There’s a reason why the delectable chocolate flavour in our cakes is leagues above any chocolate you’ve ever tasted.

 

That rich intensity and the wonderfully mellow melt-in-your mouth character of our chocolate is a hallmark of the Callebaut couverture chocolate we use: the world’s finest. This chocolate is not only full of marvellous flavour, it’s also as healthy as it gets: no palm oils whatsoever are used in production.

Why does that matter? Palm oils are high in saturated fats, and eating more than a minuscule amount of them can up your cholesterol levels dangerously. Because they are cheaply available and are easy to use, they are present in most grocery store candy bars and snack foods. Consumption of them is linked to heart disease.

Instead of palm oil, our couverture chocolate uses the oil that just naturally goes with cocoa: cocoa butter, extracted from the cocoa bean itself. While cocoa butter contains some saturated fat, it also contains cholesterol-reducing oleic acid, familiar in olive oil. Additionally, it has a healthy dose of antioxidants, substances that attack free radicals present in your body and help you avoid cancer. Research is also being done on how the cocoa mass polyphenol the chocolate contains stops processes which lead to immune system dysfunctions, diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and psoriasis.

What this means is that when you enjoy baked goods or sweet treats that use cocoa butter instead of palm oil, you are doing your body a big favour.

As a side benefit, cocoa butter also has a low melting point, a mellow taste, and a delicious aroma that sets off the chocolate to perfection. By definition, couverture chocolate contains at least 31% cocoa butter, and this is responsible for many of its special qualities.

The Process

 

This is just the beginning of the differences between our chocolate and others you may be familiar with. All cocoa beans are not created equal, and only premium quality, flavourful beans are selected for Callebaut couverture chocolate. Before processing begins, a carefully chosen assortment of different cocoa types is mixed for the best flavour combinations. This selection of the best cocoa beans are blended and roasted in their shells to create a wonderfully intense, complex flavour.

“every bite is nothing but wonderfully rich chocolate goodness”

 

Then there is the grinding process. Cocoa beans meant for couverture chocolate are ground far finer than those used in a chocolate bar you might buy at the supermarket; this creates an extremely fine-grained, smooth product that will give you that surprisingly full-flavoured experience. The chocolate particles are ground into such minuscule bits they are smaller than the gaps between taste buds on your tongue! There’s no better way to make sure you get the full velvety flavour of the chocolate you’re tasting.

These finely ground particles are also responsible for the wonderful way in which our chocolate can thoroughly infuse the cakes it is included in. Take our Choc Mud cakes, for example. It’s not just cake with cocoa or chocolate mixed in the batter. These fine chocolate particles blend so well that every bite is nothing but wonderfully rich chocolate goodness.

When the cocoa nibs have been ground they are known as cocoa liquor, a highly aromatic but bitter substance which contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Dry powdery cocoa is made by removing cocoa butter from cocoa liquor. To make our couverture chocolate, however, the chocolate liquor is mixed with high quality ingredients: initially, sugar and, for milk chocolate, milk. When both sugar and chocolate have been ground to ultimate fineness, the hot, semi-liquid, viscous mixture is conched, or kneaded, with a special machine. This kneading takes several hours, and it is during this time that the natural acidity of the cocoa beans disappears and the flavours of the separate ingredients combine to one wonderful whole.

“cocoa beans are not created equal”

 

The cocoa butter is added during conching, and a touch of natural Bonbon vanilla from carefully selected Bonbon vanilla beans. This vanilla adds a deep, warm aroma, and lends a note of emphasis to the sweetness of dark chocolate and the creaminess of milk chocolate.

A Little Cake Place & Coverture Chocolate

There is nothing but quality in the couveture chocolate we use in our baking, and you can taste it in every bite of cake. In our Dark Choc Mud or QLD delight, for instance, you’ll find the aromatic intensity of fine dark chocolate, high in cocoa content. In Choc Almond, Choc Hazelnut or our popular Milk Choc Mud, you’ll notice the more delicate tones and subtle caramel flavour of premium milk chocolate. And in our White Choc Mud, White Russian, or Anzac, you’ll find the mouth watering creamy taste of high-quality white chocolate couverture.

Have a look at our Flavour Range and start planning your next event.

Written by: Hannah Mosher
Edited by: Caitlin Mitchell