Shea Butter (or Cocoa Butter Equivalent) tempering while making Chocolate
This is more of a theoretical question. But assuming I have the following ingredients
- Cocoa powder / Cocoa Mass (containing no cocoa butter or trace amounts of it)
- Sugar
- Shea Butter
I've been reading that CBEs like Shea Butter can be used for replacing Cocoa Butter while making chocolate[1]. However most resources say it requires tempering.
- How can I temper shea butter in chocolate?
- What is the right ratio to use shea butter if I were to make pure shea butter based chocolate?
Best Answer
Interesting question, but for practical purposes, I think it is a dead end.
If you want something resembling a Lindt chocolate bar, you cannot make it at home. You just don't have the machinery needed to create the needed particle size of the starchy phase. There is by the way no "cocoa mass containing no cocoa butter or trace amounts of it", the best you can get is strongly defattted cocoa powder at about 5% cocoa butter, and that is already so dry that you couldn't have it behave as "cocoa mass", you can only get is as powder. And this powder particle's sizes are several orders of magnitude larger than those needed for a chocolate bar. You need a tightly controlled industrial process with specialized machines to make the bar from that point. Even if there are manufacturers who have managed to engineer a similar process with shea butter as a substitute, you can't replicate it in your kitchen.
If you want something else instead of a smooth bar, the best you can get will be some liquidish product, maybe a ganache or a hot chocolate replacement. There you don't need tempering, because you dissolve the whole thing and emulsify the fat, it is no longer sitting around in crystalized form.
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What is the substitute for cocoa butter in making chocolate?
The best cocoa butter substitutes are cacao butter, (dairy) butter, coconut oil or butter. Cocoa powder and white chocolate work in limited contexts. Substitutes for cocoa butter should have extremely high fat contents and similar flavors and consistencies.Does chocolate with cocoa butter need to be tempered?
The purpose of tempering chocolate is to pre-crystallise the cocoa butter in it, which is important to make your chocolate ready for processing. During tempering, the cocoa butter in the chocolate takes on a stable crystalline form. This guarantees a perfect finished product with a satin gloss and a hard snap.Can you use shea butter for chocolate?
Many chocolate manufacturers then use shea butter globally as an alternative fat for cocoa butter as it contains a desirable high quality fat for the confectionery industry.Which is more effective shea butter or cocoa butter?
If you have acne-prone skin, shea butter might be a better choice because it is lightweight. Cocoa butter is commonly used during massages due to its calming aroma. Shea butter is known to improve stretch marks and other skin blemishes. In the end, both kinds of butter can help moisturize your skin.How to Temper Chocolate With Cocoa Butter | Chef Christophe Rull!
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