Crack Attack.

When you’re all excited about your latest baking masterpiece, the last thing you want to have happen is this.

The 4-Layer Insanity Bars were all but ready to be served, all but ready to be graced upon this world. (Really- I toiled over these mofos for a very long time– like a four-layer kind of long time.) And then disaster struck (as it so often does).

The chocolate wasn’t supposed to snap and crackle with the edge of the knife during the cutting ceremony, my friends. Especially since I’ve made this mistake before, in the Chocolate Almond Crevasse episode… but I thought I was safe since ganache is usually smoother and less prone to snap. So I consulted the world wide web and found this answer on allrecipes.com:

“Occasionally you might encounter a dry-looking or even cracked ganache. This is usually due to over-heating (yeah, I think I did that) or cooling too rapidly (yeah, I think I did that too). If you allow the cream and chocolate to get too hot, especially when reheating, the oils might separate out of the chocolate and float to the top, leaving you with a dull, dry-looking finished product.

Sending your ganache straight to the refrigerator after mixing can also cause it to separate (seriously?). The process of cooling the ganache slowly helps the molecules from the chocolate and cream to bond more securely, giving it a nice shine. It’s best to allow it to cool at room temperature before transferring it to the fridge.”

Okay, good to know. Maybe the fact that I poured the cream over the chocolate and promptly forgot all about it (instead of whisking like mad after 5 minutes like I was supposed to) had a little something to do with it? And clearly I had thrown the bars in the fridge way too soon. I committed two or three ganache crimes, easily.

Aren’t you glad that I make these mistakes first so that you can learn from them? I’ll take one for the team any time. Just buy an apron as a way of thanking me.

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March 29th, 2014 | More Sweets Please | 2 Comments | Tags: Disasters

2 Responses and Counting...

Boni Smith 03.29.2014

I miss all your yummy baking Jodi!!! Not one item you made for our meetings that I didn’t LOVE

The site looks great!!! xoxox

Boni
More Sweets Please

Thank you so much, Boni! I miss being able to bake for you— you were always so appreciative of desserts!