Chocolate? Cake? Chocolate? Cake?

[Scaper_S]

Probably been done a thousand times, but I felt it was time for a revisit seeing as today I discovered Green & Blacks Maya Gold :yum:

http://img73.exs.cx/img73/4308/mayagoldlg4pv.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)

Question is - do you prefer Chocolate or Cake? I absolutely love Carrot Cake (homemade, my own recipe). After discovering the above I'm now so conflicted!

I think I'm going to go with cake as I cannot resist a homemade one.

[Pip_The_Great]

how bout... chocolate cake :D My mom makes this chocolate ranch cake that's to die for. (ranch just being in the name, there's no ranch dressing in it *blech*) However, overall, I think I prefer cake, especially cheese cake mmmm.....

[Jim Reaper]

Heh, reminds me of Eddie Izzard:

"Cake or death?" That's a pretty easy question. Anyone could answer that.
"Cake or death?"
"Eh, cake please."
"Very well! Give him cake!"
"Oh, thanks very much. It's very nice."
"You! Cake or death?"
"Uh, cake for me, too, please."
"Very well! Give him cake, too! We're gonna run out of cake at this rate. You! Cake or death?"
"Uh, death, please. No, cake! Cake! Cake, sorry. Sorry..."
"You said death first, uh-uh, death first!"
"Well, I meant cake!"
"Oh, all right. You're lucky I'm Church of England!" Cake or death?"

[kechara420]

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. And sprinkles on top ;) ...

[scaper4eva]

Real good chocolate like green&blacks is nice but i can only eat a few pieces. Chocolate sort of makes me sick after a while.....I know shock horror!
So i'd with cake, i'm really obsessed with cheese cake at the moment.

[Alexxia]

Chocolate is so versatile. It can go into a cake, make milk drinkable, and is good all on its own. So vote chocolate for me. :D

[scaper4eva]

But cake is winning.

[Alexxia]

:shrug: To each his/her own. I voted chocolate.

[Lord Loser]

Yellow cake with chocolate frosting. And sprinkles on top ;) ...sprinkles? :lech:

[zahncrelnik]

CHOCOLATE!!

Plain Hershey bars, Hershey Kisses, Hershey Hugs,
chocolate, chocolate, chocolate ...... faints :faint:

[Kurt_eh]

Chocolate cake!

[AyuRocks]

As much as I like chocolate.. I'm gonna have to go with cake.

hehehehe.. Eddie Izzard.. I love him :D

[Pip_The_Great]

darn, this thread is making me hungry for chocolate cake :D

[Alexxia]

I went and got a chocolate milkshake because of this thread.

[BrowderChick]

Chocolate cake. Cant choose just one. :D

[AgentSun]

i vote chocolate. chocolate could be cake. chocolate could be made into a drink or a candy. but cake cannot be made into a drink. or candy. ew.

[who45]

Chocolate :drool:

[Pip_The_Great]

a glass of cake batter a day, keeps the doctor away

[AgentSun]

but it brings on the lumps.

[AyuRocks]

Cake batter ice cream... :yes:

[Scaper_S]

As much as I love cake, raw cake mix (cake batter) its revolting.

[malachilenomade]

Exceptionally tough question... but I had to go with cake... proper icing kicks eema :aok:

And I seem to have evened out the totals so far ;)

[AgentSun]

mal, you've made us all fence sitters. we're even on this now!

[kymom5613]

I've been on a Key Lime Pie kick for a while (preggo cravings!!!)
Ordinarily, it's chocolate, followed closely by ice cream...

[AgentSun]

am i getting old? i find that i can't eat as much ice cream as i could when i was younger...and by younger, i mean when i was like 10-14 years of age. i'm only 21!! and i don't eat as much cake as i did when i was older. it's not that i can't...i just don't want to. and i eat ice cream maybe once every few weeks. at home during the summer, i will rarely eat ice cream even though it's conveniently there plus i can get the good stuff.

i just bought a chocolae recipe book mmmm. no, not a recipe book made of chocolate. that'd be eaten already. but a recipe book with recipes for chocolate deserts and drinks and stuff. mmm.

i think my friend and i are going to go to my house one weekend and we're going to make chocolate rum tarts or something.

[fiona-maria]

(forwarded to me by my doctor)


Legacy Chocolates

www.legacychocolates.com

The Truth About Real Chocolate; adapted from "Real Chocolate" by Chantal Coady

Real chocolate and fast chocolate are very distant relations. I use the word "fast" to differentiate the kind of industrial low-grade chocolate readily available and normally consumed as fast food.

Real Chocolate Is Actively Good for You -

The purpose of this article is to give real chocolate a positive image and to let everyone feel good about eating and enjoying it. It is one of the most nutritious and easily digested foods known to mankind. It contains a multitude of vitamins (A1, B1, B2, C, D, and E), minerals (calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, chromium, and phosphorus), and complex alkaloids, all of which enhance health and well-being. The iron in chocolate also comes in a form 93% usable by the body: the oxalic acid present helps to bond the iron and calcium so it is bioavailable.

Real chocolate is low in sugar and has a low glycemic index, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer and helps keep your blood glucose levels steady. The glycemic index for chocolate is 49%, (45% for milk chocolate), and anything under 50% is considered low: potato chips, cookies, white bread, and other refined carbohydrates have a high glycemic index. There is strong evidence that replacing desserts with good chocolate can help weight loss and diabetes.

There is a naturally occurring antidepressant in chocolate called phenyl ethylamine (PEA) which increases the serotonin levels in the brain. They induce a euphoric state, as well as boosting energy levels and mental alertness. High PEAs are found in "love-addicted" women; low PEA levels are found in people who are depressed. Chocolate affects the hormones in the brain in a similar way to morphine, and so can relieve pain. Prozac is the man-made chemical used to treat depression by raising serotonin levels; it also has many well-documented side effects and is highly addictive. Real chocolate, however, acts as an instant antidepressant. Even its smell can have a calming effect on the brain. Chocolate also contains Theo bromine and Valerie acid. The former is a stimulant similar to caffeine, with a chemical composition that is only one atom different, but is weaker in its action. It stimulates the brain, muscles, and central nervous system, and has also been shown to lower blood pressure. Chocolate is also rich in flavinoids (also found in red wine), and other chemical compounds known to reduce the likelihood of deep-vein thrombosis and strokes. Although red wine is excellent in moderate amounts, alcohol can be dangerous, but I have never heard of anyone being killed by eating real chocolate. Cocoa butter has been proven to lower blood cholesterol levels, and chocolate is rich in anti-oxidants, which help destroy the unhealthy free radicals and boost the immune system, two of the most important factors in preventing cancer. Chocolate is even used as a homeopathic remedy, indicated for feelings of hostility, especially when mothers feel anger and frustration towards their offspring. The effect is to restore the nurturing mother side and to promote a general sense of well-being. (Interestingly, one theory why we love chocolate so much from an early age is that, in many respects, white chocolate is the closest thing to human breast milk.) The other surprising finding is that cocoa possesses anti-bacterial properties, which help to prevent tooth decay. It seems most dentists agree that even chocolate containing sugar is significantly less harmful than candies, such as lollipops, in relation to dental care.

Fast Chocolate -

Fast chocolate contains as little as 5% cocoa, while the other ingredients are usually sugar, solid hydrogenated vegetable fats, nut oils, and a host of artificial flavorings. These types of fats are hidden in so many processed foods, and it is difficult to imagine that this kind of chocolate can possibly make a positive contribution to your health. The use of any fat other than cocoa butter is to my mind unacceptable. Cocoa butter occurs naturally in cocoa beans, and it has many qualities that make it a desirable commodity in its own right. The cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries buy tons of the stuff every year to make into lipsticks, creams, and suppositories, for which they are happy to pay a premium. It must be sorely tempting for industrial chocolate makers to remove the cocoa butter and sell it on, substituting other cheap and readily available hydrogenated fats. You might ask, "what difference does it make anyway?" Firstly, you can feel the difference in the mouth - these trans fats do not melt properly and leave a greasy coating on the palate. More importantly, perhaps, some hydrogenated fats have been linked with serious health problems, whereas cocoa butter acts to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Looking For The Real Thing -

Real chocolate can be hunted out easily enough - it is mostly a question of learning to read and interpret the wrappers. Look for a high cocoa content, but there is no need to exaggerate; 50% - 70% cocoa solids are usually a good sign. I don't know anyone who drinks wine who would select a bottle using the alcohol content as a guide to quality. Normally the deciding factors would be the grape variety, appellation, vintage year, country of origin, as well as the color. A reliable indicator in recognizing real chocolate is the use of natural vanilla rather vanillin, an artificial flavoring derived from pine trees. It is not that I am so against vanillin in itself, but it does seem to be a good marker to differentiate the sheep from the goats. The price of vanillin is almost negligible, and hence, it is used injudiciously, often with a view to masking the true nature of the cocoa beans in an inferior product. In spite of this general rule, there are plenty of examples of excellent chocolate containing vanillin. Probably the best way of spotting a really fine chocolate is to find out the origin and variety of the cocoa beans.

I have often heard people say, "I don't like dark chocolate - it's bitter." There are very few who, having tasted the real thing, still protest. The reality is that low-quality chocolate is often bitter, in spite of their high sugar content. This is because the cocoa beans have been over roasted, and then they are padded out with sugar and (usually hydrogenated) fat to compensate for their poor flavor. Real chocolate makers select their cocoa beans very carefully; indeed the similarity to wine making or coffee roasting comes to mind. Fine-flavored varieties of beans are carefully roasted to enhance the flavor. The process of refining the chocolate is a slow one, and extra cocoa butter is usually added to give the most sensuous, silken texture when melting in the mouth. I don't wish to dwell on the negative aspects of fast chocolate, but it is essential that you are able to differentiate between that and real chocolate. This understanding might help wean you off the sugar high so commonly induced by the inferior confectionery. Once you have been initiated to the joys of really satisfying chocolate that hits the spot, the temptation to eat the fast chocolate might just evaporate. Good chocolate contains 512 calories per 3 1/2 ounces (100g), so 1/6 ounce (one square of thin, good-quality chocolate - the perfect amount, I think), will have less than 26 calories. A small apple weighs 3 1/2 ounces and has 46 calories.

[malachilenomade]

Cool! I'm passing this on to some friends! :aok:

[TalynLives]

Ooh that sounds cool.

I have an addiction to "fast chocolate" that I consider to be very damaging (I get depressed and moody, can't concentrate etc. And that's just before we get on to the physical effects).

I wonder is that "Green & Blacks" stuff real chocolate?

I'd like to order off that legacy chocolates site, but I live in Ireland, so the delivery cost would probably cripple me.

[Scaper_S]

Green and Blacks (with nothing added) chocolate has over 70% cocoa solids, all those vits and iron and has falls in the lower glycaemic index. Once you get used to dark chocolate you cannot resist - enjoy!!

alternatively - you could have my Chocolate Fudge Cake made with Green & Blacks dark chocolate mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!