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I've come across a number of recipes (the most recent of which was this) which suggest various combinations of adding hot melted chocolate to a mixture that contains eggs.

The problem that I have here is that if I let the chocolate mixture go cold, it hardens and can't be mixed, and if I don't, it cooks the eggs. I've tried stirring the mixture as the chocolate is added, which seems to be the most common suggestion, but it makes no difference. Can anyone offer any other methods of avoiding scrambled egg cake?

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  1. The cocoa butter in your chocolate melts fully at 43 degrees Celsius (110 F). But it stays liquid until at least 30 degrees C (85 F).
  2. The most heat sensitive proteins in an egg white coagulate at around 65 degrees C (145 F), most proteins stay stable until 85 degrees C (185 F).

As you shouldn't overheat your chocolate anyway, you have a certain temperature range where the chocolate will stay liquid, yet the egg unaffected.

Note that the real problem and culinary art therefore is not the coagulating egg, but the effect of warm chocolate on any "foam" you might have produced in an earlier step: Too warm, and the bubbles might pop, too cool and the chocolate will harden as the cool other ingredients take up too much heat before it is fully incorporated.

Rule of thumb:
Melt the chocolate gently and let cool until barely warm to the touch. Stir quickly, yet gently, when incorporating the liquid chocolate into your batter.
(And read the recipe in case you need to deviate from this.)

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    Additionally, you can allow the eggs to warm to room temperature before cracking them. This will reduce the amount of chilling the eggs will do to the chocolate. I quite honestly store my eggs on the counter anyway.
    – Escoce
    Oct 27, 2015 at 14:38
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    @Escoce In most of the world, it's fine to store eggs at room temperature, but in the US, eggs from the grocery store must be refrigerated because of the way they are handled.
    – A. R.
    Feb 15 at 17:10
  • @AndrewRay no you don't have to. I keep my eggs on the counter in the USA. The worst they get is a little loose during the warmer months of the summer. I have in 50 years experienced two rotten eggs, and that was not caused by being on the counter for just a few days.
    – Escoce
    Mar 25 at 14:27
  • @Escoce The worst that can happen is that some bacteria lands on the eggs, gets through the shell, and starts replicating inside the egg. It's not likely, but you could end up getting something like botulism from eating American eggs that have been left out. Outside of the US, eggs aren't washed as part of the treatment process and still have a natural protective layer that prevents bacteria from getting into the egg.
    – A. R.
    Mar 28 at 20:50
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Don't let the chocolate mixture go cold, let it go cool enough that it won't cook the eggs. It can still be reasonably warm - above room temperature certainly - and still be nowhere near hot enough to cook eggs. I usually place the bowl in another, larger, bowl filled with cold water, and give it a stir to bring it down quicker.

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  • What kind of temperature am I looking for? 25 - 30 C? Presumably there is a given temperature that will start to cook eggs, and a slightly higher one that an average chocolate / butter combination will remain liquid ... ?
    – Paul Michaels
    Oct 27, 2015 at 12:58
  • @stephie's answer gives you the answer to that. As you can see, the melting point of chocolate is well below the temperature necessary to start cooking an egg.
    – ElendilTheTall
    Oct 27, 2015 at 13:18
  • If you are adding butter to your chocolate then you can reserve a bit when melting it all together. Once the chocolate melts you take it off the heat and add your remaining butter, which will help cool it down faster.
    – GdD
    Oct 27, 2015 at 13:22
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The tempering method is the easiest I've found when combining eggs and a hot liquid, and it doesn't require a thermometer! First of all always let your eggs come to room temp before using them. http://noshon.it/tips/why-to-use-room-temperature-eggs-when-baking-cakes/

That said, the technique I use when adding eggs to the warm liquid in my ice cream bases is to simply add a small amount of the hot liquid to the bowl of eggs (I prefer to beat mine first, though apparently this isn't necessary), and whisk constantly as the liquid is added, slowly bringing the temperature of the mixture up without cooking the eggs.

This way, you don't really need to wait for the liquid to cool all that much nor, as I said, do you need to keep a constant check on the temp of your melted chocolate.

http://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-temper-an-egg/e838d2ab-8509-4db0-bf67-8539a3aa1b06

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Add eggs to the chocolate. Just make sure that the chocolate should be a little warm, right at body temperature (not be cold or hot). Add the eggs to the chocolate and not the chocolate to the egg. The very reason is that chocolate is heavier and you don't want your eggs of go sitting, you need to make sure that the egg kind of Stowell in the chocolate.

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I melt the chocolate with the butter I would put in to my cake mix then place to one side, then separate eggs beat white untill nice and fluffy, prepare dry ingredients, grab the yolks beat with milk and other liquids once choc has cooled down start by adding yolk mix little by little it will look like it's start to turn yuk thats ok it will eventually come together, once yolk mix is done start by adding dry ingredients little by little wooden spoon works best, once all dry ingredients are all combined it should be a very heavy batter, take a quarter of ur eggs whites and start folding in then half whats left of your whites and repeat, grab your lined baking pan and bake for bout 40-45 min in moderate oven, Results beautiful moist light chocolate cake...

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    I'm sorry, but I downvoted your answer, which I hate doing with new posters who took the time to contribute. First, you are describing a different technique, not the one used in the recipes the author wants to follow. Second, you didn't mention when you add the chocolate.
    – rumtscho ♦
    Sep 19, 2020 at 7:16

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