Monday, March 2, 2009

The steps to take in baking perfect chocolate cakes

By Foong

One of the common favorite desserts is probably the humble chocolate cake. It is probably the ultimate indulgence for any chocolate lover and anyone could swoon over a piece of rich and moist chocolate cake. It is no wonder that chocolate cakes recipes can be found everywhere.

To bake rich and moist chocolate cakes may seem daunting and difficult if you are new at baking but it actually only requires quite a few skills that you could perfect with practice. After a few tries, you will find that you have become an 'expert' at baking the perfect chocolate cake!

One of the main ingredients for chocolate cakes are of course, chocolate! If you wonder how some cakes are richer with a more chocolatey taste than others, it is because of the quality of chocolate that was used in it. In the market, chocolates comes in many different types from white chocolate to the extra dark chocolate so you will need to know which ones to choose for your cake baking projects.

In choosing the right type of chocolate for your baking project, it is always a good bet to buy baking chocolates with a higher cocoa content. Dark baking chocolates such as those with above 70% cocoa content will give your cake a richer, thicker and stronger chocolate taste.

Another tip to choosing chocolates is always to get those meant for baking as these invariably have less sugar in it, thus it won't make your cake too sweet. Now, if you are not planning on baking a dark chocolate cake, then you could always choose chocolates that has less than 70% cocoa content.

Next is the cocoa powder you could use as an alternative to chocolates. Now, there are some recipes, especially the low calorie chocolate cakes which only require cocoa powder instead of chocolates. For cocoa powder, it is easier for you to make a choice. Always go for organic 100% cocoa powder. These are definitely very rich and is quite healthy too!

Most chocolate cake recipes only require five main ingredients, that is the chocolate, butter, eggs, flour and sugar. After choosing your chocolates, you will need to take the first step of melting the chocolate and the butter together. To melt this two sensitive ingredients need patience as you will need to boil a pan of water first. Then you place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and then you place the bowl over the boiling water to melt. Stir to combine. An easier way, thanks to technology, is of course to use the microwave. Just add both ingredients in a bowl and microwave it for a couple of minutes.

Remember to always use fresh and quality ingredients when baking your cake. It is with such good basic ingredients that you will be able to produce the best chocolate cake ever.

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