Whatever desserts we make, I must admit: the most effective are muffins, cakes and pastries that look in chocolate glaze. They also make a culinary “crust” for fruits from chocolate. With such a "shell" any sweet dish looks appetizing and desirable. At first it may seem like a tricky business. But when we take it, you will see that it is quite simple. The main thing is to adhere to certain rules, and everything will work out. This article will show you how to make chocolate icing. Recipes with photos of different coating options and tips on how to achieve the desired consistency and smoothness of this culinary decoration, we will give below.
What should be chocolate
In order for the glaze to come out homogeneous, you need to take a pure product, without any impurities that are usually added for taste. No nuts, raisins and other toppings. But the structure of chocolate also plays a role. For example, its porous species are not suitable for glaze. During heat treatment, this product exfoliates. White and black varieties are great for chocolate glaze. From dessert chocolate, the culinary “crust” is especially tasty.
Other varieties of this dessert can also be used. For example, the so-called culinary chocolate. It melts easier than usual. Often glaze is also made from a couverture. And the “coating” made of white chocolate can even be painted in different colors. Often the quality of the glaze also depends on what percentage of cocoa butter is in the dessert. It is best to use only one type of chocolate. Then the mass is guaranteed not to delaminate and crumble.
How to make chocolate icing from chocolate: a basic recipe
Let's start with the simplest. Take a bar of dark chocolate with a cocoa content of at least 72 percent. Break it into pieces and put it in a bowl.
Attention! The capacity for melting chocolate should be absolutely dry, without any water.
It is allowed only to grease it with butter or vegetable oil, and even then so that it is later easier to “glaze” the glaze from there. And after that, it’s easier to clean the bowl. Our basic chocolate and milk glaze will consist. The latter is necessary so that the product does not become too thick. Then it will harden very quickly, and before we have time to coat some dessert with icing, it will become hard. Therefore, if we prepare the “top” for the confectionery, we need milk.
But in the event that we make glaze for dipping fruits or prunes, that is, for homemade "sweets", then we can do without it. Five tablespoons of milk will go on a bar of chocolate.
Cooking process
So what do we do next so that we get chocolate icing? We have already prepared “raw materials” from chocolate - we have broken pieces. Now put a bowl with them and milk in a water bath. This is necessary so that the bottom of the container in which we warm the chocolate does not heat up too quickly. Otherwise, the icing during cooling will acquire a whitish coating, which will not look very aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the size of the bowl should be larger than the pots for the water bath. This is to ensure that the steam does not come into contact with chocolate. Therefore, it is impossible to close the lid of the bowl.
We do not move away from the stove and stir all the time until the products turn into a thick mass. By the way, the spoon with which we do this should also be completely dry. Otherwise, the icing may come out heterogeneous. And of course, the mass should not boil. The ideal temperature for the preparation of chocolate glaze should not exceed 40 degrees.
How to make white chocolate icing with chocolate and butter
This type of confectionery “coating” is usually made from white dessert. It is prepared according to the technology of the basic recipe. We break the bar of white chocolate into pieces, put them in a dry bowl and add three tablespoons of sweet bazaar sour cream or fat (at least 30 percent) cream. We put in a water bath. Stir constantly. After the mixture has melted, turn off the gas, add 40 grams of good butter. Mix everything again. Such a chocolate cream needs to be slightly cooled before applying to the product. It can also be prepared with the addition of condensed milk and vanilla. White chocolate is sometimes made differently. Two dessert tiles break, put in a water bath. Add a tablespoon of milk and 180 grams of powdered sugar. When you get a thick paste, it is diluted with another spoonful of warm milk after removing from heat. Put a little oil for shine. And then they beat everything with a blender or mixer.
Icing with honey
This additive gives the product a very original taste. The chocolate icing recipe is also very simple. We take any tile - dark, white, culinary or other dessert. As in the basic recipe, put the slices in a bowl and pour 4 tablespoons of milk. After the mixture has melted, turn off the heat (but do not remove the bowl from the pan). Add 30 grams of butter and 4 large spoons of honey. Stir until completely dissolved. In such a glaze, you can still throw various additives - ground nuts, coconut, pour rum or cognac. Of course, this is done before the mixture hardens.
Ganache
It happens that the icing is needed exclusively for coating cakes and pastries. Then she cooks a little differently. Chocolate icing for a chocolate cake, the recipe of which will be given below, is called ganache. How to cook it? Most often, this type of glaze is not made from chocolate and butter, but from a mixture of dessert with cream. To do this, you need to break the tile into small pieces. Then it is poured with the same amount of cream that is preheated almost to the boiling point. The mixture is left for some time to dissolve the chocolate.
To make it homogeneous, it must be thoroughly mixed. Since such a glaze is more liquid than that which is steamed, it is allowed to solidify a little. But still, the ganache should be liquid enough to be applied to the product.
Cooking on fire
In most previous recipes, chocolate chocolate icing was made in a water bath. That is, it was important that the dishes for its preparation were dry and not touching the fire. But there is another way. Break a bar of chocolate, as always, into pieces and fill it with a tablespoon of water. We put on a very small fire and constantly interfere. Chocolate should melt to a liquid state, but not stick to the walls. Separately, in another bowl, melt 50 grams of butter. Then turn off the gas under the chocolate. Pour melted butter in small portions. We do this until a smooth smooth mass is obtained. But chocolate and butter for this recipe must be of very good quality, otherwise they will not connect.
Glissage
How to make chocolate icing so that it looks mirror-like? This method is called gliding. He is probably one of the most difficult. Make such a glaze with syrup or gelatin. In order to cook it, we need such products: one and a half bars of chocolate, 100 grams of condensed milk, 2/3 glasses of water. We also take 150 g of sugar and glucose syrup, 15 g of gelatin. We start cooking. Pour gelatin with half the indicated volume of water. Mix sugar and syrup in a bowl. Add the rest of the water there. We put the capacity on a small fire and wait until the sugar dissolves.
Break chocolate into another bowl, fill it with swollen gelatin and condensed milk. Then add the hot syrup. Beat the mixture with a mixer or blender. Then let cool a little.
Can milk chocolate be used?
This fudge is suitable for coating a confectionery product if it is made from thin dough. In addition, such a glaze leaves a characteristic aftertaste. She is very sweet and fragrant. The recipe for chocolate glaze made from milk chocolate is as follows. For two dessert tiles we take 150 grams of not too fat cream. Breaking chocolate in a bowl. Fill with cream. Warm over low heat until the mixture becomes homogeneous. Chocolate icing prepared in this way on a cake, cake or roll will look dull. A similar coating can be made mirror like glide. To do this, add a piece of good oil to the mixture at the end of the process and mix until smooth.
How to apply icing on a confectionery product
If we prepare a “crust” in a water bath, we proceed as follows. When our mixture melts, turn off the gas. But chocolate chocolate icing is very moody. Therefore, in no case do not remove the bowl from the pan, which served as a water bath for it. Take the finished icing directly from there and apply it to the surface of the cake or other pastries - with a spoon or a brush, depending on how exactly you are going to decorate it. You can put the product on the grill and pour fondant on top. And then smooth with a spatula or brush.
If you make ganache or icing on fire, then the product is coated with chocolate twice. Then the surface will be quite dense and shiny. Take a short break between coatings. After all, such glaze hardens more slowly. Sometimes it is applied only to the surface of the cake, and sometimes the edges are coated. To make the fudge layer look perfectly even, it is best to put it on a layer of jam or jam.
When applying the glide path, you need to use a thermometer. This mass is covered with cake when its temperature during cooling reaches 35 degrees. On top of the “crust” you can lay out other decoration elements - fruits, nuts, candied fruits. If you have not used all of the fudge, it is stored in a refrigerator in cling film or cellophane. So it does not dry. And it can be frozen without harm to taste and structure.
Some tips
We have already said that in order to make chocolate icing for chocolate cake, you must follow the rules. They are quite simple. Do not make the mixture too thick, otherwise it will be difficult to apply. But very liquid can just drain off the cake. Therefore, the ideal is the fudge of the consistency of sour cream. Well, what if the glaze is still thick or liquid? In principle, all this can be fixed. A teaspoon of powdered sugar is added to the liquid glaze, and the thick is diluted with a small amount of warm water. If you replace the water in the recipe with lemon juice, then the fudge will receive the original acidity, which gourmets will appreciate. And in order to color white chocolate in different colors, odorless vegetable oil and the necessary food coloring should be added to the still hot mixture.
Secrets of the hostesses
Glaze can hide many of the shortcomings of your baking. For example, if the cake breaks up, or if its top is not golden. Cake covered with chocolate must be kept in the refrigerator (or at the appropriate temperature on the balcony) for several hours. And better all night. In any case, no matter how long the preparation takes, it is worth it. After all, all cooks and housewives know that a glazed product will look much more attractive and spectacular. Of course, glaze can be used for other purposes. She glues cakes, inscriptions are applied and used as an element of decoration. By the way, you can draw with chocolate on the cake using a regular medical disposable syringe, only without a needle.