Real Chocolate vs Compound Coating: Choosing the right product for your needs

You know your cacao from your cocoa but do you know what sets compound chocolate apart and what it can be used for? Understanding the differences between real chocolate and compound coating is essential for bakers and professional chocolatiers to know what to use and for which applications. Let’s explore the differences and how Bakels can help you create outstanding chocolate products.

Real chocolate is defined by the presence of cocoa butter as its primary fat component. It’s a complex product derived from the cacao bean, undergoing several stages of processing to develop its rich flavour and characteristic texture.

Composition

• Cocoa Mass (or Cocoa Liquor): Ground cocoa nibs (the inner part of the roasted cacao bean) that form a thick paste. This provides the fundamental chocolate flavour.
• Cocoa Butter: The natural fat extracted from cocoa beans. It’s crucial for chocolate’s unique melting properties and smooth mouthfeel.
• Sugar: Sweetens the chocolate.
• Other ingredients (optional): Milk solids (for milk chocolate), vanilla, and sometimes a small percentage (up to 5% in some regulations) of other vegetable fats.

Characteristics

• Melting Behaviour: Melts easily at body temperature, creating a smooth, luxurious mouthfeel. It doesn’t melt easily at room temperature.
• Appearance: Has a glossy sheen when properly tempered.
• Snap: Produces a clean, crisp “snap” when broken, due to the stable crystallisation of cocoa butter.
• Flavour and Aroma: Possesses a complex and distinctive chocolate flavour with a unique aroma, primarily due to the cocoa butter and the diverse flavour compounds developed during processing.
• Tempering Requirement: Requires a precise tempering process (controlled heating and cooling) to ensure the cocoa butter crystallises into a stable form, which is essential for gloss, snap, and proper melting. Without tempering, real chocolate can appear dull, crumbly, and melt poorly.

Compound coating, often referred to as “compound chocolate” (though legally not “chocolate” in many regions), replaces all or a significant portion of the cocoa butter with vegetable fats and, unlike real chocolate, does not require tempering. This makes it easier to use, resistant to higher temperature and more cost effective.

Composition

• Cocoa Powder: Provides chocolate flavour, but lacks the fat content and complexity of cocoa mass/liquor.
• Vegetable Fats: Such as palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, or shea butter. These fats are often hydrogenated or fractionated to achieve desired melting properties.
• Sugar: Sweetener.
• Other ingredients: Emulsifiers, flavourings, and sometimes milk solids.

Characteristics

• Melting Behaviour: Its melting point is typically higher than real chocolate, meaning it doesn’t melt as readily in the mouth and may leave a waxy mouthfeel. It is often designed to be more stable at room temperature.
• Appearance: Can have a smooth appearance, but often lacks the deep gloss of well-tempered real chocolate.
• Snap: May not have a distinct snap, or the snap might be softer or crumbly.
• Flavour and Aroma: The flavour is generally simpler and less complex than real chocolate, relying solely on cocoa powder for its chocolate notes, without the depth and aroma contributed by cocoa butter.
• No Tempering Required: This is a major advantage for manufacturers. The vegetable fats used don’t require the precise tempering process of cocoa butter, making it much easier to work with.

Bakels support chocolatiers, bakers and large-scale chocolate manufacturers with the tools required to produce outstanding chocolate products, delights which continue to captivate consumers across the world.

Bakels acquired Orley Foods in 2023, which extended our assortment of chocolate products to chips , chunks, slabs, spreads and fillings.

Chockex, a brand by Bakels, presents an easy-to-use and high performance range of compound coatings. Developed for a variety of applications, Chockex provides an effective alternative to chocolate and is available in several different colours and tasty flavours with the optimal consistency and viscosity, as well as vegan and palm free options.

Chockex is an excellent choice for industrial production. The product’s versatility and stability simplify and increase your production’s cost efficiency.

Get started with your next chocolaty creation

Want to know more or speak to one of our experts? Contact us below.