[Spoons]

Holiday Pound Cake.......
Would like a drizzle of chocolate on the cake.
Something that will be completely hard when covered with a cellophane wrapping.

Do you recommend using coating chocolate? Thanks.

[W.DeBord]

I wouldn't recommend compound chocolate in this application. It's not very good tasting and I only use compond chocolate sparingly when no one is going to eat much of it. How about using an inexpensive chocolate, for instance the 'Sams' Club' in my area sells a 10# bag of chocolate chips for around $7.oo (I beleive).

You realize that if it's totally hard (so it looks good for you) it will just break off in big chunks when the person cuts it? I don't quite know what you have in mind, but my first choice would be to glaze it instead of using chocolate. If I really wanted chocolate to flavor it, I'd use a marbled pound cake recipe instead, or put mini chocolate chips in your current recipe.

My two cents

[momoreg]

I agree with W.

The hard chocolate will not cut uniformly, and if you plan to use coating choc. instead of the real thing, the inferior flavor will be obvious in such a large amount. Why not use ganache?

[Spoons]

Sorry, I guess I worded it wrong. Not hard chocolate! I know coating can be strange. Has anyone used the glazes from CB, Braun, Carma, Felchin?

Maybe I need a crusting type of icing. So, that wrapping it won't smudge the glaze. Any recipes? I think ganache would be too soft.

[angrychef]

I think a stiffer ganache would work(75% chocolate 25% cream) or even just thinning chocolate with some butter(or even chocolate chips with the butter). Problem I've had with the chocolate glazes(pate a glacer dark) is that the loaf sucks up the moisture in the glaze and it turns brittle after a day.

[momoreg]

I've used Carma, and it's fine for a little drizzle, but if you plan to cover the top of the cake in chocolate, it's greasy! Angry's idea of mixing butter w/ choc. sounds good; it will soften the chocolate up a bit.

2 other ideas:

1. Maybe you can make a sort-of tent with cellophane, so that it doesn't touch the top, and this way, you cna have a nice gooey glaze.

2. Do a gooey glaze, and top it with chocolate shavings, so that it doesn't stick to the wrapping.

[Spoons]

Thanks Momoreg and Angrychef, and W.Debord for the input.
Gonna try them.
Hey by the way Momoreg, where's that great cake everyone's talking about?