What Is Cocoa Mass? Uses, Composition and Where to Buy It
What is cocoa mass?
Cocoa mass, also called cocoa paste or cocoa/chocolate liquor, is obtained by grinding cleaned, shelled cocoa beans, with or without roasting. It contains no added sugar or milk.
Under Codex standard CXS 141-1983, cocoa mass normally contains 47–60% cocoa butter by mass. A single fixed value therefore does not apply to every product: check the manufacturer’s technical data for the exact composition.
Pressing cocoa mass can separate cocoa butter from the cocoa solids that form cocoa cake. The EU authorises a claim about cocoa flavanols and normal blood flow, but only for specified products providing at least 200 mg per day of flavanols that meet the stated conditions. As this page documents neither a qualifying product nor its intake, that claim is not attributed to cocoa mass in general; broader claims about atherosclerosis, mood and memory are not retained.
How is cocoa mass used in pastry?
Its flavour is intense and unsweetened. In chocolate and pastry work it can be used in preparations such as ganache, creams and pralines, while accounting for both its cocoa butter and cocoa solids. The amount depends on the formulation: this update adds no new dosage and leaves the walnut tart recipe below unchanged.
Where can you buy cocoa mass?
It is sold by specialist pastry- and chocolate-ingredient retailers. Before buying, check the product name, composition, cocoa-butter content and storage instructions on the label or technical sheet.
Recipe: Walnut tart with cocoa mass
Today we will go to see a simple recipe of the Pasticciere Domenico Spadafora, tutor of Detto Fatto, where the cocoa mass, the Crustata nuts and cocoa mass is used.
Ingredients:
For the base:
- 300g butter;
- 200g of kacaque mass;
- 300g of powdered sugar;
- 3gr of salt;
- 500gr of type 00 flour;
- 100gr of egg yolks (approximately 5)
For the filling:
- 250gr sugar;
- 250gr fresh cream;
- 25gr honey;
- 250gr nuts;
- a orange zest
Preparation
We put in our planetary butter and it icing sugar and we mix the two ingredients well.
At this point we add the previously dissolved cocoa mass while stirring.
Now we add salt and salt egg yolks and finally the sifted flour.
Being a frog you have to try to work as fast as possible to avoid it getting blurred, then put in the fridge to rest for a while
Take the frog, spread it with a rolling pin and put it in a tart.
Now we go to the preparation of the filling of the tart.
We can sweeten in a pot sugar, in another pot we warm the cream with honey and orange zest grated and pour this mixture directly on caramelized sugar.
Then add the nuts and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
When the mixture cooled, pour it on the base of the fog and bake in preheated oven at 170° for about 25 minutes.
Where to buy the cocoa mass?
If you want to try to make this particular tart or simply want to experiment with the cocoa mass new sweets you can buy it to our online shop. you will find different cocoa masses:
