How to prepare the perfect chocolate coating?
At first glance, it is the simplest activity that everyone, even a novice housewife, should be able to master, and yet it can complicate the work of even an experienced confectioner. The perfect chocolate coating beautifies every dessert, pleases every sweet tooth and charms many eyes. How to achieve this effect even without many years of experience?
Classic chocolate frosting for desserts
Preparing a tasty and shiny chocolate coating that you can easily spread on every dessert is sometimes a real art. A great helper is vegetable fat, ideally cocoa butter. Cut the vegetable fat and chocolate into smaller pieces. The amount of fat per chocolate is suitable in a ratio of 1:3. We mix in a water bath that must not boil, it is important that it is warm. The more melted the chocolate, the higher the shine. We can use the frosting prepared in this way when preparing rolls, cakes, slices or for dipping tea pastries. We pour the icing on desserts only at body temperature, never hot. Applying hot icing can cause spots on the chocolate's surface after it hardens.
A good tip:
If you add a spoonful of milk, cream or butter to the chocolate coating, the desserts will be easier to cut.
Good tip 2.:
A higher gloss of the glaze can be achieved by adding a spoonful of oil.
Good tip 3:
A beautiful decoration of the chocolate coating can be obtained simply by using chocolate transfer foils, which you can also find in our e-shop here .
Mirror glaze
It includes all the most... the most shiny, the most beautiful, the best to cut, but also the most demanding. It will be difficult for you only until you study its preparation, then it will be easy for you. You can learn more about mirror coating in our article here . This topping is great for mousse (French) desserts and cakes.
Chocolate ganache
The second relatively simple way to prepare chocolate frosting is to melt chocolate in hot cream. Ganache is known primarily for French cuisine. Just heat the cream and pour it over the prepared chocolate. The basic rule is that the cream should not boil during heating, as it would lose its ability to solidify. Chocolate ganache is also used to prepare creams, it is usually thicker then. However, thanks to the chocolate, which hardens after cooling, you can also whip cream from a thinner frosting. It is recommended to use chocolate with at least 60% cocoa , so we recommend using our Chocolate Liana 70% for this method of preparing the frosting. In the case of cream, 33% whipping cream is the most suitable. If you don't like the bitter taste of ganache, just add a little sugar. The biggest advantage of this type of topping is that it does not crack when cut and, thanks to the added butter, it shines beautifully. It is perfect for cheesecake, tartlets, but also Sachertorte.
Method of preparation:
- Heat the cream, do not boil it, so that it is hot.
- Pour it over the chocolate and let it stand for a while.
- Stir thoroughly until the chocolate melts.
- For more shine, we can add a little butter.
Proportions for the perfect ganache:
- Basic ganache - 1:1 ratio, 100g of chocolate and 100g of whipping cream. It is great as a topping, glaze or fondue.
- Thicker ganache - ratio 2:1, 200 g of chocolate and 100 g of whipping cream. Suitable for preparing creams, fillings for pralines or fillings for cakes.
- Ganache for preparing chocolate foam - ratio 1:2, 100g of chocolate and 200g of whipping cream.
Be careful if you use other chocolate. In the case of white chocolate, the recommended ratio is 3:1, that is, we need 100 g of cream for 300 g of chocolate. For milk chocolate, we use a ratio of 5:2, 250 g of chocolate for 100 g of cream. It is also worth mentioning the replacement of whipping cream with sour cream in combination with milk chocolate. However, the method of its preparation is different, as we first dissolve the milk chocolate in a water bath and then mix in the sour cream.
A good tip:
Let the prepared ganache stand for 10 minutes before pouring it over the desserts. When preparing the cream, it is necessary to let the ganache cool down properly for several hours.
Chocolate coating without adding any other fat
The difference between chocolate and chocolate frosting is that the frosting contains vegetable oil. The easiest way is to buy ready-made chocolate frostings, which do not need to be diluted with additional fat after melting. Their biggest advantage is quick and easy preparation, but the taste can spoil it. When choosing this method of preparing chocolate coating, it is necessary to emphasize the quality of the product.
Slicing desserts with chocolate coating
The most suitable way to cut desserts with chocolate coating is to use a knife that we dip in hot water and dry before making the cut. A perfectly prepared glaze should not crack this way and we should achieve beautiful cuts. As an aid, we can use cut markers, which we choose according to the desired size of the desserts.
What to watch out for with chocolate coating?
During a water bath or steaming, the chocolate must not come into contact with water, even the smallest drop of water can spoil the entire bowl of chocolate coating. Whether you melt the chocolate in a water bath or in the microwave, always make sure to mix it thoroughly. In the case of a water bath, you can stir the entire time until the chocolate melts. If you choose to melt the chocolate in the microwave, set it to a lower temperature and stir the chocolate at regular 15-20 second intervals. This is how you prevent it from burning.
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