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My 15 yo has just requested a "chocolate mousse cake" for her birthday tomorrow. I've never done one and would like to have a recipe someone has had some success with. I have all kinds of chocolate and cocoa and nuts in the house. I can improvise a water bath, but I also have bundt pans and some little tiny indvidual cake molds, if you have other super gooey chocolate cake ideas. I'm baaaaaad at decorating. I have all day tomorrow to play with this. Thank you for any suggestions.

Every city needs a couple of places to hit for a chocolate fix. San Diego has a growing number of respectable and delectable choices. There's always been See's and Chuao made the scene a few years ago. Three new places have opened up over the last year or so. Chi Chocolate in Little Italy offers upscale chocolates at upscale prices. Eclipse Chocolate on El Cajon Blvd. around Alabama grew out of an artists vision. Unusual flavor combinations along the lines of Vosges all seem to work. Who knew you could successfully use sage in a chocolate bar. The chocolates were previously sold through retail gourmet shops and coffee cafes, Eclipse Chocolates opened their own shop last Fall. In addition to the chocolates, there are a few pannini sandwiches, cheese plates, desserts coffee drinks and David Rio teas. A Mother's Day chocolate extravaganza brunch is coming up this month and will be followed by a BBQ & Chocolates deal for Dads. The Elegant Truffle in Point Loma is the newest addition, open only 6 weeks. Dense, rich and very decadent the large truffles come in a lot of flavors from German Chocolate to Jalapeno. Jumbo cookies dipped in chocolate, brown sugar shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and the OhMyGod Chocolate Cheesecake are other options. Caramel and chocolate are naturals together. The chocolate covered caramels here are about as good as it gets, buttery, silky soft and smooth. I thought they were better than the truffles which are pretty darn good. If there is a better chocolate covered caramel in SD I haven't yet found it, plus the portion size is generous. There's also the Peruvian chocolate lady at (some) of the local farmer's markets (try Hillcrest on Sundays). And if chocolate desserts are more your speed, try Elizabethan Desserts in Encinitas, or Heaven Scent in North Park. Hiring Tina Luu was the best move HS has made; try her Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart for a satisfying afternoon treat. Every Saturday Con Pane in Point Loma (Rosecrans & Canon) sells chocolate bread, which is ideal to use in the Chocolate Bread Pudding recipe in The Essence of Chocolate by John Scharffenberger. If you find yourself in San Diego in need of a chocolate fix or urge to treat your sweet tooth, we've got you covered.

It turns out that a friend just had a birthday the other day and we're having a Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby-themed BBQ this Saturday (Cinco de Derby, of course ). Anyway, I thought it would be great to make some Mexican chocolate cupcakes and serve them at the BBQ in celebration of her birthday. But I need some inspiration on how to go about making these cupcakes. So far, I've had the following thoughts: 1. Make this Martha Stewart recipe for Mexican chocolate-pudding-filled cupcakes. But, with all the other BBQ prep going on, these could be a bit fussy. 2. Add some cinnamon to a regular old chocolate cupcake recipe. (Anyone have a good one?) 3. Locate a tried-and-true Mexican chocolate cupcake recipe. (No luck thus far--anyone have one?) But which one to do? Or is there a better way? Needless to say, any thoughts or advice would be much appreciated!

Please---if you have good experiences.

Hi all, I realize it's been a very long while since I posted (or read the board, for that matter). I've been exceedingly busy since I moved last year... But I have a need to make some fresh chocolates this afternoon, and I need your help. What are your favorite chocolates where the filling sets up FAST. (They are for a party this evening.) I'm feeling a little brain dead beyond my obvious candidates (fruit ganaches). Ideas?

The new gourmet grocery here has an entire See's candy counter. After hearing quite a lot about See's here and there on eGullet, I figured I should find out what all the fuss was about. So far I've tried three flavors (there's always a sample tray out), and all of the were described as buttercreams (Bordeaux, pineapple, and lemon, for anyone who's curious). While much sweeter than anything I put in my chocolates, they were quite tasty, and now I'm wondering just what the heck a buttercream filling is in the context of chocolate? I have some (limited) familiarity with buttercream frosting for a cake, but this seems different. Thanks!

I'm probably heading down to South Carolina for a week later in the year to visit my brother. He lives in the Charleston area and I'd love to hit some of the chocolate places down there. Is anyone from around there, or know of the best places? Or know of people that might let me have a little tour of their shop? Thanks.

In one of the candy bars I'm working on, I found that my nice crunchy toasted almonds got soft by the next day, presumably from moisture migration. I want to try coating them in cocoa butter to help prevent that. Has anyone done this? Should I do it when the nuts are warm, or after they've cooled to room temperature? Any tips regarding ratio of cocoa butter to nuts, or mixing technique? Thanks!

after coating a ton of caramelized cashews in chocolate (and knowing that we dont have the budget to buy a real coating pan) i thought why shouldnt it be possible to use a small concrete mixer... any idea if that might work ??? cheers torsten s.

So last night, I baked my chocolate stout cake (from epicurious) and prepared the ganache. However, since the ganache is just whipping cream and chocolate, I want to whip it up with electric beaters to increase the volume and to make it lighter. I'd like to serve it tomorrow night. I was thinking about preparing it during my lunch break, but will the whipped cream frosting be stable long enough to last through the afternoon? I don't have meringue powder w/me. Any tips? Or should I just leave work early tomorrow to prepare the cake? Thanks.

3DVD made by the the Culinary Institute of America CIA Hand formed chocolat, filled chocolate and brittles & more. I am a beginning Chocolatier and was wondering if anyone here has had a chance to view these dvd's. If so, did you find them informative or helpful?? Any other Chocolate (tempering, molding, etc) dvd's you recommend for those of us just starting out?? Thanks so much. Diane

Hi everyone, I'm very new to making chocolates, and have had pretty good success in the past. Apart from these heart chocolates. I am wondering why it looks like little chips are out of the chocolate shells???? It's the first time I have used the mould, polished it before I used it... I dusted the moulds with the red dust first - and it looks like the dust have been left in the moulds where it looks like the chocolates are chipped Any ideas on why this might have happened? Thanks so much in advance, Danni

Last night on the FoodNetwork Micheal Symon did chocolate covered bacon on Dinner Impossible segment. I guess he's the new host. Anyway, everyone loved it. Has anyone done this before? I'm thinking of doing it for the Holidays. I'm worried about the shelf life though. Would probably have to do it on a made to order and not in advance.... Any thoughts? Thanks, Rena

I sometimes have my chocolate cakes coming out with this weird metallic taste - like cheap supermarket chocolate cakes sometimes taste. I get this both with cheap cocoa and with expensive ones, like Valrhona. I always use dutch processed. I also get it with different recipes (vegan or non-vegan) and different pans, lined or not - so I am a bit lost. I was wondering if the baking powder could be causing this taste, and why? I don't use baking soda. Any help would be really appreciated.

I've had to learn all my techniques on my own (mostly on egullet...thanks!) and I paint almost all my chocolates. I'm very happy overall with my pieces but there are a few things I still have not figured out and thought someone might have the answers. My main goal is to find the way to get long thin lines on molded pieces. I use a pastry bad for thicker lines but the ones I see on chocolates from Norman Love, Chris Elbow etc. look to be made with a brush. Thanks for any tips

Alice Medrich recommends using a strip of ribbed, plastic shelf liner to spread chocolate over to get a smooth band of chocolate to wrap around a chocolate cake, and says you can get the stuff at any housewares store. I'm not having any luck, though. Any suggestions? And is this what she's actually talking about?

I am fairly new at working with chocolate. I feel quite confident with my tempering skills and preparing a great ganache. I want to learn to create a bon bon or bar that is unique to me. How does one go about recipe creation when it seems that the best is already out there. Would any of you fine chocolatiers here be willing to share your methods of experimentation? Carol

I'm not really sure whether, strictly speaking, this is "marbelling" or not, but how might one perform such a thing?

I've tried making chocolate ice-cream a number of times using a Magimix Gelato Chef but although the taste is good the texture always turns out to be very grainy, anybody got any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks in advance, Richard

Hi everyone, I was trying to make some chocolate plaques/cut outs from tempered chocolate and acetate to get t hat really shiny underside. However when it came out, it was only bits and pieces that were shiny and the rest dull. Could it be my temper? it came off the acetate easily enough. OR could it be the acetate? I was using and overhead projector type acetate and also the acetate you use to line cake rings, both with the same result.

Special dessert for graduation bbque I need to make something spectacular-which will feed a large group -for a graduation party tomorrow--Not Chocolate! All my special cakes, etc are chocolate-that's what my family insists on. I can make a great blueberry or peach pie-but I need to feed more. Any ideas?

I've had a request to imitate the Pepperoncini Chocolate truffles that someone had at Cafe Gilli in Florence. Of course I've never tasted them, and that makes this an interesting challenge. She said they were dark chocolate with a bit of a bite when they hit the back of your throat. Anyone tasted them? Are there any other spices in there? Would you assume they have just used the dried peppers or the peppers preserved in vinegar? Any thoughts about what chocolate has been used?

Today, Colette Monsat et al in Figaroscope, rated the pain au chocolat at 25 places, awarding the following: 1. Julien 2. Secco 3. Ble Sucre Of interest were: 5. Pierre Herme 6. Dalloyau 7. Kayser (Monge) 8. Fauchon 14. Lenotre 18. Gerard Mulot 18. Angelina 21. Laduree 21. Paul 23. A. Poilane

The number one thing I've learned from my recent forays into making truffles and bon bons is that chocolate gets EVERYWHERE! I don't know how everybody in these demos and pictures does it so neatly. So I thought it might be useful for newbies like me if some of the more experienced chocolatiers on egullet would share some of the tips they've learned during their experiences with chocolate. Are there certain procedures or techniques you use that help you stay neat? Particular tools you've found that help you work cleanly? Any info would be helpful. About the only things I've found so far, in my *very* limited experience, is to use a MUCH larger bowl than I really need for the tempered chocolate, as it wants to get all over the sides of the bowl, the edge, etc. If I use a big bowl, I seem to have more luck keeping it down inside the bowl. Also, wearing latex or vinyl gloves seems to help me keep it off of myself. I can wipe the chocolate off of my gloved hands, whereas when it's my bare skin, I'm tempted to lick too often or I end up washing my hands about a thousand times. What are your tried and true tips and techniques?

I've got a small retail store where I make and sell chocolates and confections. However, Man does not live by retail alone, and over the summer we've been busy getting wholesale customers. I've got some of the packaging taken care of: Boxes, liners, stickers, etc. but I need the "Frills", and more importantly, some kind of a "security seal". My first choice would be some kind of shrink wrap film over the whole box. After doing some investigating I am faced with two choices: A table top impulse sealer and a hand-held heat gun, or, a heat tunnel. Conservative prices of a heat tunnel start at 3 big ones. The price doesn't put me off, it's just that my volume is very low (100 boxes per day) and space is at a premium. The hand held stuff kind of scares me in that it is fairly labour intensive, especially when you factor in the box assembling and hand packing. What's everyone else doing?