How to Make Chocolate from Cacao Beans
In this recipe, you'll learn how to make chocolate from fresh cacao pods. I will show you how to ferment cacao beans, how to roast cacao beans, and how to temper chocolate.
Equipment
- Oven with proofing/warm function
- Proofing box
- Large baking sheet
- blender
- Food thermometer (Optional; Skip it if you choose to skip the chocolate tempering process.)
- Chocolate molds
Ingredients
- 15 fresh cacao pods (I bought a 16 lbs cacao fruit box and received 15 cacao pods. These cacao pods yielded about 350g cacao nibs after fermented and roasted.)
- 150 g powdered sugar (Ideally use powdered sugar. Can also use granulated sugar, but it will give your blender more work to do.)
- 50 g cacao butter (optional)
Instructions
- Cut open the cacao pods into halves, remove the cacao beans from the shells. Place the beans into a proofing box, close the lid.
- In cold weather, set your oven to proofing mode, with the oven temperate between 80°F to 90°F. Place the proofing box on the center rack of the oven, allow the cacao beans to ferment for 3 to 5 days. In hot weather, you can set the proofing box on your countertop if the room temperature is higher than 80°F. Or you can place it outdoor in your yard or balcony, as long as the proofing box is airtight, remember to avoid direct sunlight. Open the proofing box daily to drain excess liquid and stir the cacao beans.
- Fermented cacao beans should look brownish yellow and have a fruity alcoholic smell. Line a large baking sheet with foil, transfer the fermented cacao beans to the baking sheet, spread evenly into a single layer. Use the "Convection Roast" (*See Note1) mode to roast the cacao beans at 275 °F for about 90 minutes until the shells turn brown and crispy. Be sure to stir the beans regularly (about every 20 minutes) to ensure even roasting.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven, allow the cacao beans to cool until it's not too hot to be touched. Take a bean, crack it with your thumb and index finger, then peel off its shell. Repeat until all the cacao beans are peeled into cacao nibs.
- Add the cacao nibs to a blender, or a mortar and pestle. Grind the cacao nibs on medium speed for about 3 minutes into cacao powder.
- Add powdered sugar (*See Note 2) to the blender, optionally, add cacao butter (No need to melt; *See Note 3) to the blender to create a smoother and creamier texture. Keep grinding until it forms a smooth paste. (The longer you grind, the smoother your chocolate will be. If your blender feels warm, let it rest and cool entirely internally before resuming grinding. I gave my blender a 15-minute break for every 5 minutes of working. I grinded the cacao nibs for about 30 minutes in total.)
- Optionally temper the chocolate mixture (*See Note 4). Prepare two large bowls, fill one of the bowl half way full with boiling water, fill the other bowl half way full with iced water. Place the bowl of chocolate mixture in the hot water, stir the chocolate continuously until it reaches 113°F. Then, place the chocolate bowl in the ice bath and stir continuously until it reaches 82°F. Finally place the bowl of chocolate mixture in the hot water again, stir continuously until it reaches 88°F.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into chocolate molds. Place the chocolate molds in the refrigerator and allow it to cool for about half hour until it's fully set.