Monday, March 2, 2009

The steps to take in baking perfect chocolate cakes

By Foong

Chocolate cakes are probably one of the most common favorite desserts in the world. If you ask any chocolate lover, chocolate cakes are probably the ultimate indulgence, especially the ones that are moist and rich. That is why there are plenty of chocolate cakes recipe out there.

New cooks will always have this pressure when it comes to baking a rich and moist chocolate cake because they fear failure. However, fret not as baking the perfect chocolate cake only needs practice and some great baking tips. If you persist in trying a few times, you will soon be baking perfect chocolate cakes in no time.

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!

With the chocolates or cocoa out of the way, the other main ingredients for chocolate cakes are butter, sugar, flour and eggs. Most simple chocolate cake recipes only have this five ingredients and the first step is always to melt the chocolate and the butter together. The trick to melting these two main ingredients is to heat up a pot of water to boiling, put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over the boiling water. Then you stir it to completely combine the melted butter and chocolates. A simpler and easier way is to use the microwave to melt the concoction. Just put in a bowl, pop it into the microwave and zap it for two minutes.

Whatever cake you make, always ensure that you use fresh and quality ingredients. This way, you will always end up with the best chocolate cake ever! - 15634

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