Chocolate Smbc Help

Baking By rlowry03 Updated 26 Sep 2011 , 4:58pm by HappyCake10609

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rlowry03 Posted 22 Sep 2011 , 1:11am
post #1 of 19

I made chocolate SMBC for the first time today. I use the Well-Dressed Cake's recipe for SMBC, and it says to add 1/3 C of melted but cooled chocolate at the end. I made the SMBC. I slowly melted semi-sweet chocolate chips til they were smooth and let them cool until they were room temp but still smooth. I added them to the SMBC and it was like part the chocolate cooled off and formed little chocolate lumps throughout. I really couldn't see any just looking at the frosting, but it started getting stuck in my piping tip as I worked. Any idea how to get chocolate SMBC without lumps? I couldn't even finish piping a dozen cupcakes with a 2D tip. I had to switch to an open star.

18 replies
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rlowry03 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 12:44am
post #2 of 19

Anybody?

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rlowry03 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 12:45am
post #3 of 19

Anybody?

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stsapph Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 1:19am
post #4 of 19

Never have been able to get rid of the chocolate bits in the past, so I always run my chocolate smbc through a strainer before piping. Never have any problems after that. HTH

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rlowry03 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 6:40pm
post #5 of 19

Do you just push it through a strainer? Is there another way to keep the lumps out? Should I try ganache instead of plain chocolate?

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stsapph Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 6:47pm
post #6 of 19

Yes, I just push it through with a spatula. I haven't tried using ganache, but that is definitely a thought. Might have to try that myself.

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StephW Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 7:02pm
post #7 of 19

I have not made the chocolate SMBC yet, though I will be trying it. I usually whip chocolate ganache when I want to frost cupcakes with chocolate, but I use the SMBC for everything else.

I am wondering if your issue is that you are using chocolate chips? There are added ingredients in the chips so that they don't lose their shape when baking. So while you can melt them down to liquid, the other ingredients may be solidifying once they cool and causing you issues.

Not sure but that's my guess.

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 7:31pm
post #8 of 19

the problem is definitely the chocolate chips. Use real chocolate such as Ghiardelli and it will not happen. Chips do not have the same amount of cocoa butter.

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pmarks0 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 7:44pm
post #9 of 19

I fold ganache into my SMBC after I've made it and I've had no issues. It's also awesome. icon_smile.gif

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KoryAK Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 8:34pm
post #10 of 19

We make ours the same way (except we use "real" chocolate and don't worry about cooling it down after melting) but you have to temper it. Mix some buttercream into the melted choc (2:1 ish buttercream:chocolate) and then add that into the rest of the white buttercream.

Ganache works for us in a pinch but it will spoil faster (from the cream) so we usually use just the chocolate.

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rlowry03 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 10:34pm
post #11 of 19

I was using Ghiardelli chocolate chips. I'll have to try it with baking chocolate instead. Unfortunately around here I can't get the good quality stuff in bars, which is why I tried chips.

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 11:13pm
post #12 of 19

I have made ganache with the chips and then added that to my SMBC with no problem. If you do this, make sure the cream comes to a rising boil or the chips will not melt all the way. Ganache is delicious in SMBC. If you can get merkens melting chocolate disks they work. Wilton's disks do not work. Supermarkets here (in NY) are selling bar chocolates in the organic section. Maybe you can get it there?

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 11:13pm
post #13 of 19

I have made ganache with the chips and then added that to my SMBC with no problem. If you do this, make sure the cream comes to a rising boil or the chips will not melt all the way. Ganache is delicious in SMBC. If you can get merkens melting chocolate disks they work. Wilton's disks do not work. Supermarkets here (in NY) are selling bar chocolates in the organic section. Maybe you can get it there?

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 11:13pm
post #14 of 19

I have made ganache with the chips and then added that to my SMBC with no problem. If you do this, make sure the cream comes to a rising boil or the chips will not melt all the way. Ganache is delicious in SMBC. If you can get merkens melting chocolate disks they will work. Wilton's disks are not good. Supermarkets here (in NY) are selling bar chocolates in the organic section. Maybe you can get it there?

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 11:14pm
post #15 of 19

I have made ganache with the chips and then added that to my SMBC with no problem. If you do this, make sure the cream comes to a rising boil or the chips will not melt all the way. Ganache is delicious in SMBC. If you can get merkens melting chocolate disks they will work. Wilton's disks are not good. Supermarkets here (in NY) are selling bar chocolates in the organic section. Maybe you can get it there?

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donnella2045 Posted 23 Sep 2011 , 11:15pm
post #16 of 19

I have made ganache with the chips and then added that to my SMBC with no problem. If you do this, make sure the cream comes to a rising boil or the chips will not melt all the way. Ganache is delicious in SMBC. If you can get merkens melting chocolate disks they will work. Wilton's disks are not good. Supermarkets here (in NY) are selling bar chocolates in the organic section. Maybe you can get it there?

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rlowry03 Posted 26 Sep 2011 , 3:49pm
post #17 of 19

I went and got some baking chocolate to try it with. The good stuff's not available around here so I went with the standard Baker's brand. If it works out maybe I'll make a trip to a bigger city and see what I can find.

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donnella2045 Posted 26 Sep 2011 , 4:46pm
post #18 of 19

Please let me know how it works out. I think it should be ok.

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HappyCake10609 Posted 26 Sep 2011 , 4:58pm
post #19 of 19

I use Ghirardelli chips (I use a combo of semi-sweet and bittersweet) melted, let them cool a bit and then add them to the SMBC at the end. I just add it slowly and let each addition incorporate fully before adding more... If I'm using white chocolate I have to add it still kind of warm because I find it clumps more easily. But if you add it slowly instead of all at one time I think you should be OK.

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