I made a Chocolate Cipon (Chiffon) Cake 2 days ago. This cake is usually very difficult to make, even compared with common Chiffon Cake. Anyway, Cipon is my own naming on this cake. It’s like Chiffon but much more moist and a bit ‘sweaty’ inside the cake. So, it’s not just fluffy, but very-very moist and even if I add more baking-time, it’s still ‘sweating’ when the cake is in room temperature.
The procedure and ingredients were mostly usual, except:
- I used different Couverture Chocolate brand.
- Situation in which the meringue was failed.
Let’s break the issue into details:
1. The Couverture Chocolate brand.
The Couverture I used was difficult to be melted, somehow. I wonder, if it was because I kept it in the fridge, yet, then I remember my regular Couverture was also in the fridge and it was still easily melted.
I was a bit panic when the couverture was not melting properly. I, then, added milk gradually into the Couverture bowl and always stir them until mixed well before adding.
The smell was good though! It was like strong chocolate milk, YET… YET, it’s not fragrant enough for cake…
2. Failed Meringue.
When mixing meringue, I saw kind of ‘brown spot’ in the meringue. I was thinking in a glace, is it chocolate?! Then I thought again, naah, may be part of white eggs. I kept mixing but nothing happen as expected. I was really really suspicious. I, then, checked my hands (because I took whisk by touching the ‘whisk’-balloon part). Oh my goodness! There were chocolate spots on my hands.
Ok, I had no option. I threw away the failed meringue.
Next problem was I didn’t have any fresh meringue. I only had COLD meringue in the fridge. I knew, it can be mixed still, but I wasn’t sure, it was good for my recipe (this recipe is pretty sensitive with everything. haha. I always feel like baking/making macaron when makin this Cipon Cake).
Again, no option. I didn’t want to break eggs anymore. I took COLD white eggs and beat it. Of course, before that, I had to wash the whisk. The meringue started to form. I was like, ok, then the first one was really messed up by small spot chocolate from my hand.
I whisked the whites until it became STIFF peak.
(I usually do this: beat the meringue until foaming with cream of tartar/vinegar. Add sugar gradually. Keep beating until foaming starts to disappear, then I added salt. I don’t know. May just my feeling or my wrong theory (hahaha), but, I feel, my meringue is more stable if I do this. It was like, the salt ‘locks’ or ‘does finishing touch’ the meringue).
After that, I just mixed the 2 dough as usual.
I was pretty busy that day. I had to go to somewhere else and checked stuff there. I was like, “I have to be prepared mentally and ‘mood-‘ly if this cake fails.”
I baked the cake and it looked ‘fine’. When it’s done, as usual, I flip the cake on a tube and let it cooled down itself.
I waited a bit. I wonder if the cake would be fall by itself. It didn’t.
Ok, I gotta go to other place. I left the cake until afternoon.
Before taking kids to their nap, I checked the cake and it was still hung on the mold. I then took it out. It looked ok from above, yet I was still preparing myself for failure.
The cake then off the mold!
VOILA!
It was succeed!!!!
I cut the cake and the texture appearance looked very good! I was pretty surprise to see the result.
The shape itself is more sturdy and tall like Chiffon.
The pores is slightly bigger than CIPON. Cipon has very fewer and smaller pores.
I tasted the cake. The texture was really really good. It was unusual to my Cipon Cake.
It’s still moist but not too sweaty like my Cipon (but not ‘dry’ like a Chiffon. I don’t know Chiffon is ‘dry’ until I made a Cipon. (^_^)”. So, I’m comparing both of them, not Chiffon vs Chiffon).
How about the “TASTE” ? The taste itself is as expected, not as good as when made with my regular Couverture Chocolate. Not failed but just being compared, it’s not as fragrant and as ‘chocolate fruity’ as usual. The chocolate aroma is not strong, not fruity, as well as the taste.
So here my pre-conclusion:
- The cold meringue may play role here to make the cake dough more stable and (finished result cake) sturdy. I watched in a Youtube channel, cold meringue can be used but there will be slightly different result, yet I forget, more pores or not (If I’m not wrong in remembering, it has to do with pores).
- The couverture itself. I used cheaper couverture and higher % than usual (60%), but may be the quality creates the above result OR that higher % does. I’m not sure because as long I remember, using same 60% from other brand, was still difficult when making Cipon (although better than less-% Couverture). So, I think, it has to do with the ‘quality’. I didn’t mean the quality is bad or whatsoever as the cake is surprisingly succeed. I just thought, may be there is something detail differently (or chocolate fruit used may be) from my regular Couverture. It was totally different feel when I tried to melt it. I didn’t have similar experience with other Couverture brands.
- Usually, even with different brand of Couverture, I can still smell and taste the chocolate pretty similar between brands. Yet, with this brand, I can not. It’s totally different. With 60% Couverture, it’s not as chocolaty as expected and the smell is not strong either. Usually, Couverture has kind of ‘fruity acid’ -kind-of-like fragrant. I didn’t find this characteristic with this brand I was using. It doesn’t suitable to my taste regarding to my Cipon. I prefer other chocolate. Even though the result is good, I don’t plan to use it anymore for this recipe.
So, I guess, you have to experience many Couvertures you can afford (it’s expensive, I know). Don’t just ask: which brand is good? It really depends on the recipe, technique, whole combination of the ingredients, the taste & aroma that you want to create/achieve, and other stuff (humidity, etc). If, accidentally, you find a good one with your recipe at first time, just keep it. If you have more budget, then you can do R&D again.
So, I guess, now, you know what to do when your meringue failed. If you have spare white eggs in the fridge, you can try using it. If you don’t have it, then you have no option but breaking new eggs. You can use yolks leftover for donut or bread though…but then, you have to continue to bake after baking Chiffon (I’m myself, hesitant to keep yolks in or outside the fridge. I prefer to use it right away). (^.^).