Do you need to coat a soft cake, decorate crisp biscuits or add an extra touch of elegance to a semifreddo? The cocoa glaze is a very versatile choice, able to balance both simple flavours and more complex combinations. Made with just a few simple ingredients, the cocoa glaze is within everyone's reach, from expert pastry chefs to beginners in the kitchen.
Find out whether the cocoa glaze is the best choice for your desserts: let's start cooking!
CHOCOLATE GLAZE OR COCOA GLAZE?
The main difference between the cocoa glaze and the chocolate one lies in the basic ingredients. Unlike chocolate glaze, which contains butter and melted chocolate, cocoa glaze is made with cocoa powder, sugar and liquids such as milk or cream: the cocoa glaze has the characteristic taste of cocoa powder: far bolder and more bitter than chocolate, and able to bring out the flavours of the most complex desserts.
Another difference between the two glazes is texture: chocolate glaze tends to be denser and more compact, whereas the cocoa glaze is lighter and softer.
HOW TO MAKE COCOA GLAZE?
Making the cocoa glaze is a simple process that requires just a few ingredients:
Ingredients
- 135 g caster sugar
- 22 g milk powder
- 40 g bitter cocoa
- 35 g glucose syrup
- 100 g water
- 85 g fresh cream
- 115 g cold neutral glaze
- 8 g gelatine sheets
METHOD
- Start by softening the gelatine: soak the gelatine in 40 g of cold water, squeeze it out well and set it aside.
- In a double-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, milk powder and bitter cocoa.
- Add the glucose syrup, water and cream. Stir well so that all the ingredients are combined.
- Using a heat-resistant spatula, place the saucepan on the heat and keep stirring until it reaches a temperature of 103°. Once the temperature is reached, add first the cold neutral glaze and then the rehydrated gelatine.
- Strain everything into a jug and blend the mixture with an immersion blender.
- Now pour the glaze into a container, press cling film onto the surface and let the glaze rest in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
- Before using the glaze to decorate your desserts, you will need to remember to warm it to 36°.
COCOA GLAZE, A FAVOURITE OF THE FRENCH NOBILITY
The cocoa glaze derives from the use of cocoa powder, an ingredient that began to spread widely across Europe from the 17th century, after cocoa was introduced from the Americas.
In 1685, the French confectioner Philippe Dufour published a manual with instructions on how to consume chocolate in solid form, paving the way for the use of cocoa in desserts. At the beginning of the 18th century, cocoa became part of the desserts served at the tables of the nobility, such as truffles, coated hazelnuts and chocolate mousse. A key innovation was the invention of the hydraulic press by the Dutchman Coenraad Van Houten in 1828, which made it possible to separate the cocoa butter from the dry part, yielding a lean, easily worked cocoa powder: this invention made cocoa easier to use in pastry-making and contributed to the development of glazes and couvertures based on cocoa powder
The cocoa glaze has since gone on to win over palates across Europe, and to this day it is regarded as an excellent alternative to chocolate glaze, perfect for cocoa lovers and for those who prefer a more intense, less sweet taste!
