Baking FAQs - Nestle Chocolate Recipes

Nestlé's success is based on quality relationships with our customers, and we make it a priority to keep open lines of communication. If you have any questions about Nestlé, chocolate or baking, we're here for you! By finding out what you want to know, we can continue to provide the best quality foods and services.

Below are some of the questions we are most frequently asked. We're dedicated to helping and supporting you, so if you need assistance or have another question, click here to contact us. We'll be happy to respond!

Q: How should chocolate be stored?

A: Store chocolate as you would fine wine - in a dark, very cool place - ideally 18°C - 20°C and away from moisture.

Q: Can chocolate be refrigerated or frozen?

A: Yes.
Storing chocolate in the refrigerator or freezer can prolong its shelf life. Since chocolate easily absorbs odours, wrap it well in foil and then place it in a plastic bag or other sealable, airtight container before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Bring frozen or refrigerated chocolate back to room temperature without unwrapping it to prevent moisture from forming directly on the chocolate.

Q: Why does some chocolate look dull and streaky after storage?

A: Blame it on "bloom", the cloudy or grayish look, sometimes with spots or streaks, that may develop on chocolate that has been improperly stored.

Q: How long can I keep chocolates (made from our baking products) for? For example, if I'm making them in advance, for a wedding or party.

A: Plain moulded chocolates could be made approximately 2 weeks in advance, however anything that contains fillings should only be kept for a few days.

Any fillings added to chocolates should be oil based and not water based.

Q: What is Bloom?

A: Bloom is the cloudy or grayish look, sometimes with spots or streaks, that may develop on chocolate that has been improperly stored.

There are two types of bloom - sugar bloom and fat bloom.

Q: What is Sugar Bloom?

A: Sugar bloom happens when solid chocolate encounters moisture. Sugar crystals rise to the surface and may make the surface rough and pitted.

Fortunately, bloom does not affect the flavour or melting properties of chocolate and dissappears once the chocolate is melted. This is why in most cases, regardless of the type of bloom, the chocolate can almost always still be used for cooking and baking.

Q: What is Fat Bloom?

A: Fat bloom is a result of exposure to warmer than ideal temperatures. Stable cocoa butter crystals melt, destabilise and then stabilise again as large crystals on the surface of the chocolate. This is the effect that causes the cloudy, grey appearance mentioned earlier.

Q: What is Tempered Chocolate?

A: Tempering is the process of slowly heating and cooling chocolate in a delicate and methodical way that allows the crystal structure to form evenly. Tempering makes the chocolate smooth in texture.

Q: When should chocolate be Tempered?

A: It is not normally necessary to Temper chocolate you buy, unless the chocolate has been melted or exposed to heat after purchase. In this case, you may wish to retemper the chocolate unless you are using it in mousses, custards, ganaches, cookie doughs, cake batters and icing.

Q: Can I add anything to the chocolate to make it easier to work with with?

A: You may add some melted Copha to the melted chocolate which can often make chocolate easier to spread when icing a slice or cake.

Q: Can I add anything to NESTLÉ White Melts to colour them?

A: To colour NESTLÉ White Melts it is best to add oil based colours which can be purchased from specialty stores, such as cake decorators or kitchen shops.

Q: How do I melt chocolate?

A: You can melt chocolate in the microwave or on the stove top.

Microwave melting:

Place chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe container. Heat uncovered on high (100%) power for dark chocolate or low (30%) power for white and milk chocolate, for 30 seconds to one minute.
Stir chocolate, then alternate heating in 10-second increments and stirring until the chocolate is thoroughly melted.

Stove Top melting:

Using a bowl suspended over a saucepan of hot water, place chopped chocolate or NESTLÉ Melts in the bowl atop a saucepan of barely simmering water.
Heat chocolate uncovreed and stir frequently until just a few lumps of chocolate remain.
Carefully remove fom heat and continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

Q: Can chocolate burn?

A: Yes.

Chocolate can burn at moderate or high temperatures. White and milk chocolates are the most vulnerable to high heat, but dark chocolate can also be affected.

Q: How do I know if the chocolate is burned?

A: If the chocolate has been burned, it will most likely taste burned, has likely seized [become hard or lumpy] and should not be used.

Q: What is chocolate?

A: Chocolate is a food made from the seeds of a tropical tree called cacao. These trees flourish in warm moist climates. Most of the world's cacoa beans come from West Africa, where Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Nigeria are the largest producers. The cocoa seeds became know as cocoa beans.

Q: How is chocolate made?

A: Nestlé is one of few manufacturers that process chocolate from the cocoa bean through to the finished product. We can promise consistent quality, because we do it all!

Click here to see a diagram of the chocolate making process.

Q: Is it love? Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?

A: Chocolate consumption is reputed to be an aphrodisiac and to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. This myth originated from the Mexican Emperor Montezuma's practice of drinking chocolate before entering his harem. Chocolate does contain 3 substances which might be related to the myth - caffeine, theobromine and phenyethylamine. Caffeine is a stimulant, theobromine stimulates the cardiac and nervous system, and phenyethylamine is reputed to be a mood elevator and anti-depressant.

Q: What is compound chocolate and what is the difference between compound chocolate and real chocolate?

A: What is the difference between compound chocolate and real chocolate? Coverture chocolate (such as NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate, NESTLÉ Cooking Chocolate and NESTLÉ Bits) contains butter oil, whereas compound chocolate (such as NESTLÉ Melts) contains vegetable oil. The vegetable oil makes compound chocolate easier to melt, quicker to set and does not require tempering. Tempering is the process by which coverture chocolate must be melted at specific temperatures to enable it to set and to give it a shiny finish.

Q: Bloom

A: Bloom is the cloudy or grayish look, sometimes with spots or streaks, that may develop on chocolate that has been improperly stored.

There are two types of bloom - sugar bloom and fat bloom.

Q: Caramel

A: A smooth chewy sweet made with sugar, butter, cream or milk, and flavouring.

Burnt sugar, used for colouring and sweetening foods.

Q: Charlotte

A: A dessert consisting of a mould of sponge cake or bread with a filling, as of fruits, whipped cream, or custard.

Q: Chocolate

A: Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds, often combined with a sweetener or flavoring agent.

A beverage made by mixing water or milk with chocolate.

A small, chocolate-covered candy with a hard or soft center.

A grayish to deep reddish brown to deep grayish brown.

Q: Cocoa

A: A powder made from cacao seeds after they have been fermented, roasted, shelled, ground, and freed of most of their fat.

Q: Cookies

A: A small, usually flat and crisp cake made from sweetened dough.

Cookies can be prepared in many different shapes and sizes, such as:

drop cookies - dropped from a spoon
rolled cookies - dough rolled out and cut into shapes
bar cookies - dough rolled out and cut into squares or bars.
Moulded cookies - dough with is shaped by hand or cooked in a cookie mould

Q: Dacquoise

A: Dacquoise is the name given to a classic French cake which is made with layers of layers of nut meringue and whipped cream or buttercream.

Q: Gateau

A: The French word for cake.

Q: Meringue

A: A topping for pastry or pies made of a mixture of egg whites and sugar beaten until stiff and often baked until brown.

A small pastry shell or cake made of stiffly beaten, baked egg whites and sugar, often containing fruit or nuts.

Q: Petits Fours

A: A small, square-cut, frosted and decorated piece of pound cake or sponge cake.

Q: Pound Cake

A: A rich, finely textured yellow cake containing eggs, flour, butter, and sugar.

Q: Praline

A: A confection made of nut kernels, especially almonds or pecans, stirred in boiling sugar syrup until crisp and brown.

Q: Puff Pastry

A: A light flaky pastry that is formed by rolling and folding the dough in layers so that it expands when baked.

Q: Sponge

A: A light cake which are leavened by beating air into whole eggs and sugar.

Q: Tart

A: A pastry shell with shallow sides, no top crust, and any of various fillings.

Q: Tartlet

A: A small pastry tart.

Q: Tempering

A: Tempering is the process of slowly heating and cooling chocolate in a delicate and methodical way that allows the crystal structure to form evenly. Tempering makes the chocolate smooth in texture.

Q: Torte

A: Torte is the Eastern European name for a cake.

Q: What is the difference between NESTLÉ CHOC BITS and NESTLÉ Melts?

A: NESTLÉ CHOC BITS contain a higher proportion of fat than NESTLÉ Melts enabling them to hold their shape during cooking. NESTLÉ CHOC BITS are designed to be used for recipes such as Choc Chip Cookies.

Q: What is the difference between NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate and NESTLÉ Cooking Chocolate?

A: NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate and NESTLÉ Cooking Chocolate are both coverture chocolates and are very similar in characteristics. NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate is of a very high quality and gives a strong, rich flavour .

Q: Can I melt NESTLÉ CHOC BITS?

A: NESTLÉ CHOC BITS can be melted, however not as successfully as NESTLÉ Melts.

Q: What is the difference between NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa and regular cocoa? Does it matter which one I use?

A: There is no difference between NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa and most drinking cocoas. However, NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa is traditionally very low in fat and contains no added sweeteners.

Q: Why do NESTLÉ Melts sometimes form hard lumps when I am trying to melt them?

A: Chocolate usually clumps together while melting if moisture has been absorbed by the chocolate. Stir chocolate on a regular basis while melting as chocolate melts from the inside out. When melting chocolate on the stove top, ensure that the bowl containing the chocolate is not touching the water as this will burn the chocolate. Also ensure that the bowl is large enough to prevent steam from escaping as this will cause condensation on the surface of the chocolate. When melting chocolate in the microwave, do not use a plastic bowl as these retain moisture, stir the chocolate regularly and do not cover the bowl while melting.

Q: What percentage of cocoa solids are in NESTLÉ Baking chocolates?

A: NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate and NESTLÉ Cooking Chocolate contain 45% cocoa solids

NESTLÉ Melts contain a maximum of 16% cocoa solids.

Q: What is the difference between NESTLÉ Melts and NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate?

A: NESTLÉ Melts are a compound chocolate, where as NESTLÉ PLAISTOWE Cooking Chocolate is coverture chocolates. NESTLÉ Melts are much easier to melt.

Q: What is in NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa?

A: NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa is a powdered product used in cooking cakes, pastries and desserts. It is 100% cocoa and is a very low fat product, containing no sweetening agents.