Cookbook: The Chocolate Bible

The Chocolate Bible

This cookbook was a Julia Child Cookbook Award Finalist in 1998.

A Finalist in the Bread, Other Baking and Sweets Category

The Chocolate Bible
Author: Christian Teubner
Publisher: Penguin Studio

The Chocolate Bible's Cooking Tip:

Baking with Chocolate and Cocoa

"The principals for baking with chocolate and cocoa are the same as those that apply to making cakes in general. Chocolate, in the form of couverture or cocoa powder, is only one of a number of ingredients added for flavor in a recipe. It can be added to any mixture form short crust pastry through different typed of cake batter to dough, to meringue. Unlike many other flavorings, however, chocolate and cocoa powder contain a high percentage of fat, which has to be taken into account when you combine them with other ingredients.

In doughs and batters such as shortcrust pastry or pound cakes, which already contain a high proportion of fat, this is not a problem. But it is trickier with spongecake batters and particularly with meringue, which consists solely of egg whites and sugar. These mixtures react sensitively to the addition of fat, so you must be especially careful to follow the instructions when blending the various ingredients. Success depends on following the method carefully and on using the correct amount of each ingredient."