Question regarding spices in cake

[K8memphis]

P.S. These rules also apply for cakes made with cocoa powder and beer.

Interesting. I imagine this would hold true for cookies and brownies that use cocoa?

I have a brownie recipe that has some cocoa in it in addition to the chocolate (it provides a bit of structure and added intensity, and lets me get away with less flour).

Right now I incorporate the cocoa at the end, with the flour. It just gets stirred into the batter right before baking.

Do you suppose I'd get more flavor out of it by incorporating it with the buttter and chocolate, in the beginning? Would there be any drawbacks to this (like losing the structural qualities of the cocoa)?

Right now I melt the butter, whisk in the sugar until it melts, then melt the chocolate into the butter/sugar mixture, all on direct heat. I'd be inclined to whisk the flour into the butter/sugar before melting the chocolate, but I'm open to suggestions.

←

I mean this is a huge question. Cookies and brownies do not take well to being aged. Cocoa can be difficult to incorporate well into a liquidy mixture. The cocoa would want to lump up. Cookies baked with melted butter tend to flop. Too big a question. Generalizing this greatly about baking doesn't work.

I wouldn't melt my sugar in the butter for brownies. Using extra fine granulated sugar is a plus and I add my sugar to my well beaten eggs for my brownies. I also would not want to risk overworking the flour. I would recommend just following the recipe.

P.S. These rules also apply for cakes made with cocoa powder and beer.

Interesting. I imagine this would hold true for cookies and brownies that use cocoa?

←

Baking varies so much, like I said, one baker's never ever do is the next baker's I swear by this. So all that to say these rules are PastryGuru's and more power to her/him. I don't think they represent a collective voice of baking. Each of us probably goes against the grain of whatever the collective voice of baking is anyway in one way or another. And these rules do not apply to brownies and cookies. I think a lot of people think the fresher the better for cookies and brownies but everybody's different. A week is a looong time for some cookies.

[paulraphael]

Thanks, K8. My question is actually very specific; it's about incorporating the cocoa.

And it's a recipe that I developed, so i don't have to follow it!

My questions are

1) would incorporating the cocoa earlier (with the butter) release more of its flavor, and

2) would doing this hurt the cocoa's ability to contribute structure?

[chefpeon]

My questions are

1) would incorporating the cocoa earlier (with the butter) release more of its flavor, and

2) would doing this hurt the cocoa's ability to contribute structure?

1) I seriously doubt it.

2) cocoa doesn't contribute structure. Cocoa dries and toughens doughs and enhances chocolate flavor, but does not contribute to structure. Your flour and eggs are responsible for most of that.