Weight Specified for Chocolate Molds

[Jim D.]

Most manufacturers of polycarbonate molds provide a weight for each cavity that is helpful in comparing molds, since online images do not assist in judging how much each cavity will hold.  I have, however, never quite understood what the figure given for the weight actually means (it is really the capacity of a mold that matters, but no one seems to provide that figure).  When I try to calculate the quantity of a ganache recipe that I want to make (how many grams of ganache should I make to fill the molds I have chosen?), I try multiplying the weight of each cavity by the number of cavities per mold, but the resulting figure is not always accurate.  It would help if I understood how the manufacturer arrived at the weight per cavity.  When the spec says 15g, does that mean the weight of solid chocolate that it takes to fill the cavity or something else?  Obviously ganaches usually weigh less than solid chocolate.

 

Does anyone know what the weight of a cavity actually means?

[pastrygirl]

I assume it is the weight of solid chocolate, but don't know for sure.  You are always going to have slight variations in the amount of filling you need depending on the thickness of your shells  - a difference of a gram of chocolate per cavity will add up to needing an ounce more or an ounce less of filling. 

[tikidoc]

I have no idea, but it makes more sense to me that it would be based on solid chocolate. Shell thickness can vary a lot, so the amount of space left for ganache would also vary.

[Kerry Beal]

Yup - weight of solid chocolate.  So really only lets you compare size - not how much ganache it will hold.  Though you could probably extrapolate back if you have a mold of a particular size and you make it up with ganache weighing at each stage.  

[Jim D.]

Thanks for the replies.  I should explain that the reason I was thinking about this issue is that I have a freezer full of bits of many ganaches, all vacuum-sealed.  I now have an event coming up where I can use those leftovers and so was deciding how many cavities of various molds I could fill.  If I always put the same ganache in the same mold, of course, over time I could do the calculations with no difficulty, but I'm not inclined to do that.

[pastrygirl]

Thanks for the replies.  I should explain that the reason I was thinking about this issue is that I have a freezer full of bits of many ganaches, all vacuum-sealed.  I now have an event coming up where I can use those leftovers and so was deciding how many cavities of various molds I could fill.  If I always put the same ganache in the same mold, of course, over time I could do the calculations with no difficulty, but I'm not inclined to do that.

 

I would guess that for most small shapes the shell is 1/4 to 1/3 of the weight of the bonbon, so for a 15g mold I'd allow 10 to 12g ganache per cavity.

 

a few minutes later....

 

OK, so in the interest of science I dissected a few old bonbons that I had in the freezer.  The mold used was Chocolate world #2295 which is listed as approximately 13g per piece.  The total weight of 4 pieces was 50 grams.  Broken apart they had total 32g filling and 18g shells.  Shells were not too thick white chocolate, filling was Notter's key lime ganache, IIRC, also white chocolate.  Those particular pieces averaged 64% filling to 36% shell.  I hope that helps!

[Jim D.]

That experiment does help, Dr. Pastrygirl (as I think you now need to be called).  I am surprised that the shell takes up so much of the total weight.  Thanks.