Do you know your chocolate essentials?

Chocolate takes just about any dessert to the next level—from rich cakes to dipped cookies. However, here are some things to keep in mind when creating your latest death-by-chocolate bakery concoction:

• Chocolate is more than an added flavor. It will provide structure to baked goods, absorb moisture and add texture (because of its fat content).
• If you are adding cocoa powder to cake or cookies, then adjust your flour ratio—less will be needed than normal.
• The label may give you the “% cocoa,” telling you how much of the bar comes from the cacao bean. However, this doesn’t tell you what the ratio of chocolate liquor to cocoa butter is. So the taste and performance may differ between products, even if the cocoa percentage is the same.  

What are the standard percentages of chocolate liquor, milk solids, sugar, cocoa fat and milk fat for types of chocolate? Find out on BAKERpedia’schocolate page!

Science. It makes life sweeter.