Bringing out the best of both: How to Use Milk and Dark Chocolate in Desserts

Chocolate is a versatile ingredient when it comes to desserts, whether you are eating a bar of processed chocolate, chocolate ice cream, or a luscious chocolate cake slice. Whether you like the regular fare of milk chocolate, which is oh-so-sweet, or the bittersweet dark chocolate, both are rich in cocoa, lend different tastes, and significantly alter the flavor of any dessert you might have. For example, a dark chocolate cake will taste quite different from a plain milk chocolate cake.

Dark chocolate vs milk chocolate

So what is dark chocolate and what sets it apart from milk chocolate? Before that let’s take a look at what goes into a bar of dark chocolate like our beloved Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate, in case you don’t recall the ingredient list on the pack. Dark chocolate is always made with cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar, with no milk solids or something a small amount might be added.

The cocoa solids start from 50% and go upwards from there. Cadbury Bournville Dark Chocolate comes in 50% and 70% varieties, with the latter having a bitter edge and of course better for your health because the cocoa solids have the flavonols that are good for your heart. The 70% is not for the weak ones, though it is perfect for adding to dark chocolate desserts. Some brands have a 99% version that is honestly misery in a pack, but baking, on the other hand, will add a nice bitter edge to chocolate desserts.

Now, coming to milk chocolate and our much loved Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate which is smooth and creamy. And what goes into it? The typical cocoa solids, of course, are lesser than those of dark chocolate (20% to 40%), along with cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar. The sugar of course makes it delightful but the milk also makes it sweet and lends a nice mellow flavour. It’s what professionals dub the melt-in-your-mouth texture that is super creamy and excellent to dip fruits or crackers into.

Baking with Chocolate

You might have gone a little dizzy with that information overload, so, now coming down to the basics – when to use which for baking? 

Using Dark Chocolate

When chocolate is the star and you want an intense flavor, with a fudgy texture that is when you should pick dark chocolate. Classic desserts like brownies, chocolate cakes, tarts, mud pies, and ganache are some areas where you can use dark chocolate. It’s also great when studying cookie dough and post-baking you’ll have an addictive batch of dark chocolate cookies.

Using Milk Chocolate

This is a natural choice for most bakers whether professional or home bakers, you’ll know it’s milk chocolate when the slightly bitter edge is missing. It’s also a cheaper alternative to dark chocolate. Make a batch of cookies, cakes, cupcakes, tarts, or even filling for cakes, not to mention chocolate bars and barks with dry fruits and nuts studded in them. Consider milk chocolate also for frosting and ganache, if you want a less intense one of the latter.

There’s one other fact that you need to keep in mind when it comes to milk chocolate. Dark chocolate will not burn that easily if you directly heat it in a saucepan without the bain-marie method, but milk chocolate will. That’s because milk chocolate has a lower boiling point. Keep that in mind when working with either.

Common Chocolate Substitutions and Modifications

There are many reasons why you might need to swap dark chocolate with milk chocolate or vice versa. One of the few reasons being the store running out of either, or at the last moment you notice you bought the wrong variety and its too late or buy the other kind.

Substituting Dark Chocolate with Milk: To substitute dark chocolate with milk chocolate, all you need to do is cut down a bit of the chocolate weight and replace it with sugar and if you're confident enough, a little bit of milk unless the recipe you're doing already calls for milk.

Substituting Milk Chocolate with Dark: This one is a tad tough but you need to adjust the sugar level in the dessert recipe to make room for the sugar in milk chocolate. Or you could work your way around by cutting down the milk chocolate amount and substituting it with unsweetened cocoa powder.