.
Sometimes I don't want to click on a link in an article because it too often takes me to a site where all the ADS make my computer freeze up.
.
In the above article on Wacky Cake, there is a tantalizing link where you might have wondered about where it leads but didn't click on it.
.
Here, I'll save you the trouble -- I clicked on it, it froze my computer, then after the popups were tired, I copied the page. It's interesting.
.
.
https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-why-your-recipe-uses-cocoa-powder-instead-of-chocolate-228955
.
From deep, rich cakes and cookies, to brownies and other treats, the ingredient that brings some of your favorite chocolate desserts to life might not be what you would expect. Instead of chocolate, these sweets often start with a hearty dose of cocoa powder. But do you know why?.
Cocoa Powder Versus Chocolate.
While cocoa powder and chocolate originate from the same source, the cacao bean, processing results in the bean taking on two different forms..
Unsweetened chocolate is made up of two ingredients: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Both natural and Dutch cocoa powder, on the other hand, are primarily composed of cocoa solids, and contain relatively little fat. Because of the lower cocoa butter content, this results in cocoa powder having a more concentrated flavor..
Read More: What's the Difference Between Natural and Dutch Cocoa Powder?.
Cocoa Powder Affects Flavor and Texture.
Since cocoa powder is a near-pure ingredient, largely made up of cocoa solids with little fat content, it has a more concentrated flavor, and ounce for ounce brings more chocolate flavor to your recipe. So it's no surprise that baked goods boasting an intense and rich chocolate flavor typically contain cocoa powder in the ingredient list..In addition to having an effect on flavor, cocoa powder also has an effect on a recipe's texture. While some desserts (like pudding, custard, mousse, and ganache) benefit from whole chocolate, others are best made with cocoa powder — especially when the extra fat or moisture isn't required..Because of its low fat content, cocoa powder isn't temperature-sensitive the way unsweetened chocolate is. This plays out in the texture of the crumb in baked goods like muffins, quick breads, and some cakes. While cocoa butter in chocolate firms up at room temperature, creating a more firm, dense, and sometimes dry texture, cocoa powder — along with oil and/or butter — continues to stay moist and tender..Cocoa Powder Recipes from The Kitchn..Notice, the website that wants you to believe what it contains has a name where they demonstrate they can't spell
Kitchen correctly!
.
What a world!
.
Notice too, they're proclaiming that cocoa powder inherently has less fat content (consequently fewer calories and less fattening) than chocolate.
PLUS it is this less fat content that is desirable for texture when you want your cakes or brownies to be MOIST and TENDER.
PLUS the fact that there is far less cocoa butter in the powder makes your baked goods less susceptible to stiffening when cool.
PLUS the intense, rich chocolate flavor of goods using cocoa powder comes from the concentration of the "pure ingredient" of cocoa powder.
PLUS the "other" form of chocolate, containing cocoa butter, has LESS intense chocolate flavor, even though it has more fat (calories).
.
All of these tidbits apply toward answering my questions about Brune.
.
Because Brune has less cocoa butter (being 18% cocoa powder) however, it also has large proportion of vegetable fat, which makes it temperature sensitive. It liquefies when warm, much like chocolate does, which is why it's used for dipping strawberries to make them chocolate-coated. If you do that with regular chocolate, biting into the chocolate-coated strawberry makes the coating split off and fall all over your white finery necessitating another trip to the cleaners. But when you dip your strawberries in warmed-up Brune, your teeth go right through it, and chocolate chunks do not fall off the strawberry. This is what fast food restaurants use for dipping soft-serve ice cream cones in, too. So the whole chocolate coating doesn't fall off when you bite the top of the ice cream cone.
.
Therefore, Brune probably would be an ineffective replacement for cocoa powder in Wacky Cake because it would make it stiffen up when cold, and get mushy when warm. I think. I don't really know. Haven't tried it yet..................
.