Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the simplest chocolate coating there is: melted compound chocolate loosened with a little oil so it flows thinly, sets quickly and stays crisp rather than brittle. The oil softens the set just enough that a knife goes through the coating instead of shattering it, which is what you want on a cake, a slice or a dipped pastry.
I use it whenever a cake needs a clean chocolate shell without the work of tempering. Compound chocolate sets hard at room temperature on its own, so there is no seeding, no marble slab and no waiting. Pour it over a chilled cake, dip pastries or biscuit ends in it, or brush it over a sponge base to seal it against a moist filling.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 550
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of pouring chocolate coating, enough to glaze two 20–22 cm cakes
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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500 |
17.6 ounces
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Dark Chocolate (Compound)
Compound chocolate is a product made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat, and sweeteners. It is used as a lower-cost alternative to true chocolate, as it uses less-expensive hard vegetable fats such as coconut oil or palm kernel oil in place of the more expensive cocoa butter. It may also be known as 'compound coating' or 'chocolatey coating' when used as a coating for candy.
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chopped or in buttons |
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B
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50 |
1.7 fluid_ounces
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Cooking Oil
Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavouring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and in this sense might be more accurately termed edible oil. Cooking oil is typically a liquid at room temperature, although some oils that contain saturated fat, such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are solid. There is a wide variety of cooking oils from plant sources such as olive oil, palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil (rapeseed oil), corn oil, peanut oil and other vegetable oils, as well as animal-based oils like butter and lard. Oil can be flavoured with aromatic foodstuffs such as herbs, chillies or garlic.
flavourless, such as canola or sunflower
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room temperature |
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550
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Chop A (dark compound chocolate) into small even pieces if you are not using buttons, and place it in a dry heatproof bowl. |
Bowl and spatula completely dry; any water will seize the chocolate |
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2 |
Melt |
Melt A (dark compound chocolate) over a pot of barely simmering water, or in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each burst. |
Smooth and fully melted, no lumps, and not hotter than about 45°C (113°F) |
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3 |
Mix |
Stir B (cooking oil) into the melted chocolate until it is completely blended in. |
Glossy and evenly fluid, with no streaks of oil on the surface |
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Cool |
Let the coating cool, stirring now and then, until it is just warm. |
Around 35°C (95°F) — thin enough to pour, thick enough to coat |
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Coat |
Pour or ladle over a chilled cake set on a rack, or dip pastries and let the excess drain back into the bowl. |
An even, thin layer; the coating sets at room temperature within a few minutes |
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Store |
Any leftover coating can be poured into a container and set aside. Re-melt gently when needed. |
Keeps at cool room temperature for several weeks; do not refrigerate uncovered |
Important Notes
This quantity makes about 550 g of coating, enough to glaze two 20–22 cm cakes or to dip a large batch of small pastries. Always coat a cold cake so the chocolate sets quickly and evenly. For dipping, keep the bowl sitting in warm (not hot) water so the coating stays fluid while you work. Compound chocolate does not need tempering, but it still hates water — keep every bowl, spoon and spatula perfectly dry. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container at cool room temperature and re-melted as often as you like. Adding more oil will make a softer, thinner coating; less oil gives a firmer, more brittle shell.
Tools & Arrangements
Heatproof bowl, small saucepan for a water bath or a microwave, rubber spatula, digital thermometer, cooling rack and a tray to catch drips, ladle or dipping fork.
