The difference between chocolate, couverture, Kuvertüre and fat glaze

Name: The difference between chocolate, couverture, Kuvertüre and fat glaze
Cuisine: Switzerland

Differences in the world of chocolate

There are so many different chocolate-like products out there. It’s hard to know which one is suitable for what. In this blog post, we want to clarify things and explain in more detail the differences between ordinary, shop-bought chocolate, couverture and cake or fat glaze.

Chocolate

Ordinary chocolate, which is available in any supermarket, does not melt as well as couverture, as its cocoa butter content is considerably lower than that of couverture. As a result, ordinary chocolate always remains somewhat viscous, and it is very difficult, if not almost impossible, to coat a praline with a wafer-thin layer of chocolate. This difference is particularly evident when melting ordinary milk chocolate and milk couverture. Ordinary milk chocolate remains very thick, whereas milk couverture melts beautifully. We therefore generally recommend never using standard shop-bought chocolate for making pralines, bars or moulded figures.

Ordinary chocolate also has a higher sugar content than couverture, which is why it is cheaper but also significantly sweeter than couverture when eaten. It is best to use this chocolate for eating at home or for baking simple cakes.

Couverture | Chocolate coating

Couverturehasa lower sugar content but a higher proportion of cocoa mass and cocoa butter. As these two ingredients are more expensive to purchase than sugar, the final price of the couverture is ultimately higher. However, you are rewarded with a more intense chocolate flavour, and its flow properties make it ideal for producingchocolate bars,pralines,hollow figuresor other chocolate specialities. Couverture must be tempered before use; otherwise, it will turn grey and/or become brittle.You can find out more about temperinghere.

Couverture is available in various forms: as a whole block, couverture drops or shavings. We prefer couverture drops, as these are the perfect size for further processing. As high-quality couverture is hard to come by, we offer a range of couverture from various manufacturers and countries of origin in different pack sizes at our shop in Adliswil and in our online shop. We use and sell only couverture of the very highest quality.

Cake glaze | Fat glaze | Cake melts

Cake glazeis a chocolate-like mixture that does not need to be tempered but still has a glossy finish. It’s very simple to use: place the packet of cake glaze in lukewarm water until the contents have melted, pour it over the finished cake and voilà – the glaze sets, becomes firm and takes on a lovely sheen. With cake glaze, the cocoa butter is omitted entirely and replaced with another vegetable fat, usually coconut or palm oil. This saves the time involved in tempering. It is also significantly cheaper, as it is primarily the cocoa butter that makes couverture so expensive, whilst palm and coconut fat are relatively inexpensive by comparison. In terms of flavour, however, it does not come close to chocolate or couverture.

In patisserie, cake glaze is used to coat tarts, cakes, cake pops or confectionery. However, it is never used for high-quality confectionery products such as pralines or chocolate bars.

Storage & Shelf life

As a general rule, chocolate, couverture and cake glaze should always be stored in a dark, cool and dry place. In the case of cake glaze, it is not quite as critical as with the other two if it is not stored at 18 degrees, as it does not contain any cocoa butter.

The shelf life varies depending on the type. As a rule, white chocolate, couverture and cake glaze have the shortest shelf life at 6 months, followed by milk chocolate at 1 to 1½ years, and dark chocolate at up to 2 years.