Chocolate

Having given you my chocolate brownie recipe, I thought I should talk about chocolate as a flavour.  My brownie recipe is a rare thing in that it only uses cocoa to produce the flavour of chocolate, I think using actual chocolate in cakes (other than choc chips) is a more modern thing, chocolate now is comparatively much cheaper than it used to be, but it does still cost more than cocoa.  Another good reason for using cocoa is that it stays safely in the cupboard, unmolested by passing husbands, offspring or cooks!

As with most other flavours, cocoa can taste different according to the brand you buy, so again you need to find the one that suits your own tastes.  I like Rowntrees best, this surprises me as when it comes to eating chocolate I am a dyed in the wool Cadburys girl.  However the Rowntrees cocoa tastes more chocolatey, which seems an odd thing to say, but I don't know how else to describe it.

There are of course other brands around, but I find that the more expensive cocoas are too bitter for my taste.  There are own brand cocoas available, some are very cheap, but I find that just as I have found an own brand I like, it disappears altogether or suddenly has a change of flavour as the supermarket has changed supplier, but not changed the packaging, so although I try to keep costs down, I have given up wasting money on cocoa that isn't to my taste.

So now I move on to chocolate.  I never buy the stuff that is branded as cooking chocolate as most of the time it isn't actually chocolate, just chocolate flavoured.  They do sell chocolate chips to put in your baking that are real chocolate, but they are so expensive I prefer to chop up a bar. chocolate instead.

Most recipes recommend using the very dark high cocoa percentage chocolates that also are very expensive.  Like the expensive cocoas, I find these chocolates far too bitter, so unless you are a real fan of these types of chocolate save your money!

Cadburys Bournville is a good choice, not too bitter and unlike the cocoa, has a good flavour.  However my baking friend, who made all the cupcakes for both my daughter's weddings, swears by supermarket own brand basic dark chocolate!

I don't use white chocolate in many of my recipes as not everyone I bake for likes it very much.  The only one I would eat is the Cadburys one but it doesn't seem to be easily available.  The only other brand I would choose would be Milky Bar, as most other white chocolates taste strange according to my tasters.  The other reason I don't generally use white chocolate, except as choc chips is because it does not melt well and I find I waste a lot of chocolate.

I have tried out the natural chocolate essences that are supposed to boost the chocolate flavour, rather than actually add a direct chocolate flavour.  I haven't noticed a significant difference when I use it, so I won't buy any more.  If I want to add more flavour I tend to use vanilla, although chocolate lends itself to combining with most other flavourings that you can buy.

Karen Lizzie
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