Page 33 - Chocolate Cake Doctor

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late” on the package, which means the • Chocolate chips: An invaluable
manufacturers have received special per- cake-doctoring tool for folding into muffins,
mission from the FDA to do so. The FDA cupcakes, Bundt cakes, layers, sheet
is being petitioned by the CMA to relax cakes, brownies, and cookies. But be
f
the standard because the same product care ul when you melt chips: They may
can be called “white chocolate” in Europe. be melted before your realize, because
(It is fine to use the term “white choco- they tend to hold their shape. Chips are
late” in a recipe title because the FDA most often semisweet chocolate, but they
does not regulate food made at home or come in all sorts of flavors, such as cinna-
l
foods in cookbooks.) To make matters mon, white choco ate, milk chocolate,
even more complicated, some brands are and peanut butter.
made with vegetable oils, like palm ker- • Chocolate syrup: Swirl this
nel oil, instead of cocoa butter. Look for through a Bundt cake or cheesecake.
the words “cocoa butter” on the label, Drizzle it into cream as you are whipping
and if you have a chance, look at the it.
product itself. If it is made with a veg- • Chocolate ice cream sauce:
etable oil, it will be bright white, whereas Thicker than the syrup, this can be used
with cocoa butter it is a more yellowish between layers of cake and ice cream in
ivory color. making frozen desserts. And it is turned
White chocolate is delicate and very into the batter of the Banana Split Fudge
sensitive to heat, and it won’t substitute Cake (page 199) to create just that—a
for dark chocolate in recipes. But it can be banana split taste and texture.
carefully melted and added to cake mix
recipes in order to give the cake flavor and In addition to chocolate, cocoa is a
a rich, crumblike texture. popular addition to cake mix recipes and
frostings. Look for two types:
• Regular unsweetened cocoa:
Other types of chocolate Pressed chocolate with most of the cocoa
• German sweet chocolate: A butter removed is finely ground
sweeter chocolate than semisweet, and the and then put through a sieve to
basis for the famous German chocolate make this basic cocoa pow-
cake. It is sold in a 4-ounce bar, and can be der. This is what your
grated or melted and added to cake batters, grandmother baked with: It
or melted and turned into frostings. is slightly acidic and there-