Chocolate Glaze: Tips & Techniques

[bripastryguy]

I would like to know what my peers prefer to glaze with.....

Ganache:

with the addition of butter, eggs or no eggs, no butter? trimolene, glucose, sugar?????

Simple chocolate glaze, chocolate, cream, simple syrup?

Glacage? Love it, but way to fragile......

I guess I'm searching for the perfect glaze....

One that shines, coats evenly, slighly resilliant, retains its luster and dear god, please no sweating......

Edited February 13, 2004 by bripastryguy (log)

[chromedome]

Admittedly this is an area where my experience is limited...I've been baking for decades, but (not being fond of most icings) have tended to cover my cakes with nothing more elaborate than whipped cream. I have two kids and a wife with a sweet tooth, so keeping qualities have always been a low priority.

Having said that, I currently favour a ganache of roughly 1:1 proportions of cream and dark chocolate; with a small amount of butter added for sheen. Still playing with the proportions, though.

At work, we use something my boss calls "Vienna icing" on the sachertorte we make. That's made with unsweetened chocolate, lots of egg yolks, butter, and some other things which elude me at the moment (I have it written down somewhere). It makes a beautifully glossy finish, like ganache, and is resilient and dry to the touch. It can also be refrigerated and then softened for re-use, with only a slight loss of sheen.

[Wendy DeBord]

I mainly use ganche, because of it's speed in making, ability to cover any minor imperfections and it's taste. I use cream, butter, corn syrup and chocolate.

But if I was working in your situation I'd seek out a perfect mirror glaze. I wish I had that perfect recipe to offer, but I haven't gotten around to doing so myself. I do have a decent recipe from a old timer at Cheftalkcafe.com I could share.

[bripastryguy]

Please share as I really dont want to purchase pre-made glaze

[KarenS]

I like this chocolate glaze a lot. It is easy to remember too!

3# bittersweet chocolate

2# butter

1 c corn syrup

1/2 c brandy

[kthull]

For non-sweating, subbing out a little of the cream with corn syrup (as suggested in the Cake Bible) really makes a difference. I just did some cakes last night that set up really well. Without the corn syrup, mine always sweats.

[Wendy DeBord]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you Brian-had alot of work.

Anyway, these are the recipes I recieved from a person going by the name of TJ over at cheftalk...years ago. He presented himself as a senior European pc....I believed him, I thought his advice always seemed grounded. I also made other items from him with success.

TJ's chocolate mirror:

500 g milk

400 g heavy cream

500 g syrup at 30 baume

200 g glucose

Heat all to 180f. Pour into:

400 g semi sweet

1200 g pate a glacer brune (from cocoa barry)

Strain. Keep this in a tub in the cooler and re-heat to use. It can be used on frozen cakes too. It remains soft and lasts for a long time in storage. It looks dull until you re-heat and use.

I did make this recipe and I liked it-BUT I added more chocolate (almost double if I recall correctly) because it was too thin for my needs.

Heres' his white chocolate mirror: I have NOT made this recipe, but I believe it to be sound.

250 g milk

200 g heavy cream

250 g syrup at 30 b.

100 g glucose

15 g gelatin sheets

1250 g white couveture

Typical method. You can add oil based titanum oxide to whiten or color for petit fours.

I also have a recipe in my file from A. Uster's web site, "Super Shiney Chocolate Glaze" to glaze frozen cakes. I haven't tried this one yet.

It's:

h20

glucose

sugar

prima clear gel

cocoa powder

cold h20

HTH

[bripastryguy]

Thanx Wendy,

I will give them all a shot. I have been using the chocolate glacage that Michael gave out...works great, looks great only draw back- TOO FRAGILE. I ship my desserts frozen and they need to be more durable....

[Wendy DeBord]

Ah, thats was one of the things TJ bragged about his recipes...that they handled well on frozen and refridgerated cakes.

But it depends upon what you mean by fragile. Is it that you need something hard/firm that won't get dented while handling or do you mean shine? Cause the chocolate one is softer then a ganche on a cold cake-it's meant to keep the shine....but you can increase the chocolate as I did to firm it up.

Other thoughts for a firm coating if you make a ganche using callebeut brand chocolate it will set very firm, freezing well, so you can be rough handling and then once defrosted you can still slice through it. But as Steve mentioned in another thread callebaut isn't a great tasting chocolate. I think a recipe using the pate' a glacer might be the best thing for your needs (because it's remains a soft "chocolate" and is cheat)-but it has the same taste draw backs as Callebuet. Obviously looking at TJ's recipe it's a compromise using a good tasting chocolate and a cheap one. You also might want to look into premixed purchase mirrors-I don't know but someone might have a decent formula.

[bripastryguy]

all food for thought. I do use ganache with the callebaut and it has suited my needs. the chocolate glacage is quite fragile and even when frozen will remain slightly tacky and prevents me from fitting 1 dozen in a box (it only allows 10)

[Wendy DeBord]

Brian, I hope you keep this updated with your results, I'm certainly interested in what you deside upon. I have to do similar-freeze finished product. To date I've used straight ganche mostly.

Sometimes it seems to me that it just doesn't matter, sorry I'm inserting a negative..... I was appalled last week when I watched my chef defrost a frozen cheesecake by sitting it under the lines heat lamp for hours. I've tried to explain-but after a while you just have to keep your mouth shut and let them ruin and even promote food poisioning (with other examples)-maybe then- they'll learn.

I actually had a small break thru on Valetines day, I got him to let my desserts sit at room temp. before being served (that only happened because there wasn't room in the cooler at the station that serves dessert). He usually CHILLS the darn dessert plates too-yummy- hard cold chocolate-urgh!

I'm sorry-yes you should do your very best- anyway!

[melmck]

I use this glaze for top coats, eclairs, terrines etc. Trouble free!

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

10 T. unsalted butter

2 T. light corn syrup

Melt all in a double boiler . Whisk until smooth.

It can be refrigerated and reheated several times, but is easy enough to make fresh.

[nightscotsman]

I use this glaze for top coats, eclairs, terrines etc. Trouble free!

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

10 T. unsalted butter

2 T. light corn syrup

Melt all in a double boiler . Whisk until smooth.

It can be refrigerated and reheated several times, but is easy enough to make fresh.

I've used a similar glaze recipe from Susan Purdy that worked quite well. It sets hard when chilled and will lose it's shine, but it can be partially "re-glossed" with a few waves of a warm-to-hot blow drier. Her recipe calls for:

9 oz chocolate

4.5 oz (130 g) butter

1-1/2 Tbs corn syrup

She also has a recipe for a glaze using water that she claims is glossier, but I haven't tried it yet:

12 oz chocolate - melted

6 Tbs hot water - whisked in all at once

In the recipe she says you can add 1 Tbs or more water if you need it thinner, and that it loses it's gloss when chilled, but becomes shiney again at room temp.

Edited February 19, 2004 by nightscotsman (log)

[McDuff]

500 g milk

400 g heavy cream

500 g syrup at 30 baume

200 g glucose

Heat all to 180f. Pour into:

400 g semi sweet

1200 g pate a glacer brune (from cocoa barry)

My daughter (14) got a whacking big box of Godiva chocolates from her boyfriend the other day, and I was reading the ingredients and found vanillin. We can't have that around at the earthy crunchy groceria, as it is an artificial flavor. And now this...I had a tub of pate a glacer at the country club and didn't use it much. I'll bet anything the ingredients lists partially hydrogenated oils, another no-no. I had been using Guittard white chocolate chips that someone else brought into the bakery, read the box one day recently..partially hydrogenated oils. Out they went. I think the glaze we learned in school was 2 to 1 chocolate to butter.

Edited February 19, 2004 by McDuff (log)

[Wendy DeBord]

Oh yeah bighat, that's not real chocolate. Pate a glacer must contain hydrogenated oil, because it remains soft-ish.

You have to keep it all in perspective. Mainly cost!

And it has to be practical to a bakery that will need to make it in bulk-hold it for a week or more, pour in over frozen cakes and return to the freezer.

You can't cut all your corners and have a great product in the end, but I do think you'll be forced into making certain compromises to remain competitive or die with high standards.

The BIGGEST part of our pastry buying market buys according to price. If your price isn't in the ball park they won't even taste your product.

Sure it would ideal to run your business as the French, with exceptionally high standards.........but you better be prepared to suffer and you sure better have contacts with the best of the best buyers who don't look at price, only quality.

[artisanbaker]

a good one if someone is interested is the one where you make a sirop which you boil a little and add lots of gelatin. nice shine and depending on the quality of cocoa and cream you use it can taste very nice if a little tacky.

[Marlene]

Are semi sweet chocolate chips interchangable with semi sweet chocolate squares? I have a higher grade of chocolate chips than I do of squares, so if I wanted to make something that called for semi sweet squares could I use the chips instead? Will it skew the end result?

[nightscotsman]

Are semi sweet chocolate chips interchangable with semi sweet chocolate squares? I have a higher grade of chocolate chips than I do of squares, so if I wanted to make something that called for semi sweet squares could I use the chips instead? Will it skew the end result?

Unfortunately chocolate chips are formulated differently, so they probably won't work in a recipe calling for regular chocolate without some major reworking.

Please tell me the chocolate "squares" you're using aren't Baker's brand? That stuff really isn't worth eating in any form, and isn't even particularly cheap. Even Hershey's Special Dark or Ghiradelli would be better and should be available at just about any supermarket.

[Marlene]

Are semi sweet chocolate chips interchangable with semi sweet chocolate squares?  I have a higher grade of chocolate chips than I do of squares, so if I wanted to make something that called for semi sweet squares could I use the chips instead?  Will it skew the end result?

Unfortunately chocolate chips are formulated differently, so they probably won't work in a recipe calling for regular chocolate without some major reworking.

Please tell me the chocolate "squares" you're using aren't Baker's brand? That stuff really isn't worth eating in any form, and isn't even particularly cheap. Even Hershey's Special Dark or Ghiradelli would be better and should be available at just about any supermarket.

I used squares to diferentiate between chocolate chips and other chocolate. No I'm not using bakers. Ugh. But I do have trouble getting proper baking chocolate here. I can get Ghiradelli chocolate chips and cocoa and milk chocolate, but so far no semi sweet or unsweetened baking chocolate.

Lindt's maybe?

[Katherine]

Are semi sweet chocolate chips interchangable with semi sweet chocolate squares?  I have a higher grade of chocolate chips than I do of squares, so if I wanted to make something that called for semi sweet squares could I use the chips instead?  Will it skew the end result?

Unfortunately chocolate chips are formulated differently, so they probably won't work in a recipe calling for regular chocolate without some major reworking.

Please tell me the chocolate "squares" you're using aren't Baker's brand? That stuff really isn't worth eating in any form, and isn't even particularly cheap. Even Hershey's Special Dark or Ghiradelli would be better and should be available at just about any supermarket.

I used squares to diferentiate between chocolate chips and other chocolate. No I'm not using bakers. Ugh. But I do have trouble getting proper baking chocolate here. I can get Ghiradelli chocolate chips and cocoa and milk chocolate, but so far no semi sweet or unsweetened baking chocolate.

Lindt's maybe?

CI recently taste tested bittersweet chocolates, and amazingly enough, Hershey's Special Dark was a high scorer, especially in the cooking test. Although I've always liked it, it's been more for availability and price, as it seemed to have a chalky texture that prevent melting in the mouth.

Then next time I was in the baking section at my local supermarket, I noticed that Special Dark now comes in chip form, while the bars in the candy section are officially out of stock and temporarily unavailable. The chocolate is much creamier than it was in the past. I am convinced that there's been a manufacturing change that substantially improved the eating quality, perhaps merely by the new owners bringing manufacturing methods into the 20th century?

Also, I recall a test where it was shown that almost all unsweetened chocolates (except for one, which one I can't remember) are of greatly inferior quality to eating chocolates, as though manufacturers figure that only Americans use this, and they bake with it besides, so who can tell?

I stopped using unsweetened chocolate in custards and hot chocolate, as I was tired of crud settling out, which never happens when you use bittersweet chocolate. I think it should probably improve my favorite brownie recipe were I to adapt it from unsweetened to bittersweet, but it would be nice to have a high quality unsweetened chocolate available to buy.

[Wendy DeBord]

I can tell you from experience that you CAN use chocolate chips in vertually all the same applications as a 'normal' couveture. Occasionally some adjustments need to be made buy adding shortening to thin the vesocity, when dipping strawberries or other fruit. When my Mother owned her bakery (in the earily 80's) she couldn't afford good chocolate and used nestles chips- I spent years working with them-they do work in all applications I can think of at this moment.

Although using chips is far from ideal!! Believe me- there are some 'professional' brands out there that are far worst then Nestles and Hersheys. The callebaout I have right now at work -I think the flavor is less then a Nestles chocolate chip! It barely melts in my mouth and has NO flavor (the callebaout).

The bulk bag of ghiredelli (sp?) at Sam's club also tastes better them some of the "professional' brands I've gotten thru big name Pastry Supply companies.

The squares your talking about-I'm not sure I'm following you. DO you mean the 10 lb blocks of couveture chocolate? Your not talking about unsweetened chocolate squares, are you?

Rules you can and can't break-

1. You can sub. any bittersweet with a semisweet.

2. You can not sub. unsweetened with bittersweet.

[AlainV]

After a long search, I finally found a good (to me) recipe for a chocolate glaze to put on éclairs and doughnuts.

I tried melted chocolate but the glaze is too hard and have a dull finish. I tried mixing chocolate with dairy products but was not happy with the results. I tried the chocolate glaze from CI Baking Illustrated but it was not good at all (It looked like hot cocoa).

Then I tried the sugar-based chocolate glaze found in Malgieri's "Perfect Pastry" and "Chocolate" and it worked very well. To do the glaze, you put 1/4 cup water with 1/4 cup light corn syrup and 2/3 cup sugar in a saucepan. You bring to a boil then remove the saucepan from the stove and add 5 oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. You let the chocolate melt during 2 minutes then whisk it very hard to get the glaze.

The only problem I have is that I can't find light corn syrup here in Belgium. So I used Lyle's golden syrup instead. It works fine but the glaze tastes too much golden syrup. I believe corn syrup is used to prevent crystallization so I have to use something similar.

Could you help me ? Do you know another substitute I could use to replace light corn syrup ?

[KarenS]

Can you get glucose?

[Dave the Cook]

Welcome, AlainV!

I am not a baker, so often I don't know what I'm talking about in this forum, but it seems to me that Trimoline might work. It's difficult to obtain for home use, but I believe it's more widely available in Europe, and maybe you'll get lucky -- sometimes I've found it at shops that sell home-brewing supplies.

Failing that, you might try honey. It will also alter the flavor, but perhaps it will be more to your liking than the Golden Syrup.

[artisanbaker]

i use fondant and when i was making eclairs at friends' houses in europe i just asked the local pastry shop to sell me some.

add melted chocolate to it and water to thin it to the proper consistancy. use at lip temperature.