How to make melted chocolate for a cake. How to melt dark and white chocolate at home? With butter for frosting the cake

Some things in cooking seem so basic to experienced cooks that they don't pay much attention to them. For example, it is unlikely that the recipe will describe it in detail at home. However, for inexperienced housewives it often burns or curls into lumps. But here, as in any other business, you just need some skills, and then everything will definitely work out.

But before you find out at home, you need to learn how to choose it correctly. Not all chocolate is suitable for these purposes, but only those containing at least 50% cocoa. In addition, it should not contain any vegetable fats. This may cause the mixture to simply curdle while melting. Aerated chocolate is never used for confectionery purposes. But you can use milk or white for decoration.

Many people believe that this takes a long time. But since you can actually melt a chocolate bar in 5-7 minutes, it simply burns if left on the stove for a long time. The fact is that “correct” chocolate retains its shape when heated. And to understand that it is ready, you need to stir it with a spatula. It is also very important to properly prepare the chocolate for this procedure. It needs to be broken or turned into shavings using a knife. The smaller the pieces, the easier and faster it will be to melt the chocolate.

Now, knowing all the rules, you can begin the procedure itself. Experienced chefs offer several ways to melt chocolate at home. One of them is a water bath. It will require 2 pans of different sizes so that they can be inserted into each other without their bottoms touching. Pour water into the larger one, and put the chocolate broken into pieces into the second. Set up a water bath and, stirring, melt the chocolate for 5-7 minutes. It is very important to ensure that water does not get into the top pan. By the way, if everything is done correctly, it will completely harden in 20 minutes, and it can be melted again.

Another popular method is to use a microwave oven. Place the chocolate broken into pieces into a plate and place in the microwave for 2 minutes at minimum power. Under no circumstances should you hold it longer, as the mass can overheat. But since melting (or white) can be done at a lower temperature, this method is not suitable for them. And confectioners use this option only when adding chocolate mass to the dough. To make jewelry, only chocolate melted in a water bath is used.

Sometimes there is advice that you can melt chocolate directly on the stove, however, without sufficient experience, it is better not to do this. For novice pastry chefs, this method is only suitable if cooking using cream or butter is required. First you need to heat them to a boil, and then stir in the chocolate pieces with quick movements. Remove the pan from the heat. or ganache will be ready.

Now you know how to melt chocolate at home, and you will be able to decorate any cake with the most complex shapes or make a dessert. And all these methods are great for making fondue.

Chocolate is loved by those with a sweet tooth for its melting taste and delicate texture, doctors appreciate it for its high content of microelements, vitamins and antioxidants, and pastry chefs and decorators love it for the huge number of techniques that can be used to decorate any cake. Professionals use special tools to create their masterpieces. But you can also make chocolate cake decorations at home, which will be not only tasty, but also spectacular.

What kind of chocolate can you use to decorate a cake at home?

Only those products that contain cocoa butter have the right to be called chocolate.. The main components of chocolate also include cocoa mass and sugar. They also produce unsweetened chocolate, which contains 99% cocoa.

The following types of chocolate are used when decorating cakes:

• bitter (dark) – contains at least 40–55% cocoa;
• dairy - contains at least 25% cocoa and dairy products;
• white - contains at least 20% cocoa butter, but does not contain cocoa liquor or powder.

Professional confectioners use chocolate, which is produced in blocks and dragees (drops). Chocolate bars can also be used for decoration at home.

Cocoa powder can also be used for decoration, but it should be of high quality; poor powder can squeak on the teeth.

Photo gallery: forms of chocolate suitable for decoration

Chocolate in the form of dragees is convenient for melting Chocolate blocks are often used by professional confectioners Chocolate bars can be used for decoration at home

In addition to real chocolate, you can find confectionery chocolate (glaze) in stores, in which cocoa butter is replaced with vegetable fats. It is produced in bars or in the form of chocolate figures.

Confectionery chocolate is significantly inferior in taste to real chocolate, but, on the other hand, it is less capricious and can be used for applications, patterns, and glazes.

What you need to know about chocolate

How to store and melt correctly

Chocolate has a long shelf life, but it should be kept tightly closed, away from strong-smelling foods, and protected from light and moisture. Storage temperature - from 12° C to 20° C.

Before you start decorating the cake, in most cases the chocolate is crushed and heated. For heating, you can use a microwave oven, a water or steam bath, or an oven heated to 50–100° C. In all cases, it is necessary to stir the chocolate frequently.

Attention! When heating, chocolate must be protected from steam and drops of water, otherwise it will curdle.

Tempering

Cocoa butter is very capricious. It contains fats, the crystals of which melt at different temperatures. If chocolate is not melted correctly, it may become coated, melt quickly in your hands, or become too thick. In tempering (targeted recrystallization), chocolate is successively heated, cooled and stirred, resulting in chocolate that melts in the mouth but remains hard and crisp at room temperature. For tempering, you should use high-quality chocolate.

Confectionery chocolate (glaze) does not require tempering, as it does not contain cocoa butter.

Professional confectioners use a marble board and special thermometers for tempering. The easiest way to temper chocolate at home is to use a microwave:

1. Chop the chocolate and place in the microwave.
2. Turn on the oven at maximum power.
3. Remove and stir the chocolate every 15 seconds until almost completely melted, small lumps should remain.
4. Remove the chocolate and stir until completely smooth.

Correctly tempered chocolate, applied in a thin layer on parchment, hardens within 3 minutes at a temperature of 20° C indoors.

If the chocolate thickens too quickly, excess crystallization has occurred. Add a little melted untempered chocolate to this chocolate and mix.

Simple DIY cornet

Confectionery bags are used to pipe chocolate patterns; disposable polyethylene options are especially convenient. If you don’t have them, you can roll up paper cornets yourself. To do this, cut out a square from parchment and divide it into 2 triangles diagonally. The resulting right triangle is folded into a cone, combining the sharp corners with the right one. The corner is bent outward to secure the cornet. The corner at the bottom is cut off only when the cornet is already filled with chocolate.

The bag or cornet is filled with melted chocolate. It is convenient to fill the cornet if you put it in a tall glass.

You can also replace pastry bags with a transparent paper file or a thick plastic milk bag.

Express design options

m&m's and KitKat

This is a very simple and effective way to decorate a cake. Bright chocolate dragees in sugar glaze will fit perfectly into a children's party.

You will need:

• m&m's;
• KitKat.

The cake will look good if the height of the chocolate bars exceeds the height of the cake itself by 1.5–2 cm.

Procedure:

1. Place chocolate sticks on the sides of the cake. If the sticks are connected to each other, it is better to separate them.
2. Cover the top of the cake with m&m's.
3. Additionally, the cake can be tied with ribbon.

You can decorate the cake with others: Kinder chocolate, chocolate balls.

Photo gallery: how to decorate a cake with ready-made chocolate products

The square cake is lined with bricks of chocolate bars and decorated with towers of cookies glued together with chocolate. You can make flowers out of white and milk dragees In this assortment of candies, any sweet tooth will choose a piece to suit their taste. Chocolate candies are laid out in a circle, and the composition is complemented by two-color chocolate rolls, which can be replaced with wafer rolls

Chocolate chips

You can sprinkle chocolate chips on both the top and sides of the cake. Making it at home is very simple: the chocolate bar is grated or cut with a vegetable peeler. In the latter case, curly curls of chocolate are obtained.

Depending on the grater you choose, you can get different chocolate chips - small or larger. The warmth of your hands softens the chocolate quickly, so it is better to grate small pieces of chocolate. You cannot cool the chocolate in the refrigerator beforehand or during the process; chocolate that is too cold will crumble and break.

Drawing using cocoa and stencil

The famous tiramisu is simply sprinkled with cocoa on top. You can decorate other cakes in the same way. The top of the cake should be smooth, then it will look neat. And with the help of cocoa and a stencil you can create a design on the cake.

You will need:

• cocoa;
• sieve;
• stencil.

Procedure:

1. Place the stencil on the cake.
2. Sprinkle cocoa on top through a sieve.
3. Carefully remove the stencil.

You can use a ready-made stencil or make it yourself by cutting out a design from paper. You can also use an openwork cake napkin, a fork, etc. as a stencil.

If the surface of the cake is covered with soft or delicate cream (whipped cream, custard, sour cream), then it is better to keep the stencil at a short distance from the cake so that it does not stick to the surface and spoil it.

Frosting the cake

Chocolate glaze is very appetizing, especially when combined with fruit or fresh berries. You can also add colored sugar sprinkles or beads to the frosting. Before icing the cake, make sure it is well cooled. But the glaze should be warm.

Read more about chocolate glaze in our article:.

The cake can be covered with icing entirely or just the top, leaving delicious smudges on the sides. The glaze is poured into the center of the cake in a circular motion, then helped to spread using a knife or spatula. If you need to make more uniform drips, then first apply liquid glaze in a circular motion to the edges of the cake using a cornet or bag, and only then pour the top.

Chocolate and heavy cream ganache

Ingredients:

• 100 ml heavy cream (30–35%);
• 100 g dark, 150 g milk, or 250 g white chocolate.

Preparation:

1. Grind the chocolate.
2. Heat the cream to a boil.
3. Add the chopped chocolate to the cream and stir thoroughly with a whisk.

You can adjust the thickness of the glaze by increasing or decreasing the amount of cream or chocolate.

Chilling the ganache in the refrigerator for a few hours, then letting it come to room temperature and whisking will create a chocolate cream that can be used for cream decorations and cake layers.

Made from chocolate and milk

Ingredients:

• 100 g milk chocolate;
• 3–4 tbsp. l. milk.

Preparation:

1. Grind the chocolate, add milk.
2. Heat in the microwave or in a water bath, stirring constantly.

Made from chocolate and vegetable oil

Ingredients:

• 100 g chocolate;
• 2–4 tbsp. l. odorless vegetable oil.

Preparation:

1. Chop the chocolate and melt.
2. Add vegetable oil, stirring constantly.

You can make icing from different types of chocolate. Less oil is added to white, and more to bitter.

From cocoa powder

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar;
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder;
• 1/4 cup milk;
• 50 g butter.

Preparation:

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place in a boiling water bath. Stirring constantly, heat for about a minute.
3. Remove from the bath, beat with a mixer until smooth.

Mirror glaze with gelatin

The cake to be coated with this icing should be smooth (mousse cakes filled in silicone molds are ideal). Before covering it with mirror glaze, you need to keep it in the freezer for several hours.

Ingredients:

Preparation:

1. Soak leaf gelatin in cold boiled water. Let the gelatin swell for 10 minutes. When using powdered gelatin, pour 50 g of cold water into it, stir thoroughly and let it swell.
2. Combine sugar, water, cocoa powder and heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After boiling, add chopped chocolate and stir until completely dissolved.
3. Squeeze out excess water from leaf gelatin.
4. Add the swollen gelatin to the glaze and stir until completely dissolved.
5. To get rid of bubbles and for smoothness, the mixture is passed through a fine sieve or blended with an immersion blender, and then poured into a jar and covered with cling film. Frosting should be left in the refrigerator overnight before using..
6. Before covering the cake, you need to heat the chocolate glaze to a temperature of 35–45° C. To obtain smudges, you can reduce the temperature to 30° C, then it will harden faster. If there are a lot of bubbles in the glaze, strain it again through a fine mesh sieve. To cover the entire cake, place it on a wire rack and a baking sheet or other suitable surface lined with cling film. Pour warm glaze from the center in a spiral to the edges. The excess glaze on the baking sheet is collected for further use.

Photo gallery: cake design options with dripping and mirror glaze

Dripping frosting looks great on a contrasting colored cake. Using fruits and mirror glaze, you can create a bright composition on the cake The glaze can also be made white

Video: how to make beautiful smudges on a cake

Painting on icing with liquid white chocolate

Drawings on glaze using a toothpick or bamboo stick have already become a classic. A pattern is applied to dark chocolate glaze with white melted chocolate, and to light glaze - with bitter or milk chocolate. You need to apply the chocolate while the glaze is still liquid..

You can also apply the design to a cake covered with cream if the cream has a soft consistency.

Options:

1. Cobweb. Chocolate is applied to the glaze in a spiral from the center. Draw lines from the center to the edges.
2. Chevrons. Chocolate is applied to the glaze in parallel strips. Draw lines perpendicular to the stripes in both directions.
3. Hearts. Chocolate is applied to the glaze in small circles in a straight line or in a spiral. Draw a line through all the circles in one direction.
4. Marble. Chocolate of different colors is applied to the glaze using chaotic movements. Mix the glaze using circular motions to create a marbled effect.

Photo gallery: options for applying patterns to glaze

To draw a web, the stick moves from the center to the edges Applying a pattern in the form of chevrons involves moving the stick in turn from left to right and from left to right. Hearts are made by holding a stick through the center of round drops of melted chocolate. The marble effect is created by the free, chaotic movement of the stick.

Decorating the sides of the cake

The sides of the cake can be wrapped with chocolate ribbon, lined with chocolate teeth, bars or straws. The most difficult way to decorate is with tubes. They will require not only a lot of chocolate, but also a lot of patience.

Lace (chocolate)

Graceful chocolate curls or a simple geometric pattern are not difficult to make from chocolate, but they look very impressive. A chocolate ribbon made of dark or milk chocolate looks great on a white background, and a white pattern will highlight a dark background.

You can also use confectionery chocolate. It is less capricious, but significantly inferior in taste to natural.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• pencil, scissors.

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a water bath.
2. From baking paper, cut out a rectangular strip with a length equal to the circumference of the cake plus 2–3 cm, and a width equal to the height of the cake plus 2–3 cm. Draw a pattern with a pencil and turn the drawn side to the table. You can print the pattern on a printer and simply put it under baking paper.
   

   For a wide cake, it is more convenient to make a chocolate ribbon from 2 halves.

3. Place the chocolate in a cornet or bag, cut a corner.
   

   If the chocolate flows out too quickly, it should be allowed to cool slightly.

4. Gently pipe the chocolate onto the paper strip in a pattern.
5. Place the paper strip with chocolate on the sides of the cake.
6. Place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
7. Remove the cake and carefully remove the paper.

After this, you can decorate the cake with a border of cream, berries, fruits or fresh flowers.

Video: how to make chocolate tape

Panels or crenellations

For this spectacular decoration you will need at least 400–500 g of chocolate, depending on the size of the cake. You can use bitter, milk, white chocolate, and also combine them to create marble patterns.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• knife or spatula;
• parchment or baking paper.

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Apply chocolate to parchment or baking paper and spread in an even layer using a knife or pastry spatula.
3. Let the chocolate harden.
4. Cut with a knife or break with your hands into pieces of arbitrary shape. The height of the panels should be higher than the cake.
5. Place on the sides of the cake so that the panels slightly overlap each other.

For a raised texture, you can crumple the parchment before applying chocolate to it. To create a pattern, first apply a pattern on parchment with white or dark chocolate, and fill it with a contrasting color on top.

Photo gallery: options for decorating a cake with chocolate panels

A cake with chocolate panels can be complemented with fresh flowers Chocolate panels can be made in unusual shapes The combination of white and dark chocolate gives an interesting marble pattern. The embossed texture and irregular shape of the teeth give the cake a special charm.

Video: how to make chocolate teeth with nuts and dried fruits

Tubes

Ready-made chocolate tubes are sold in specialized confectionery stores. However, you can make them yourself, including using white chocolate or mixing white and dark chocolate.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• acetate film;
• thin tape;
• knife, scissors.

Instead of acetate film, you can use transparent corner folders for papers.

Procedure:

"Cigars"

You will need:

• chocolate;
• marble board or metal baking sheet;
• shoulder blade;
• metal scraper or spatula.

If you don't have a special metal pastry scraper, a new stainless steel spatula will do.

Procedure:

1. Temper the chocolate.
2. Cool the marble board or metal sheet and place it on the table.
3. Spread the chocolate in a thin layer on the sheet using a spatula.
4. Use a knife to mark rectangles on the chocolate layer.
5. Let the chocolate thicken a little, but not harden..
6. Using a metal scraper or spatula at an angle of 45 degrees, remove the chocolate layer along the marked lines; it will roll into a tube.

Video: how to make chocolate “cigars”

Decorative elements made of chocolate

Curls, numbers, inscriptions and patterns

Melted chocolate is used to draw various decorative elements, figures, and numbers. Butterflies and various curlicues are very popular. These elements can be used to decorate both the top and sides of the cake..

You will need:

• chocolate;
• pastry bag or paper cornet;
• parchment or baking paper;
• stencil with a pattern.

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate. Fill a cornet or bag with melted chocolate and cut a corner.
2. Print or draw the desired design on paper (curls, numbers, inscriptions). Place a sheet of parchment on the sheet with the pattern, you can secure it with paper clips along the edges. Gently pipe the chocolate onto the parchment according to the design.
3. Allow the elements to harden.
4. Remove the chocolate pieces from the parchment.

If the parchment is placed on a rolling pin, wrapped around a glass, or other suitable objects while the chocolate is hardening, the blanks will turn out voluminous. This way you can create chocolate spirals, flowers, butterflies.

Photo gallery: options for decorating a cake with decorative chocolate elements and examples of stencils

Openwork triangles are laid in a circle supported by cream rosettes or berries The cake can be decorated with a chocolate inscription or numbers Graceful decorative elements are usually mounted in cream rosettes You can put one large or several small butterflies on the cake Openwork butterflies can be flat or consist of two halves located at an angle to each other Openwork decorative elements will decorate the top or sides of the cake Small decorative elements are usually used to make a border around the edge of the cake.

Video: creating a chocolate flower

Applications with outline

Unlike lace, such decorative elements have a background and a contrasting outline along the contour.

You will need:

• white and dark chocolate (bitter or milk);
• pastry bag or paper cornet;
• parchment or baking paper;
• paper with a pattern.

Procedure:

1. Place a sheet of parchment on the sheet with the design.
2. Melt dark chocolate. Squeeze it onto the parchment along the contour of the design placed under it and let it harden.
3. Melt white chocolate. Fill out the rest of the application. Allow to set completely and then turn over.

By mixing white and dark chocolate or by adding dyes to white chocolate, you can achieve different shades and make the applique colored. For colored applications, special chocolate dyes are required. Do not use fruit juices for this, as the chocolate may curdle.

Simple cutouts

Even a child can handle making these parts, so feel free to call your son or daughter to help you.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• parchment or baking paper;
• spatula or knife;
• cuttings, cookie molds.

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Using a knife or spatula, spread the chocolate in an even layer of 2–3 mm on the parchment.
3. When the chocolate begins to harden, use molds or cutters to cut out the elements.

If the chocolate sticks to the mold, it has not cooled enough. If the chocolate breaks, it has already hardened too much and needs to be reheated.

Chocolate leaves

This is a very simple idea with great results. You can get creative and use a variety of leaves as a base.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• brush;
• leaves, such as roses.

Procedure:

1. Wash the leaves and dry well. Melt the chocolate.
2. You need to apply chocolate - pay attention! - on the back side of the leaves. Then, using a brush, distribute it from the middle of the sheet to the edges and transfer it to a clean surface to harden.
3. Leave the leaves with the chocolate until completely hardened.
4. Carefully remove the base leaves from the frozen chocolate. These chocolate leaves would be good on an autumn cake, for example, on a cake in honor of September 1st. You can decorate both the top and sides of the cake with chocolate leaves.

Photo gallery: cake design options with chocolate foliage

Making figures using molds

Molds are silicone molds designed specifically for molding chocolate. With their help, you can easily and quickly get a lot of decorative elements to decorate one or even several cakes.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• silicone or plastic molds for chocolate.

The molds must be clean and completely dry before pouring chocolate.

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Pour chocolate into molds, remove excess chocolate from top, let harden.
3. Get out the chocolate figures. To do this, you can turn the silicone mold inside out, and turn the plastic one over and lightly tap it on the table.

Molds for chocolate are sold in specialized confectionery stores, art stores, and in household departments with tableware. Molds for making soap or ice are also suitable.

Chocolate bow

This cake will be an ideal gift. In addition, he will practically not need any other decorations: a huge bow on its own will make a stunning impression, rest assured.

You will need:

• chocolate;
• parchment;
• scissors, ruler, pencil.

Procedure:

1. Draw rectangles approximately 3*18 cm in size on parchment and cut. For 1 bow you will need about 15 such blank strips.
2. Melt the chocolate.
3. Apply chocolate to strips. Each strip must be completely covered.
4. Remove the strip of chocolate and move it to a clean place.
5. When the chocolate begins to set, connect the ends of the strip and place the resulting loops on their sides. Let it harden.
6. Once hardened, remove the parchment from the chocolate.
7. On a piece of parchment, use melted chocolate to join the bottom row of 6 stitches. Let it harden.
8. Make the second and next rows in the same way, gluing the loops in the center with melted chocolate.
9. After hardening, transfer the bow to the cake.

Modeling chocolate

Chocolate mastic allows you to create quite complex figures, flowers, you can also completely cover cakes with it, create draperies, bows, and ruffles. Fresh mastic is plastic, reminiscent of soft plasticine, but when it dries, it becomes hard. Plastic chocolate is similar to mastic, but is more used for modeling.

Store the mastic in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in several layers of cling film.

Plastic chocolate

Modeling chocolate is prepared from bitter, milk and white chocolate and glucose syrup. At home, glucose syrup can be replaced with light liquid honey or invert syrup.

Ingredients:

• 200 g white, milk or dark chocolate;
• respectively 50 g, 80 g or 100 g of invert syrup.
• For the syrup:
  • 350 g sugar;
  • 150 ml water;
  • 2 g citric acid;
  • 1.5 g soda.

First you need to cook the invert syrup:

1. Boil water with sugar, stir until sugar dissolves.
2. Add citric acid, cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Cool to 50–60° C.
3. Add baking soda and stir. The syrup will begin to foam.
4. Cool. The foam will go away as it cools.
5. Pour into a closed container and leave at room temperature.

Let's move on to preparing the mastic:

1. Chop the chocolate and melt.
2. Heat the syrup until warm.
3. Mix the syrup and chocolate thoroughly until no lumps remain.
   

   The resulting mass may seem quite liquid at first, but after cooling it becomes thicker and harder.

4. Carefully wrap the mastic with cling film so that there is no contact with air.
5. After a few hours you can sculpt the figures. Before modeling, take the chocolate in small pieces and knead it thoroughly with your hands. Large pieces of mastic are heated for a few seconds in the microwave.

The proportions given are approximate, as they depend on the thickness of the syrup and the percentage of cocoa content in the chocolate.

Video: preparing modeling chocolate and decorating a cake with ruffles and roses

Chocolate marshmallow mastic

Marshmallow is an airy marshmallow that is produced in the form of pillows or braids. By combining chocolate with marshmallows, you get mastic, which can be used both for modeling and for covering the cake.

Ingredients:

• 180 g marshmallows;
• 200 g dark chocolate;
• 150 g powdered sugar;
• 1–3 tbsp. l. water;
• 1 tbsp. l. butter.

Preparation:

1. Sift the powdered sugar.
   

   It is better to use a little less powdered sugar rather than more.

2. Melt the chocolate.
3. Add water to the marshmallows and melt in the microwave at maximum power, stirring every 20 seconds.
4. Mix marshmallows with chocolate and butter.
5. Add the chocolate-marshmallow mixture to the sifted powder and knead until smooth.
6. Wrap tightly in cling film to avoid contact with air.
7. After a few hours you can use it to sculpt figures and cover the cake. At first the mastic seems very soft, but after it sits, it hardens.

When making confectionery, melted chocolate is often required. There are a number of rules, the observance of which will allow you to melt this delicacy so that it turns out tender and uniform in consistency.

How to melt chocolate correctly

The main recommendation is this: chocolate should not be overheated. Otherwise, it will be lumpy and thick, so it will definitely not work as a frosting. The optimal melting temperature for dark chocolate is 50-55 degrees, white and milk chocolate – 45 degrees. Accordingly, it is a little easier to overheat white and milk chocolate than dark chocolate.

It is desirable that the heating be uniform, but this is very difficult to achieve. Therefore, when heating the chocolate treat, you should stir it constantly to avoid the appearance of lumps.

For high-quality melting, it is worth cutting the chocolate into small pieces, you can even grate it. Naturally, if you try to melt a whole bar of chocolate or just large pieces, then such an attempt will be unsuccessful.

In addition, it is strictly forbidden to allow water (condensation, steam) to get into the chocolate, because it will lose its taste and properties. For this purpose, you need to make sure that all utensils and accessories used (work surfaces, pans, spoons, etc.) are absolutely dry.

There is a little trick that will make the process of melting chocolate a little easier: you don’t have to melt all the chocolate treat until the last piece. Due to the fact that the unmelted pieces will be surrounded by warm chocolate mass, they will melt on their own within a few minutes. You can do the same if you need to add butter or cream to the chocolate mass. Warmed cream or melted butter helps heat and melt the remaining chocolate pieces.

How to melt chocolate if you need to get high-quality liquid glaze? To do this, when heating it, be sure to add a little liquid (about 1 tablespoon per 30-50 grams of chocolate). When using dark chocolate, the volume of liquid should be increased. It is recommended to add only warm liquid, since adding cold water sharply increases the likelihood of the mass hardening. The liquid can be mixed with chocolate manually or using a blender or food processor, and at low speeds. Instead of water, you can use cream or butter (the cream should be hot and the butter should be melted).

How to melt chocolate in a double boiler

To do this, the chocolate is broken into small pieces or grated and placed in a dry and clean bowl, which is then placed on a pan of hot water. A prerequisite is that the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. It should be melted over low heat, stirring constantly, avoiding overheating of the mass. Care must be taken to ensure that no steam gets into the bowl. If the melted mass will be used later, it can be left in a bowl in a water bath.

How to melt chocolate in the microwave

As a rule, chocolate is not melted in a microwave oven, since it is very difficult to keep track of its uniform heating. But the result can be quite good if you follow the following rules. For heating, the minimum power is set (for a 100-gram tile it will take about 3 minutes to heat up). First you need to stir every minute, then every 30 seconds.

How to melt chocolate in a saucepan

There is also a simpler method that uses one pan. The only condition is that the bottom must be thick, because this allows for uniform heating. Small pieces of chocolate delicacy are placed in a saucepan and stirred constantly over low heat.

Chocolate is not only a delicious treat for children and adults, but also an important ingredient in many sweet dishes. It can be used as a filling for baked goods, added to drinks, made into icing and much more. Alas, housewives are often faced with a small but quite serious problem: how to melt chocolate in the comfort of their own home so that it does not lose its taste, and the dishes do not end up in the trash after a culinary experiment? There are ways, and not even just one.

Melting a chocolate bar: tricks and nuances

It doesn't take much skill to make a simple chocolate filling for donuts. In general, in this case, only one quality is required from a sweet product: liquid form. Frosting for a cake or fondue is a completely different matter. For such purposes, you need a tender, homogeneous mass that does not have lumps or burnt candied pieces. This means you need to know how to melt chocolate correctly... and what to do if a mistake was made during cooking. Here are just a few tricks to avoid unnecessary hassle:

Before melting, prepare all the necessary ingredients and utensils: you will not have time to look for the missing product.
Before heating, chip or cut the tiles. The smaller the pieces, the faster the chocolate mass will melt and the more uniform it will be.
Never pour water into chocolate. In order to make it liquid, add a piece of butter or half a teaspoon of heavy cream to the mixture that has already melted but has not had time to cool.
In this case, two conditions must be carefully observed. First, be careful not to allow the mixture to boil; melted butter does not set on its own and does not allow the glaze to set. Secondly, the mass must be hot, not warm, otherwise the fat will instantly curl into lumps and your tender workpiece will lose its presentation.
Even melted chocolate may stick to the walls of the dish or thicken unevenly. To avoid this, remember to stir it from time to time - even after removing it from the heat.

Choosing a chocolate bar to melt

Properly selected “raw materials” are an important part of a successful culinary experiment. Not just any chocolate can be used to make a confectionery masterpiece. So, if we bake cupcakes or a pie with a sweet filling, then it’s quite possible to stop at any product containing cocoa beans. But to make a crispy crust, you will have to choose something of better quality.

There are some rules that will help you choose a suitable blank for melted chocolate:

Read the label carefully. The more cocoa butter in the confectionery product, the more delicate the structure of the hot mass will be.
The couverture variety is ideal for creating a glossy finish. True, its price is several times higher than the average. But the crispy, silky-to-touch surface that forms when it hardens pays for any costs.
Different purposes require different blanks. So, for inscriptions on the cake, it is better to choose confectionery chocolate, which when melted becomes viscous and viscous. But the dessert variety is much more suitable for glaze: when heated, it turns into a liquid mixture and hardens with a smooth surface, without waves or streaks.
Porous varieties, even of the highest quality, are absolutely not suitable for melting.
The best option, regardless of the variety, is dark or milk chocolate without filling. Nuts or raisins are good on their own, but when heated they are more trouble than they are worth.
And, of course, you should not take too cheap products. For the most part, they have a very low content of cocoa beans, and their taste leaves much to be desired.

Steam melting

Of all the methods for melting chocolate at home, using steam is the most convenient and reliable, since it gives the optimal temperature: 60 - 80⁰C. You will need:

metal (but not aluminum!) or glassware - for example, a bowl or small saucepan;
deep saucepan of the same or slightly smaller diameter;
spatula or spoon with a long handle.
Boil a small amount of water in a saucepan and place a bowl with pre-crushed tiles on it so that there are no gaps between the walls of the two vessels. The main condition is that the confectionery product melts exclusively with steam, without water touching the walls of the dish.

Do not forget that to achieve a delicate consistency, the mass must be constantly stirred. In general, the process takes 3–4 minutes.

Important! Do not cover the dish with a lid to prevent steam from reaching the chocolate. If this happens, it will acquire a grainy consistency and will not harden to the desired state.

Water bath

This method is not as profitable as the previous one, but it is simpler. It also requires two heat-resistant containers: one slightly wider than the other. Pour some water into the pan and, when it boils, lower the smaller container of chocolate into it. You need to carefully monitor the melting of the sweetness, continuously stirring it with a spatula: due to the high temperature, the sticky mass can easily stick to the walls.

How to melt chocolate in the sun

Summer is the time for sweet berry desserts, many of which require a sticky, gooey coating of cocoa beans. You can make it by melting a pastry bar in the sun.

The trick is that the normal melting temperature of high-quality chocolate starts from 35–40⁰С. Therefore, room temperature on a hot day is enough to avoid wasting effort on exercises with a gas stove.

Grind the product and place it on the windowsill or balcony. After just 30–40 minutes you will get a thick chocolate mass.

Can you melt chocolate in the microwave?

There is no clear answer to this question. On the one hand, the structure of chocolate is such that microwaves heat it in the same way as other foods. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to prepare high-quality soft glaze in this way.

It takes about 2 minutes for the microwave to melt the chocolate bar. During this time, the thick paste will have time not only to melt, but also to curl into lumps. So this method can only be used if you need chocolate exclusively for filling. If you want it to be soft and homogeneous, you will have to set the timer for 30 seconds, take out the dishes, stir the sweet mass and put it back in the microwave. You will have to repeat these steps 4-5 times. This is quite troublesome, but doable - especially if you don’t have the opportunity to use steam or a water bath.

Be careful, especially if you are preparing the glaze. Incorrectly melted chocolate cannot be frozen and melted again. If you make a mistake, the sweet mass will remain, perhaps put into a less whimsical dish or eaten with a sandwich.

In contact with

Sweet tooths and chocolate lovers will find information in this article on how to melt chocolate so that it is liquid and does not harden. This can easily be done at home. Read about the most common and simplest methods below.

Making liquid chocolate at home

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid at home? For novice confectioners, it is important to know about several methods. For these purposes, you can use a steam bath, oven, microwave, or a regular gas or electric stove. Most often, liquid chocolate is used to prepare such delicacies as fountains, chocolate mocha, cocktails, muffins, cakes, etc. Very often, lovers of home baking make mistakes, as a result of which the chocolate curls, burns and crumbles into pieces. By listening to some tips, you can avoid the most common mistakes.

Choosing chocolate for heating

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid? First of all, the product must be of high quality. To melt chocolate, you can take not only whole bars, but also chocolate in any form (chocolate chips, discs). The amount of sugar in the product also affects the melting time. The sweeter the chocolate, the faster it will become liquid. Bakeries or confectioneries have a special product designed for melting; it can withstand higher temperatures. When working with white chocolate, you need to be quite careful, as after heating it can become dry and brittle.

Melting chocolate in a water bath

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid in a water bath? This method is considered the most common. It has been used for a very long time and has not lost its popularity to this day. So, in order to melt chocolate in a water bath, we need:

1. Heat a bowl of water to 60-80 degrees Celsius.
2. Break a chocolate bar (black, white or milk) into small identical pieces and place in a bowl with a thick bottom. Remember: it is very important that the utensils used are completely dry. This will help prevent the chocolate from burning.
3. Place the container with chocolate pieces in a steam bath. We make sure that the heating is gradual and uniform. To do this, avoid direct fire. Make sure that the container with the product does not touch the water, as this will lead to overheating of the product and, as a result, a change in taste and consistency. You also need to protect the product from steam. White and milk chocolate dissolve much faster than black chocolate.
4. Bring the water in the pan to a boil over very low heat, and then turn it off. Stir the chocolate constantly at this time.
5. Cover the slightly cooled chocolate with cling film or a lid and leave for a while. Under the influence of heat, the remaining small pieces will evenly melt and turn into a liquid emulsion.

Melting chocolate using a microwave oven

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid in the microwave? Many people do not risk doing this procedure because they are afraid of the product overheating or that it will lose its taste. But this is not the case at all if you do everything right. To obtain a homogeneous mass, you need to place a 100-gram chocolate bar broken into small pieces in a ceramic bowl and put it in the microwave for one minute, then stir and heat for two minutes, stirring every thirty seconds. You can also melt the chocolate in the “Defrost” mode for several minutes. The time is calculated based on the amount of product: a 100 gram tile should be kept in the microwave for two minutes.

Melt the chocolate until it is liquid on the stove

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid on the stove? You can use both gas and electric. To obtain high-quality liquid chocolate, you need to listen to some tips. You need to melt chocolate on the stove using a metal pan and a spoon (silicone spatula). At the same time, again, do not forget that all items you use must be absolutely dry. The trick is to coat the bottom and sides of the pan with butter for easy removal of the melted mass and easy washing of the pan itself. The heat should be moderate; the mass should not be brought to a boil. The chocolate in the bowl must be stirred constantly. It is not at all necessary to melt until smooth; you can remove the dishes even if there are small pieces left. In this case, as mentioned above, you need to cover the container with chocolate with cling film or a lid.

If the oven remains warm after any baking, place the chocolate in a small iron bowl and leave for a few minutes.

How to melt chocolate so that it is liquid and does not harden? This product is very sensitive to changes in temperature, it is easy to overheat, so if you melt it over high heat or a boiling steam bath, the resulting mass will become thick, and then form lumps and taste bitter.

It is important to remember such a feature of chocolate as heat retention. Even after you turn off the heat on the stove or remove the bowl of melted liquid from the microwave, continue stirring for several minutes to avoid burning.

To make the glaze, add melted butter, warm milk or hot cream to the bowl. In order for your culinary masterpiece to have not only an excellent appearance, but also an excellent taste, choose a good quality product that contains a lot of cocoa butter and without additives. Porous chocolate, as well as chocolate with nuts, raisins or dried apricots, is not suitable for melting. These ingredients can be added to liquid chocolate. This is a matter of taste preferences.

Now you know how to melt chocolate so that it is liquid. Create your own culinary masterpieces. Bon appetit!