I am making the Art Deco cake for the installation of our new priest, but with some variation on the decoration.  My problem is finding the right chocolate.  I have just never, ever wanted to vary from what Rose directs—I am not a professional baker, but would classify myself as being a very passionate amateur!!  Unfotunately, I have not made any cakes in quite some time.  My problem, I can find neither Lindt Courante nor Tobler Extra Bittersweet.  I live in the Greenville, SC area, and hate to drive to Atlanta—there is a Lindt store at the Mall of Georgia.(After viewing the Lindt website, I am not sure Lindt still makes the Courante)  I NEED HELP.  Please give me your suggestions for the chocolate to use.  Thanks-

Hi Dan,
Welcome to the blog!  I believe when Rose wrote the Cake Bible that chocolate manufacturers did not specify the percentage of cocoa solids in their chocolate and so she recommended specific brands to ensure accuracy in the recipes.  I think Extra Bittersweet is about 70% cocoa solids and I recommend to use the best chocolate you can afford.  Some good makes include Callebaut, Valrhona, Scharffen Berger, Merckens, Guittard etc.  You can buy them over the internet (King Arthur Flour - The Bakers Catlaogue - http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/items/) stocks many of them, as do Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.  Maybe someone else on the blog can direct you to specific shops in your area.  Good luck with the cake.
Annie

Hi Dan,

I’m not in the US but I think that Lindt is labelled similarly in Aus and US so I hope this helps.

I have made the smaller variation version of the Chocolate Oblivion Torte on a few occasions now using Lindt Excellence 70%.
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I have also used a mixture of 2/3 Lindt 70% and 1/3 Lindt Milk Chocolate with success (it was very slightly more dense but wonderful).

Dan, I make the Choc. Oblivion Torte with 55% Lindt or 60% Ghirardelli chocolate.

Under the category of “Too much is never enough”, I visited Williams-Sonoma and decided to use the Valrhona Le Noir Gastronomie (61% cacao) for the main cake. For the additional cakes to serve prior to cutting the large one, I chose E. Guittard semisweet (61% cacao) for one, and Scarffen Berger Bittersweet(70Êcao) for another.  I remember having read somewhere on here that Rose recommended not going over 62% cacao, but I did want to try the Scharffen Berger. Hopefully, we will be able to discern the difference!!  Wish me luck!

Good Luck, Dan.  You can’t go wrong with these.

i’ve even used plain old nestle’s and had a fine result, but you should be able to find ghirardelli at the supermarket with the appropriate cocoa amount.

jen

Dan, I think you are in the very good path.

For everyday baking I Callebaut 56.8%  It is the most commonly chocolate used in food industry including “fancy bakeries.”  Readily available at wholesale amounts from restaurant supply stores.

I also use the Valrhonas from 64% to 72%, are all great, but yes, anything over 62% will give you a less sweet cake for you may want to somehow increase the sugar (using syrup, a sweeter frosting, etc).  I reserve the Valrhonas for instances where chocolate is presented as chocolate as possible (not cooked or interacted).

I think most people won’t notice the difference between any of the good chocolates we have listed on this forum entry when baked in the cake.  Never less when the flavor is masked with a rich butter cake or syrup/liquor enhanced.

When I do chocolate decorations, like lattices, elmo’s mouth, chocolate praline, then I allow Valrhona.  Otherwise, if a customer requests valrhona all the way, then they have to pay the $$$.

Another chocolate I like to use as chocolate as possible is the Italian Amadei.  It is EXTRA-EXTRAORDINARY!

Thanks to all of you for your kind and generous advice and counsel.  The cake was great!!! ( I think those who decorated after I got the fondant on it deserve most of the credit).  Most of it,  as well as the two others, were eaten!  The head of the committee and the others who did the “taste test” liked the E. Guittard cake most of all, but only because the Scharffen Berger was 70% cacao and not sweetened enough.  Just as a matter of information, the E. Guittard chocalate comes in small, dime sized pieces which affords much easier melting. (I used the microwave at 15 second intervals as I did want to have good control of the heat).

Thanks for letting us know how it worked out, Dan! Sounds like using a 60% chocolate works better for most people’s tastes (I’d probably like the 70% myself, but I’m off on the edge of the “bell curve” when it comes to liking really really dark chocolate).

DanH - 05 July 2008 05:59 PM

I am making the Art Deco cake for the installation of our new priest, but with some variation on the decoration.  My problem is finding the right chocolate.  I have just never, ever wanted to vary from what Rose directs—I am not a professional baker, but would classify myself as being a very passionate amateur!!  Unfotunately, I have not made any cakes in quite some time.  My problem, I can find neither Lindt Courante nor Tobler Extra Bittersweet.  I live in the Greenville, SC area, and hate to drive to Atlanta—there is a Lindt store at the Mall of Georgia.(After viewing the Lindt website, I am not sure Lindt still makes the Courante)  I NEED HELP.  Please give me your suggestions for the chocolate to use.  Thanks-

Hi Dan,

Try Callebaut or Scharffen Berger, they are the best in terms of flavour. When I bake, I usually use 50% to 60% chocolate and not more than this. Baking times should be decreased as you increase the g;e cocoa.