Chocolate + water =

[kthull]

So I made a dessert tonight that is basically a mocha mousse sandwiched between two flourless chocolate cake layers (to be ganached tomorrow and served straight from the freezer).

Well, I was surprised when the recipe listed the flourless cake ingredients:
- chocolate
- water (!!)
- separated eggs
- sugar

I was very skeptical combining the chopped chocolate and water over simmering water to melt. The word "seize" kept running through my mind, but sure enough, it came together nicely. The consistency was like a very thick pudding.

I'll see tomorrow how the dessert tastes, but is this a normal thing? I've seen several flourless chocolate cake recipes before, but never combining chocolate and water.

And did it work because the two were together before the chocolate melted? I never did have much luck adding any warmed liquid to melted chocolate without seizing, so whenever a recipe calls for that, I put the liquids and chocolate together from the start.

[thebighat]

I read an analogy once to what happens when you add liquid to warm melted chocolate. Picture a sugar bowl into which you sprinkle a little water. It clumps up. Add enough water and the sugar dissolves. Same thing with chocolate.

[breadster]

an additional note - the cake bible says that water allows for the quick release of full chocolate flavor (as opposed to milk proteins which bring out the bitterness) she always mixes her chocolate (cocoa) and boiling water together before adding to anything else

[m brown]

all chocolates or just cocoa?