While most people might, somewhat accurately, believe that any chocolate cake sugar is the “right” sugar, there is actually much more to it than that. For example, it might sound good to pair a dark chocolate cake with a bittersweet chocolate buttercream because the two flavors are so similar, but in reality this combination could end up being nauseatingly sweet chocolate cake in Auckland and rich. The way to select the right sugar for a chocolate cake is to first determine if the frosting really “works” with the type and flavor of the cake selected.
What does that mean? The type of cake indicates the kind of “crumb” and texture that the cake has, and the flavor simply means the actual variety of cake. Is it to be a yellow cake, vanilla, chocolate? Is it to be a damp cake, a thick cake, a cake made with fruit and almonds? All of these factors have a tremendous affect the type of frosting or sugar used. For instance, is the sugar to be comfortable and light? Is it to be more of a glaze? Perhaps a chocolate fondant is the solution? It takes some thought and even a bit of experimentation to select the ideal integrating.
Luckily, the large number of recipes for icings using chocolate as the main flavor causes it to be somewhat easy to make a winning combination. There is then the need to really gauge the end result before investing the formula, because there is always the issue of the weight of the cake and the sugar too. This means that you should think about if the cake can actually “stand up” under the weight of the frosting.
Need an example? For this representation we will say that you are trying to select the right sugar for a order of cupcakes that should be served at a party. You want to decorate these cupcakes with symbols and designs that match the overall theme of the party. You know that the cupcake batter is based on a golden cake and that it has the kind of texture that is comparable to a sponge or cloth cake formula. This means that the cake can easily resist heavier icings, and would in fact become more worthy of them. This means you can scout out a good ganache, fondant, or chocolate glaze formula to use on this more durable type of cake. Had you chosen a lighter batter, such as a cake mix that boasted of its damp and comfortable texture, you would have been better served by a chocolate buttercream or a whipped frosting that didn’t put any type of weight on the cake.
We have considered the various factors that you need to use when selecting a frosting formula, and they range from the weight of the cake and the sugar, the balance of sweetness and flavor, and the ability for the chocolate frosting to essentially work with the actual cake itself. When you make a habit of considering these factors before selecting a formula, you can usually anticipate really excellent results.