How to Melt Chocolate

I found this incredibly helpful article on  http://candy-recipes.blogspot.com/ . An awesome blog for anything related to yummy sweet stuff!

How to melt chocolate is a basic need-to-know for making cakepops. 

Melting Chocolate

Melting chocolate is not the same as tempering chocolate, although melting is a necessary step in the tempering process. Melting chocolate can be accomplished in a microwave or over a hot-water bath. There are a few fundamental guidelines to successfully melting chocolate:
Make sure the chocolate is chopped into uniform pieces to ensure even melting. Never try to melt large bars or blocks of chocolate that have not been chopped. 
Avoid all contact with water! Chocolate will seize and become unworkable if it comes into contact with even a few droplets of water. Make sure your bowls, workstation, and spatulas are completely dry. 
Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat. Chocolate is very delicate and can become lumpy or grainy if overheated. 
Stir the chocolate frequently with a rubber spatula, once the outer edges start to melt. 
Chocolate retains its shape when melted, so the only way to know if it is truly melted is to stir it. Do not rely on appearances alone. 

Melting Chocolate in the Microwave

The microwave is a great tool for melting chocolate. If used properly, it can melt chocolate more quickly than a double boiler with minimal effort and mess. The most critical part of melting chocolate in the microwave is choosing an appropriate container. Ideally, you want to melt your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl that remains cool or only slightly warm after several minutes of near-continuous microwaving. If the bowl is too hot for you to handle after it has been microwaved, it is too hot for your chocolate. If you have overheated your chocolate, immediately pour it into a cool bowl add chunks of unmelted chocolate, and stir continuously.

It is preferable to melt your chocolate on a low (50%) power setting, to avoid scorching or burning it. If your microwave does not have this option, heat the chocolate in shorter intervals and stir between each bout of heat. Additionally, if your microwave does not have a turntable that rotates the bowl of chocolate, manually turn the bowl each time you stop and stir the chocolate.

It is very difficult to determine exact microwaving times, as it can vary depending on microwave wattage, quantity of chocolate, and even the cocoa butter content of the chocolate. However, as a rough guide, estimate about 1 minute for 1 ounce of chocolate, 3 minutes for 8 ounces of chocolate, 3.5 minutes for 1 pound of chocolate, and 4 minutes for 2 pounds. Run the microwave in 30 second-1 minute increments, stirring in between and rotating the bowl if necessary. Finish heating when most, but not all, of the chocolate is melted. Stir the chocolate continuously until it is smooth, shiny, and completely melted.

Melting Chocolate With a Double Boiler

The traditional method of melting chocolate is to use a double boiler. A double boiler is a specialized set of pans consisting of a saucepan that holds hot water, and a bowl that fits securely over the saucepan. Chocolate is placed in the top bowl and allowed to melt over gentle, indirect heat. If you don’t own a double boiler, any metal or glass bowl that fits snugly over the top of a saucepan can be used.

Begin by filling the saucepan with hot water from the tap. You want enough water to provide heat, but not so much that the bottom of the chocolate bowl touches the water. Heat the saucepan over low heat until it just begins to simmer, then turn off the stove and place the chocolate bowl over the water. If you are melting large amounts of chocolate, begin with 1/3 of your final quantity and melt in batches, waiting until the chocolate in the bowl is melted before adding more unmelted chunks. Let the chocolate begin to melt, and then stir it gently with a plastic spatula. When almost all of the chocolate is melted, life the top bowl from the saucepan and set it on the counter. Stir continuously until it is shiny, smooth, and completely melted.

Melting Chocolate With Liquids

Many recipes call for melting chocolate along with liquids like milk, cream, water, or liqueurs. Melting chocolate with liquids is often faster and more convenient, since it often speeds melting times and prevents common chocolate problems like overheating. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when melting chocolate with other substances.

Chocolate should never be melted with very small amounts of liquid. Always use at least 1 tablespoon of liquid for every 2 ounces of chocolate. This prevents the dry particles (cocoa and sugar) in the chocolate from binding together and becoming lumpy. Very dark chocolates may require more than this guideline, so be prepared to add another spoonful or two of liquid if necessary. When adding large quantities of liquid, add it all at once, rather than in small amounts, to prevent the chocolate from thickening.

Cold liquids should never be added to melted chocolate, as it can cause the chocolate to seize. Instead, ensure that your liquids are warm (but not boiling) when you add them to chocolate. Additionally, many recipes, like ganache, call for hot liquids to be poured over chopped chocolate. The heat from the liquid melts the chocolate, while the room temperature chocolate cools down the liquid. If you are following this method, allow the hot liquid and chocolate mixture to sit for a few minutes, then gently whisk them together until completely incorporated. Another useful tool for combining chocolate and hot liquids is an immersion blender. This handheld gadget does an excellent job of creating a smooth emulsion without incorporating air bubbles. Food processors, blenders, and electric mixers can also be used at low speeds.


Please go and check out Elizabeth Labau's blog http://candy-recipes.blogspot.com/ or join her at http://candy.about.com/ for candy recipes, tutorials and all candy-related yummy tidbits!

Oreo Cakepops

After seeing a recipe for Oreo cakepops recently, I decided to give it a go. They were delicious and my family had great fun devouring them!

Ingredients & Tools:

• Oreo cookies (any flavor)
• Chocolate or Candy Melts
• Lollipop sticks
• Cream cheese
• Wax paper
• Styroform block

Choose your favourite Oreo's.

 For this recipe I chose the Milk Chocolate flavour. In South Africa, we only get one size box of Oreo's.  It is a small box and ended up making 9 cakepops so if you would like more, add more boxes of Oreo's.  Crumble up all the Oreo cookies in a mixer with 2 tablespoons of softened cream cheese.

It should be a nice play-dough consistency.

 Roll the mixture into balls and place them on a baking sheet with wax paper on top. Put them in the fridge for 15 minutes to harden.

 Grab a lollipop stick, dip it in the melted chocolate and stick it into the ball about halfway and then stick the cake pop into a polystyrene block or, here I used an egg carton, which is perfect for putting back into the fridge for the sticks to set.

Now your cakepops are ready for dipping. I dip them once and then let them dry, stuck into the polystyrene block and then I dip them again to get a really nice finish.

Before the second coat is fully dry, you can sprinkle whatever sprinkles you want.  Here I used Brown Non-Pareils, Chocolate Vermicelli and Sugar crystals grounded with Chocolate Chips.

and all done!

Enjoy!

Bakerella's Basic Cakepops

 I know a lot of you have been asking how to make basic cakepops. Famous blogger Bakerella published this video on Youtube on how to make cakepops and I found it very useful to the 'first-time' cakepop maker.

Some things you need to know:-

If you are South African like me, we do not get Candymelts here so I use plain white chocolate instead and I add colour to the chocolate with powdered food colouring. Add  a teaspoon or two of sunflower oil to the melted chocolate because it tends to be too thick.

Happy Cakepoppin!

http://www.bakerella.com/

Work, work, work!

I am busy making Oreo pops and will put the post up as soon as I am done.

Cake Pop Insanity!: Troubleshooting Cake Pops

I found this great article on the problems so many people have when making cake pops.  The article was written by Christine - Cake Pop Insanity at http://www.crickpop.com.

Cake Pop Insanity!: Troubleshooting Cake Pops:
Having a hard time making cake pops?  Cake pop fail completely?  Do you wonder how everyone else ends up with gorgeous, adorable, cute cake pops, and yours look like lumps on a stick (if they don't fall off the stick first!)?  Well, you've ended up in the right place. 

I have found that the most difficult thing about making cake pops is just getting started.  My first cake pop experience was a total disaster.  It took me a few weeks and a lot of research to finally figure out what I was doing wrong.  So, in hopes of saving you time, as well as helping to keep you excited about cake pops (they are really fun!), I have created a troubleshooting guide for cake pops.  

Problem	Solution
Cake balls won’t hold a ball shape.	You’re using too much frosting.  Either add more cake, or start a new batch.
Cake balls won’t stick together.	You don’t have enough frosting in your cake crumb mix.  Add a little more until your cake balls stick together.
Cake ball falls off the stick.	You’ve used too much frosting in your mix, creating a very soft cake ball.  Add more cake, or just start over.  Use less frosting next time. Keep your cake pops small.  They will have a better chance of staying on the stick if they're between 1.25 and 1.5 inches in diameter. You didn't refrigerate your cake balls long enough.  Make sure that they are well-chilled before putting on the stick and dipping. You didn’t dip your stick into melted candy coating before inserting it into the cake ball.  Make sure that this step isn’t overlooked.
My candy coating/ chocolate coating is thick and lumpy.	Your temperature that you’re melting your coating with is too hot.  Keep your candy temps less than 100 degrees- use a candy thermometer. You’ve gotten water or something that is water-based in your coatings.  It can’t be salvaged for dipping, but you can use it as glue for decorations on the cake pops. Add an oil-based thinning agent, such as Crisco shortening, or Paramount Crystals.
The coating on my cake pops has cracked.	The cake balls were too cold before dipping.  Don’t work with frozen cake balls.  Allow the cake balls to warm up before dipping. The cake balls were too tightly rolled.  Allow some time after removing from the refrigerator for expansion to occur before dipping. Uneven coating.  Really thin or uncoated areas in the candy coating after dipping will create weak areas on the surface.  As the cake ball expands, this weak spot will be where the crack forms.  Make sure your cake pop is completely well-dipped.
Oil is seeping through the coating on my cake pop.	Air bubble holes in the coating.  As the cake expands under the coating, oils in the cake mix will try to escape through any opening they can find!  Pop the air bubbles with a toothpick as the coating is wet (time consuming, and you’ve got to be eagle-eyed to catch every air bubble!).  Try to dam up the hole with a little extra candy coating.  This is a messy option that leaves unprofessional results. Dab-dry the oil as it seeps with a paper towel.  Eventually it will stop, and the hole won’t really be all that visible. My favorite solution is to completely omit the oil when baking the cake mix.  Yes, OMIT it.  It eliminates the oil seepage problem in my experience.  And you’re reducing calories in the process!

One more tip, but this is about decorating the cake pops. I love using edible ink pens to draw faces or designs on my cake pops. Some people have trouble making edible ink go on nicely on the cake pop. First, make sure you're using a good quality edible ink pen. I use Aetco or Americolor edible ink pens, and I found them on Amazon. They work best if your candy coating is dry and fairly oil-free. If you use a lot of Crisco shortening to thin your candy coating, then your pens won't draw on your cake pops well at all- they make the coating fairly oily. Using Paramount Crystals to thin your coating makes for nice, smooth coating and won't add greasiness, which makes drawing on the pops a breeze.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cakepop

I have been dying to try some new cakepop flavours (the inside sponge cake). I normally only make vanilla, chocolate and red velvet and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to make a new flavour.......

Lemon Poppy Seed Cakepops.

I love all the little black seeds in the batter.

I prepared the batter as I normally do but with lemon poppy sponge cake and vanilla frosting. I rolled the batter by hand into balls.

Once refrigerated for 15 minutes, I took the balls out and dipped the lollilop stick in the melted chocolate and inserted it into the rolled ball.

I put them back into the fridge for the sticks to set for 15 minutes. Now these are ready for dipping.

I like to double dip mine as I find you get a better finish. I dipped each cakepop first in white chocolate and then in yellow chocolate.

For the decorating, I used yellow sugar crystals and a white fondant flower. When I use the sugar crystals, I sprinkle them on the wet cakepop over a bowl to avoid wasting the crystals that fall off.

And the result....

Yummy!

Fox 8 Recipe Box: Cake Pops -- WJW

I found this great video on Fox 8 Recipe Box that shows you how to make cakepops the same way I do.