take out of the tins and cool on a wire rack. For the icing, in a pan, add the chocolate, flour and milk and melt over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick and creamy. Allow to cool completely. In a bowl mix together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Mix in the white chocolate mixture and beat until it’s thick and creamy. Spread  between the two layers of cake and over the top and sides of the cake.

There you have it, your delicious, white chocolate cake. Enjoy!

Julie Spear asked:


The first step in making chocolate is to buy the necessary materials and equipment. When you have everything ready, you need to chop the chocolate before melting it and then pouring this into the mold.

The reason why you chop bars of chocolate is to melt it evenly thus preventing overheating. You can use the kitchen knife or use something to cut this more evenly like a pair of chocolate clippers that can also be purchased from the craft store.

People who want to use a knife should make sure it is sharp. The ideal kind should measure at least 8 to 10 inches and when you cut the chocolate make sure that you press the knife down firmly and evenly on the chocolate.

You should start with the corners and then angle the knife slightly outward. You should continue doing so until all the chocolate is chopped into almost sized pieces. When you are finished, you then put this in a bowl so it can be melted.

There are two options when it comes to melting chocolate. The first is to use a microwave. The advantage of using a microwave is that the melting time is very fast. This will be over in a few minutes even if you set the microwave at 50% low power.

How long should you set the microwave timer? The best way to gauge that is 1 minute for every ounce of chocolate? So don’t forget to weigh this first before switching it on.

You might accidentally overheat the chocolate. If this should happen, pour the contents into a cool bowl and add chunks of unmelted chocolate and stir continuously.

If you prefer to use a double boiler, start by filling the sauce pan with hot water from the tap and then put the chocolate over into another bowl. Unlike the microwave where you can put a huge chunk in, you have to put this little by little and stirred constantly to prevent air bubbles. When this is done, this is the time you pour this into the mold.  

Some people add nuts to the chocolate. If you want to try that, there are two ways of chopping that. First, you use a sharp, serrated knife. The other option is to use a food processor but if you don’t have one, a coffee grinder will do. Just remember when you are chopping the nuts, don’t cut this into a fine meal because you will hardly taste it when you eat the chocolate.

Aside from chocolate, you can also use marshmallows. The nice thing about this is that this is available in small sizes so you don’t have to cut it. You can also use candy sprinkles which can be mixed with the melted chocolate when you are stirring it. Save some for the latter part when you take this out of the freezer so you can still add it in the finished product.

Chopping chocolate is just like cooking because this is the same thing you do before you throw in the meat or the vegetables into the frying pan. The only difference is that you only use low heat which is more than enough to melt everything so it can be molded into whatever shape of mold you have.

Julie Spear asked:


When you buy chocolate from the craft store, these are usually sold in blocks which is ready to be transformed into different shapes. To make that happen, you have to melt it.

Melting is not the same thing as tempering so never confuse the two. However, melting is part of the tempering process which can be done using a microwave or a hot water bath.

The nice thing about using a microwave to melt chocolate is that you get the results you want fast with little or no effort at all and mess. Naturally, before you put the chocolate in the microwave, you should put this in a microwave safe container that remains cool or only slightly warm after several minutes.

The ideal setting on the microwave should be at least 50% low power. This prevents scorching or burning. How long should you put these in on the microwave depends on how much you will be using. A good basis will be 1 minute for every ounce of chocolate so put this first on a weighing scale.

If by accident you overheated the chocolate, don’t panic. Pour this into a cool bowl and add chunks of unmelted chocolate and stir continuously.

If you prefer to use a double boiler, start by filling the sauce pan with hot water from the tap and then put the chocolate over into another bowl. Since the water is just warming up in the bottom, you should only put 1/3 of the chocolate and let it melt first before putting the rest in.

You must stir the bowl frequently so all the chocolate has melted. When this is done, this is the time you pour this into the mold.  

Whichever you decide to choose, remember these tips.

First, chop the chocolates into small pieces because it melts quicker.

Never let chocolate get into contact with water because it will make the block of chocolate unworkable.

When melting the chocolate, do this in low heat or temperature so you prevent it from overheating.

To prevent bubbles, stir the chocolate frequently using a rubber spatula but only when the outer edges begin to melt.

You have to remember that chocolate retains it shape when melted so again, you have to stir it constantly so there won’t be any problems getting some using a spoon and then pouring this into the mold.

You can also melt chocolate with other liquids aside from water. You can use cream, milk, cream and wine. But most people use water because it is faster and more convenient. But if you were to try other liquids, make sure that you use at least 1 tablespoon of liquid for very 2 ounces of water. This will prevent the chocolate from binding together and becoming lumpy. But if you are using dark chocolate, you may have to add more than 1 tablespoon per ounce.

Melting the chocolate is key in making your final product when you pour this into a mold. It does not matter whether you choose to use a microwave or a double boiler because you will be doing the same thing in the end which is to freeze it and then pack it up to give it as a gift or serve it as part of your dessert.

Shana Shane asked:


In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about chocolate. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

CHOCOLATE ICE-CREAM Recipe

For about two quarts and a half of cream use a pint and a half of

milk, a quart of thin cream, two cupfuls of sugar, two ounces of

Walter Baker & Co.’s Premium No. 1 Chocolate, two eggs, and

two heaping tablespoonfuls of flour.

Put the milk on to boil in a double-boiler. Put the flour and one cupful of the sugar

in a bowl; add the eggs, and beat the mixture until light.

Stir this into the boiling milk, and cook for twenty minutes, stirring often.

Scrape the chocolate, and put it in a small saucepan. Add four tablespoonfuls of

sugar (which should be taken from the second cupful) and two tablespoonfuls of

hot water. Stir over a hot fire until smooth and glossy. Add this to the cooking mixture.

When the preparation has cooked for twenty minutes, take it from the fire and add

the remainder of the sugar and the cream, which should be gradually beaten into the

hot mixture. Set away to cool, and when cold, freeze.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.