Can I still use the seized chocolate mixture? (pic of cake added)

[Macky]

I'm making some mocha icing for a mocha cake that I used to make all the time for birthdays, so I'm quite familiar with it. This time, however, I need to make it dairy free. The cake is already dairy free, but the icing is not.

The first step is to melt unsweetened chocolate, milk and instant coffee granules via double boiler. I substituted cashew milk made of raw cashews and water. The chocolate seized. :doh

The next steps are to cream the butter (substituting Earth's Balance) and sugar. Beat in an egg. Add chocolate mixture and beat again. This usually makes a super light, fluffy, not-too-sweet frosting.

Will it still work with the seized chocolate mixture? OR do I start again with proper milk and butter and Eliot and I just don't get any of the birthday cake? (:()

[StumblinMama]

It seems like I heard a chef say that you can sometimes rescue seized chocolate by actually adding more liquid :think

ETA: I guess I remembered correctly! From this link (http://allrecipes.com//HowTo/chocolate-101/Detail.aspx):

Seizing occurs when moisture is introduced to melted chocolate. In the blink of an eye, you can go from a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate to a lumpy, grainy mess. Even the tiniest amount of liquid--a single drop of water, the moisture clinging to a strawberry, or the steam from a double boiler--will cause this kind of reaction. It is possible to rescue seized chocolate. The way to do this is, ironically enough, to add more liquid. Where a little bit of moisture causes seizing, lots of moisture will allow chocolate to relax again.

[Macky]

Thanks so much! Going to try... brb...

[StumblinMama]

:yw
Be sure and post how it turns out!

[Macky]

Well, it's still grainy, BUT the texture has lightened to the point where I don't think it will collapse the butter/sugar mixture after I've whipped all the air into it (which was my fear). When I rub it between my fingers, it's totally smooth. Will let you know how it ends up! :ty3

ETA: Looks good! :) There's a faint powdery taste, but it could be the icing sugar; that should go away after a sit in the fridge. It's light and not-too-sweet, same texture as the original recipe, but I can taste the difference with the Earth's Balance (I hate most fake dairy stuff). A frosting connoisseur could tell this isn't a real buttercream, but the guests at this birthday party are used to make-you-sick-it's-so-sweet store-bought icing, so this is a huge improvement despite it not being true to the recipe!

[StumblinMama]

Yay! I hope it works perfectly :heart

[Macky]

Cake was a hit and Eliot and I got to have a piece, too... I was so happy! The powdery taste was still there, so I think now that it might have been the seized chocolate causing it after all (and not the powdered sugar), but the cake was so good (dairy free using avocado for the fat), even I didn't notice unless I was looking for it. The dairy-free butter was strong, just like real buttercream, which I needed for the structure. Hurray all 'round! :) Thought I'd share a pic of the finished cake.

ETA: Yes, that was real whipped cream on top. To serve the cake, I sliced it in half and Eliot and I took a piece from the bottom half before serving it out with additional whipped cream for the rest of the guests.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Macky77/DSC_1689.jpg

[abbiroads]

wow! That looks fantastic! I wish I could have a piece. Can you share the recipe, with and without modifications?

[crunchymum]

Fantastic cake!!!!!

[WI Mama05]

What an awesome looking cake!

[tofufoofoo]

Great looking cake!!! :rockon

[mamaKristin]

awesome job! :tu

[Six Little Feet]

Awesome!!!!!!!

[Macky]

wow! That looks fantastic! I wish I could have a piece. Can you share the recipe, with and without modifications?

It was kind of a combination of these two cakes:

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/07/vegan-chocolate-avocado-cake/

and

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/mocha-magic-torte/Detail.aspx (I have the cookbook; this online recipe forgets to tell the reader to cool all melted chocolate before using, but otherwise is true to the cookbook.)

The mocha magic torte cake is already dairy free, but the one with avocado is more moist because I use two medium avocados instead of one. I added 1/3 cup of instant coffee granules to the water in the avocado cake recipe.

The icing I used was from the mocha magic torte. I substituted Earth Balance straight across for the butter and (as we already know) raw cashews/water blended up for the milk. I'm unsure what the proportion was; I just buzzed up equal parts until smooth and then added water until it was a consistency somewhere between milk and cream. Because I didn't soak the nuts, I also strained the "milk" before I used it in the frosting.

The original Mocha Magic Torte recipe is one I used to make all the time because it was constantly requested by friends and family. The recipe link omits the big WOW factor of the cake, though. The sides should be covered in big chocolate shavings (warm chocolate until starting to just get a little soft, then grate with cheese grater). Make long chocolate curls (soften chocolate, then slide a carrot peeler over the surface) and pile about a dozen right in the middle on top.f

ETA: Oh, I almost forgot to say... it's actually better to make this cake at least one if not two days ahead of when you want to serve it. The cake absorbs some of the icing and the layers kind of meld together in this wonderful, mouth-watering way... yum!

[knitlove]

but I can taste the difference with the Earth's Balance (I hate most fake dairy stuff). Beast Life is also dairy free and tastes much better (I think ) than Earth's Balance.

[Macky]

Beast Life is also dairy free and tastes much better (I think ) than Earth's Balance.

Doesn't sound like it's available in Canada and doesn't sound like it comes in a hard form either (spread only). Soft margarines and spreads contain more water and air than butter and hard margarine and thus, as far as I know, cannot be substituted in baking. :shrug3 I would try the olive oil spread melted on steamed veggies, though. :yes

[StumblinMama]

:jawdrop That is awesome!!