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Chocolate and cherry is always a delicious combination, and this recipe is no exception.These 'cup-pakens' have mini cherry pies hidden inside of moist chocolate cupcakes. Best of all, they are topped with a rich, real-cream chocolate ganache. Try it! I guarantee you will impress all of your friends and family with this unique dessert! http://piecaken.blogspot.ca/2014/08/cup-paken-miniature-piecakens-with.html
A new post is up about our new melanger and our biggest batch yet! Check it out at the address below:
Hi chocolate-making community,
A new post is up on the blog about winnowing. Help me figure out a smart solution for winnowing at home that doesn't break the bank or require expert engineering skills!
http://rootchocolate.com/2014/08/23/winnowing-woes/
Looking forward to your advice!
Landen
I do a lot of experimenting with Flourless Chocolate Cake, and lately I have worked on recipes for white and milk chocolate (instead of the same ol' dark chocolate cake). Here is result of my white chocolate experiments with fresh Ontario peaches: http://ultimatelychocolatecakes.blogspot.ca/2014/08/flourless-white-chocolate-cake-with.html I'd love to see your flourless chocolate cake recipes! Send me the links! More of mine can be found here: http://ultimatechocolateblog.blogspot.ca/2013/04/the-ultimate-chocolate-recipes.html .
I have tried all the commercial brands and some craft brands....but what are your favourite craft, bean-to-bar 85% dark chocolate bars? Please tell me in the comments section on my blog page: http://www.ultimatechocolateblog.blogspot.ca/2014/08/whats-your-favourite-85-chocolate-bar.html
Dark chocolate is probably one food that is not only sinfully delicious but nutritious at the same time. Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and contains a good amount of soluble fiber and essential minerals. A 100 gram bar of dark chocolate contains 70-85% of cocoa extract. If you further breakdown the contents, you get fiber, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. Of course, we cant afford to forget that it also contains a considerable amount of calories and sugar, so moderation is the key here. You can enjoy your favorite dark chocolate in tempting shapes and sizes or gift them to your loved ones by ordering them online from sites like MyChocolateShapes.com and PiqChocolates.com that offer customization of chocolates.
Top 4 Health Benefits Of Dark Chocolates
Here are the healthy reasons you can give, when you get tempted to eat dark chocolate.
Provides Youthful Appearance and Fights Certain Cancer
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a measure of the antioxidant impact of food. Raw and 
unprocessed cocoa beans are amongst the highest scoring foods on this scale. Dark chocolate is infused with valuable organic compounds that function as antioxidants, including polyphenols, catechins and flavanols. These antioxidants liberate your body from free radicals, the primary cause of oxidative damage of your cells. These free radicals can speed up the aging process and even lead to certain types of cancer. So, including antioxidant rich diet, such as dark chocolate, is a delicious way to look young and stay fit.
Controls Blood Sugar
Dark chocolate keeps your blood vessels healthy and maintains steady blood circulation, which in turn protects you against type 2 diabetes. The flavonoids present in dark chocolate help reduce insulin resistance by assisting the normal functioning of your cell and by helping your body regain the ability to regulate insulin levels efficiently. Dark chocolate does not usually cause a huge spike in blood sugar level, since it has a low glycemic index
Protects Against Heart Disease
In an observational study conducted on 470 adults, cocoa was observed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular 
death by a staggering 50% over the period of 15 years. Another study revealed that if a person consumes dark chocolates two or more times per week, the risk of calcified plaque in the arteries is reduced by 32%. The compounds in dark chocolate are highly protective against the oxidation of LDL (low density lipo-protein, which is the bad cholesterol). This, in the long run causes less cholesterol being lodged in the arteries, which further lowers the risk of heart disease.
Improves Brain Function
Cocoa contains stimulants, such as like caffeine and theobromine, which are believed to improve brain function. Cocoa enhances blood flow to the brain and also improves cognitive function in elderly people with mental disability. It also believed to improve verbal fluency.
All you need to do to enjoy dark chocolate and share your love for the cocoa bean with loved ones is to order customized and personalized chocolate shapes online.
Reading some papers about cacao propagation I stumbled upon a granted patent on embryogenesis procedure on theobroma cacao tree. What I found alarming is that as long as a decade there're methods to introduce external traits to the embryo. Oficially creating a GMO cacao tree.
Here's some extract from the document :
"A foreign gene is intended to mean any gene or polynucleotide not naturally found in cacao. In addition, this technology enables the development of transgenic cacao varieties with improved agronomic performance characteristics, and provides a new experimental system for study of gene expression and function, in cacao. The use of cacao varieties improved via the utilization of transformation technology also facilitates the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices in cacao cultivation, and eventually helps maintain a healthy tropical forest ecosystem."
What!
Can someone confirm if some GMO cacao exists in production farms?
We have started growing Cacao on our finca in the rain forest near the volcano Arenal in Costa Rica . We planted two trees and have started some from beans the we got from a pod .We had 100% of them sprout .Does anybody have any suggestions to aid in both the growth rate of the trees and also the yield . The first photo isof the pod .the second the beans in the pod . the third the beans sprouting [ on the left cleaned - on the right - un - cleaned ] . the next is in pots and the last four days later transplanted into cow manure . As you can see they are growing very rapidly . Thank you - PEACE FROM THE JUNGLE!!!
Dear chocolate makers and chocolate lovers,
I wanted to share my blog, where I'm writing about my chocolate-making endeavors and experiences. Please feel free to comment. If you'd like me to highlight your business or your ideas, shoot me a private message and I'll reach out to do an informational interview.
Thanks for being such a great community!
Best,
Landen
When I recently wanted to blog about a Amsterdam-based bean-to-bar chocolate maker I realized that I never properly introduced 'bean-to-bar' on my own blog . 
Now I finally made a brief drawing to roughly illustrate the process from tree to chocolate with a focus on the flavor developing steps (which is: fermentation, roasting, conching). Hard to hide my science background I guess... 
On my blog post about chocolate making you can also find a higher resolution version of the illustration. Hope you like it. Since so many chocolate making experts are sitting here: Let me know if you find some major misconceptions or have any other type of suggestions! Thanks.