Wild Child Cacao 2.0 is open! Come and visit us in Amsterdam
On the 1st of December 2023 Wild Child Cacao 2.0 opened!
Wat a fun party it was…
Inside cacao: cacao butter, the fat that you shouldn’t be afraid of
YES! You heard that well. Cacao, in its purest form, contains fat. Around 50% of the bean exists of cacao butter or ‘theobroma oil’.
The chocolate industry separates the butter from the bean by using a press. Then they process the butter to flatten the smell (deodorize) and taste. In a later stage the cacao butter is added again to the powder, or replaced by Soy Lecithin.
In our ceremonial cacao we leave the butter inside our chocolate, exactly like it is. It is what gives our cup of chocolate its creaminess and makes you wanna lick your lips. Doesn’t it? 😀 The cacao butter also supports the absorption of all of the cacao nutrients.
Malou always puts the leftover cocao butter on her face while making chocolate.
Butter with benefits
Theobroma oil is LOVED by the beauty industry. From creams to lip balms. It is said to moisture, improve skin elasticity and heal dry, cracked skin.
During Eva’s time in Peru and Mexico cacao scrubs and face masks were her favorite beauty ritual. They indeed had a velvety smooth effect on the skin! Malou often puts the leftover cacao butter on her face while making chocolate.
Eva, having fun times in Peru
Researchers found that the phytosterols in cacao butter decrease harmful LDL cholesterol levels!
FATTY FACTS
So how much cacao butter does your cup of Wild Child Cacao cacao has? Let’s take a look. A cacao shot of 15 grams contains approximately 7 grams of fat. This exists of:
- 34.5 of oleic acid (a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat also found in olive oil)
- 34.5% of stearic acid – 26% of palmitic acid (used in the beauty industry to treat dry skin) – 5% of other fats (omega-7 and omega-6)
Palmitic and stearic acid are saturated fats, associated to elevate cholesterol levels and LDL. Yet, research has shown that stearic acid has a neutral effect on cholesterol, neither raising nor lowering it.
The natural existing phytosterols in the cacao butter have even been shown to even decrease LDL cholesterol levels. Just 2.5 grams was enough to do that.
Together with the wide range of nutritional properties that cacao has for heart and brain we conclude: don’t fear these fats and enjoy every little creamy sip.
She’s wild
Now working with the cacao butter is a whooole other story.. She has a little will of her own! You need to treat Mrs. Theobroma with a lot of care! That’s why we are always freezing (well, Eva is) inside the Wild Child Kitchen, even in summertime.
Malou keeps the temperature of Chocolalaland low to make sure the chocolate doesn’t undergo any unwanted temperature changes and therefore texture changes. Chocolate melts around 35-37 degrees (like it was made for us humans huh).
When being exposed to sunlight or heat, the crystals of cacao butter have the tendency to crystalize wildly. The fats move to the surface of the chocolate which creates a ‘white mist’ on top of the chocolate bar. To avoid this, momma Malou tempers our Wild Child. >>
There she harmonizes. It is a little miracle! All cacao butter crystals suddenly move to the same size.
Tempering our Wild Child. After stone grinding our beans we move the temperature of the liquid paste around for a while (From 42 to 29 to 30,5 degrees to be exact). There she harmonizes. It is a little miracle! All cacao butter crystals suddenly move to the same size. And when she cools off, she starts to shine!
Peace & harmony in the butter AND the heart of the chocolate maker (Malou).
Keeping your chocolate happy. We can’t control the temperature at the post office, unfortunately, muaha. So due to the heat in summertime, it is possible that a little white mist will appear on your chocolate after all. This doesn’t affect taste or quality! It just looks different.
To keep your cacao stable: avoid temperature changes and ever put your Wild Child in the fridge. You wanna make sure she doesn’t get in contact with water. Just keep her in a dark and the coolest place of your house. And she will be happy.
Read more inside cacao here:
Inside cacao: high on love with phenylethylamine
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