What Is Compound Chocolate?
Chocolate has been around since the early days of civilization. It’s a favourite among people of all ages and cultures.
Compound chocolate is made by mixing several ingredients into melted chocolate. It gives it a smooth texture and makes it much easier to eat.
Compound chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk powder, vanilla extract, emulsifiers, stabilisers and other ingredients. Some brands contain artificial flavours and colours.
The most popular compound chocolates are:
- Dairy Milk – A blend of chocolate with cream or condensed milk; also available in plain block chocolate only.
- Swiss Milk – made from dark chocolate containing added flavouring agents such as orange peel, coffee beans, hazelnuts and almonds.
- Toblerone – Contains fruit pieces mixed in the centre of each bar.
While chocolate is an amazing food, there are a few things you should keep in mind before using it in baking.
Can you use compound chocolate in baking?
Yes! You can make delicious cakes, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, ice-cream and more with compound chocolate. Because it can be melted, moulded, and used as an ingredient in many kinds of recipes.
You may notice that some recipes call for “dark chocolate” while others say “milk chocolate”. This means they contain either dairy products like milk powder, or non-dairy alternatives instead.
If your recipe calls for compound chocolate but doesn’t specify whether it’s dairy or non-dairy, just use any type of compound chocolate.
Compound chocolate is a mass-produced product made from cocoa powder, vegetable oils, and other ingredients. It can be used as an alternative to regular chocolate in baking.
How to make compound chocolate at home?
Make sure you have everything prepared prior to starting this project so you don’t waste time once you melt chocolate.
To make chocolate compound at home, you need cocoa powder, sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla extract.
Make sure your kitchen is well lit because its contents will boil after being heated. Also, wear comfortable clothes when working with heavy equipment.
1. To melt the chocolate truffles, place 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high until steaming, about 2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds during microwaving.
2. Add 3/4 cup of white rice flour and stir vigorously until no lumps remain. Continue cooking another minute or two.
Pour mixture onto wax paper covered chocolate chunk cookies sheet and spread out evenly. Let cool completely. Once cooled, break up any large clumps.
Note: The batter needs to stay moist enough to mould. If not, add additional almond milk if necessary.
3. Melt the chocolate type over double boiler set at 150 degrees F. Do NOT let the temperature get too low or the chocolate will burn.
4. When the chocolate bars are almost fully melted, remove from heat. Slowly pour the quality chocolate through a fine-mesh strainer into small bowls. Set aside half of the semisweet chocolate to re-use later. Cool chocolate down to room temperature.
5. Mix remaining half of melted chocolate, coconut oil, and salt. Pour the mixture into individual moulds and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving.
For best results, chill the compound chocolate thoroughly before adding toppings.
6. Make frosting by combining powdered sugar, soy creamer, and peanut butter. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Top cake with frosting immediately. Garnish with chopped nuts.
Enjoy!
Helpful tips
- Use a candy thermometer to maintain an even temperature inside the pan. An accurate reading at all times ensures better consistency.
- An excellent substitute for dark chocolate varieties would be 70% cacao chocolate.
- To ensure a perfect result, do not leave the oven unattended. Turn off the oven door first. Wait 5 – 10 minutes before opening the oven again.
- Do not skip steps 6 & 7. They are essential for achieving optimal flavour.
How does compound chocolate compare to normal chocolate?
Compound chocolate has less fat than traditional chocolate. Therefore, it tastes more like plain chocolates, which makes it great for desserts that require only sweet taste without texture.
It also contains less cholesterol since there are fewer fats involved compared to traditional correct chocolate.
However, compound chocolate usually comes with added sugars such as vanilla extract and caramelised flavours, which may distract consumers from tasting the actual chocolate itself.
In addition, it can take longer to eat because of having higher calorie content.
Since compound chocolate is made using cocoa solids instead of whole beans, it doesn’t contain caffeine, unlike regular baking chocolate.
You should still limit consumption of compound chocolate, however, especially for children who might accidentally overeat it.
There’s really nothing wrong with eating some compound chocolate; just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
What is chocolate compound used for?
Chocolate compound is mostly used in making ice cream, cakes, brownies, cookies, etc. It provides extra sweetness and richness to these products.
When mixed well, compound chocolate works very similar to real chocolate. However, when combined with other ingredients, this type of baking with chocolate has unique properties.
The major difference between compound chocolate and regular chocolate lies within their composition.
Regular chocolate consists mainly of cocoa powder, while compound chocolate uses ground up cocoa nibs or nibs alone. Hence, compound chocolate will provide additional depth in terms of aroma and flavour.
This chocolate cannot be substituted for simple chocolate because they come from completely different sources.
Conclusion
Chocolate compound is not an ideal substitute for real chocolate in baking. Compound chocolate is used in the preparation of chocolate drinks and desserts.
It is made of cocoa butter, cocoa mass, sugar, and flavourings. They are available in different flavours like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mocha, etc.
You can use them in your favourite ice cream or mousse recipe.