Homemade Super Cacao Chocolate

We're serious chocolate addicts here at Aduna Towers, so this recipe for a homemade version from Aduna Triber Henrietta is proving a huge hit! Unlike the shop-bought stuff, it's free from emulsifiers and refined sugar, but it doesn't sacrifice taste or texture one bit. Try turning it into bars topped with colourful dried fruit and nuts for the perfect DIY gifts.

Makes about 450g (1lb) chocolate / 5 x 90g (3oz) bars

Ingredients

• 250g (8¾oz / 1⅛ cup) cacao butter, chopped or processed into small pieces
• 125g (4½oz / 1 cup plus 1 tbsp) Aduna Super Cacao Powder
• 90g (3oz / generous ¼ cup) maple syrup
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out

Suggested Toppings and Flavourings

Wonder Berry Chocolate Bar

• Goji berries, white mulberries, Incan berries, buckwheat groats, hulled hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds

Exotic Chocolate Bar

• Dried mango, dried pineapple, toasted coconut flakes and cacao nibs

Fruit 'n' Nut Chocolate 1

• Chopped dried apricots and figs, raisins, Brazil nuts and almonds

Fruit 'n' Nut Chocolate 2

• Pistachios, hazelnuts, dried cranberries and dried blueberries

Peppermint Chocolate

• Add 1 tsp pure unsweetened peppermint extract to 90g (3oz) chocolate, then fill the mould

Bitter Orange Chocolate

• Add 1 tsp pure unsweetened orange extract to 90g (3oz) chocolate, fill the mould, then decorate with cacao nibs

Rose, Orange Blossom, Raspberry, Macadamia and Sesame Chocolate

• Add a generous ½ tsp rosewater and ½ tsp orange blossom water to 90g (3oz) chocolate, pour into the mould, then decorate with freeze-dried raspberries, macadamia nuts and white sesame seeds

Method

Making the Chocolate

1. Line a large 35 x 25 x 2cm deep (13¾ x 9¾ x ¾ inch) tray with baking parchment.
2. Make a bain-marie by fitting a glass or ceramic bowl over a saucepan of water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce to a simmer.
3. Very slowly melt the cacao butter in the bowl of the bain-marie, taking care not to exceed 40–45°C (104–113°F). If it's getting too hot but hasn't all melted, remove from the heat to finish melting. It is important not to overheat it, or the chocolate will taste grainy and develop a white, cloudy appearance known as 'bloom'.
4. When the cacao butter has melted and is at around 40–45°C (104–113°F), add the remaining ingredients. This should lower the temperature; we now want to bring it down to 28–30°C (82–86°F) – just above or below will be fine.
5. Blend all the ingredients together with a hand-held blender to remove any cacao powder lumps until the mixture is velvety smooth and glossy. Do not over-blend, or the chocolate will stiffen too much. If it becomes too stiff, place the bowl back over the hot water and stir gently for a minute or so, then remove from the heat. Keep stirring gently to cool it, and when it reaches around 28–30°C (82–86°F), pour it into the lined tray.
6. Bang the tray on a surface and shake it gently to remove any air bubbles and create a nice, even layer of chocolate, then refrigerate.
7. Once set, break up the chocolate and store it in a large glass jar or container in the fridge, where it will keep for at least three months.

Making Your Own Chocolate Bars

1. You will need chocolate moulds measuring approximately 15 x 7 x 1cm deep (6 x 2¾ x ⅓ inch). Wash the moulds with hot water, soap and a soft cloth, then dry with a cloth and polish with cotton wool before each use.
2. Make or melt the desired amount of homemade chocolate in a bain-marie (see above). Once the chocolate is around 28–30°C (82–86°F), pour or ladle it into the moulds, one at a time. Each bar (with the above dimensions) takes approximately 90g (3oz) of chocolate.
3. Shake the moulds slightly and tap them a few times to remove any air bubbles and create an even layer. If desired, add 40–50g (1½–1¾oz) of toppings (see suggestions above) and transfer to the fridge immediately to set. If you are in a rush, place them in the freezer. Once set, the bars will fall out easily from the moulds.
4. If you don't have moulds, don't worry – simply make some delicious chocolate bark by pouring the melted chocolate onto a baking tray lined with parchment, cover with your preferred toppings, refrigerate, and then break it into pieces.

Enjoy!

Recipe and image taken from Clean Cakes by Henrietta Inman, photography by Lisa Linder, published by Jacqui Small (£20). Available here.