The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate desserts run on three decisions: which chocolate you buy, how you treat it with heat, and how much you let it dominate the plate. This guide gathers everything we've published on the subject — start with the section you need.

Start with the right chocolate

Before any recipe, read our guide to the best chocolate for baking. Short version: bars over chips for melting, 60–70% cacao for most bakes, and know whether your cocoa is natural or Dutch-process before you swap. For storage and substitutions, see the chocolate ingredient page.

The essential chocolate recipes

Technique: melting without seizing

Chocolate seizes when a small amount of water hits melted chocolate — the sugar clumps and the whole bowl turns grainy. Melt chopped chocolate in short microwave bursts with completely dry equipment, stirring between rounds; residual heat finishes the last lumps. If it seizes anyway, whisk in a tablespoon of hot cream to rescue it into sauce.

Troubleshooting chocolate bakes

• Cake sank in the middle? Work through why cakes sink.
• Dry, crumbly texture? Check your flour habit against how to measure flour correctly.
• No crackly brownie top? Whip the eggs and sugar a full minute — details in the brownie recipe.