In terms of baking, there are big differences between dark chocolate and milk chocolate.
Especially for cakes containing gelatin, you should be careful about the fat and cocoa content of the chocolate. Adobe Stock / AOP
Many people replace the chocolate mentioned in the recipe with the chocolate they happen to find in the cupboard.
However, it wouldn’t be worth it. This is what the baking master says Liisa Westerberg.
– If the instructions say 70 percent dark chocolate, then you really have to use it.
Especially in jelly cakes, the amount of gelatin is proportional to the strength of the chocolate. A cake with really dark chocolate doesn’t necessarily need icing at all.
If you change dark chocolate to lighter, the end result can be very disappointing. The cake will probably sag.
The phenomenon is explained by cocoa and the fat content of chocolate.
Chocolate is hard at room temperature. When it is allowed to solidify again after melting, the cake stays together.
Dark chocolate is harder than milk chocolate.
The taste can also slow down
Keeping the cake in a pile is not the only reason why you shouldn’t change chocolate to another completely at your own discretion.
It also significantly affects the taste.
Dark chocolate has different aromas than milk chocolate.
– If you want something sweeter, you should choose milk chocolate. If you want to bring out the bitter aromas of chocolate, dark is better, Westerberg sums up.
Changing the milk chocolate to a darker one is not as critical. According to the baking master, it is “quite possible”, but:
– That also depends very much on the recipe. Maybe then something more is needed.
For example, the darker the chocolate, the more cream is added to the frosting of a mousse cake – and vice versa.
When baking with chocolate, you should therefore follow the recipe obediently.