The Secret (and Science) of Ice Cream Coatings
September 2, 2010
There are two basic types of chocolate ice cream coatings, “real” chocolate coatings and chocolate flavored compound or confectionery coatings.
Both types of coatings must be thin enough to cover and bend over the ice cream, thick enough not to crack open and let the ice cream seep through, and simultaneously be crunchy and melt in your mouth. That’s not asking too much, is it?
Most of these demands have to be met by the fat system used in the coating.
The first type, real chocolate, ice cream coatings are made with cocoa butter. This type is quite tricky. Cocoa butter contracts quickly and is prone to cracking. Adding milk fat or butter oil will soften the coating and make it more pliable and resistant to cracks. Also, it works best to bring the fat content up to about 40 to 45%.
The second type is the most common ice cream coating. It is a chocolate flavored confectionery type made with oils like coconut and palm kernel. These coatings are much easier to work with because they harden quickly and coat evenly.
Coconut oil combined with a small quantity of softer oil like peanut or sunflower, will quickly form a hard and thin shell while at the same time maintaining plasticity that covers almost any shape of molded ice cream. Typically the amount of fat is much higher than its cocoa butter counterpart. These coatings have around a 60% fat content.
In the consumer market the confectionery types of coatings are often sold as being fun for kids because they go on easy and harden quickly, though much of the chocolate flavor gets lost in the formulation.
Speaking of all this ice cream coating, how about that raspberry chocolate sauce I wrote about a few days ago? Maybe it's time to try some of that over ice cream!
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I am wanting to make chocolate coated ice cream bars and found your article on chocolate coating for ice creams interesting,but am wanting more details on quantities of ingredients. Can you please tell me the amount of chocolate to coconut butter to cocoa butter to make a good coating that will keep well in the freezer? I am also interested in finding out what is the best type of chocolate to use for the ice cream coating? I am wanting to use as clean ingredients as I can, eg organic, raw, dairy free and sweetened with a sugar alternative such as agave. Also, do I need to temper the chocolate. I suppose I am looking for a recipe… Thank you
The “recipe” or formulation really depends on the shape of your ice cream bar, the packaging material, and the longevity you want so I hesitate to give you some ratios of oils.
I recommend you find a manufacturer of ice cream coatings (there are many to choose from if you do an internet search) because they will tell you which of their formulations will work best on your specific type of ice cream product(s) and goals for that product. They can also give you information on the shelf life of those coatings which answers your question on what will “keep well in the freezer”.
The supplier of the coating may even have options that use ingredients that are organic or are alternative sweeteners. Once you have looked over the options, you can send for samples to use for testing.
Making the coating on your own won’t be impossible, but using and testing a coating that is pre-made is a great way to start.
Most manufacturers of confectionery coatings use a combination of saturated and/or hydrogenated fats and emulsifiers in the formulation to keep the oils stable and preventing oil separation. That is why you see so many confectionery coatings labeled with “partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil”.
Now, the coconut oil is meant for another reason, and is specifically useful for ice cream coatings. Coconut oil solidifies at around room temperature or 68-70 F, and gets very hard and dry at even colder temperatures. If you make ice cream bars and you have a fast moving assembly line, you can cover your ice cream while keeping the ice cream frozen. The coating will get hard and dry enough to package before the ice cream has a chance to melt.
Coconut oil coatings are brittle and can crack, so sometimes a soft and more bendable oil is added
like cocoa butter, butter oil, or a soybean or canola oil. But not too much so that it won’t harden.
I don’t know what you are going to use the confectionery coating for, so I can’t recommend a replacement or alternative for coconut or palm kernel. The fats and oils do more than deliver flavor for a product, they provide the main functionality for a coating – each with a specific job to do for that product.
Could you guide me how i can prevent oil separation in confectionary coating?
– Are there any alternatives for coconut or palm kernel oil in confectionary coating?
Best Wishes
Can i replace cocoa butter by both butter oil and coconut oil to bring down the cost?