Chocolate Soil
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 6:54PM 
crystallised chocolate soil
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A two ingredient chocolate soil, I'll give you all the dirt today (ok couldn't resist) on how make it with the least amount of cleaning up.
With chocolate soil you can add crunch and texture to a plated dessert, make pot plant cupcakes, set up a garden scene for your cake or perhaps just sprinkle on your favourite ice-cream.
Flavour it up; you can use a flavoured dark chocolate i.e. blueberry, orange, mint etc for flavoured soil or add your own flavour by stirring in cinnamon, ginger, chilli flakes, a drop or two of peppermint oil or whatever takes your fancy.
We are aren't going to use a *candy thermometer, we are going to do this by eye... a photo will act as your guide.
Here we go...
Chocolate Soil
Ingredients
100g (3.5OZ) Caster Sugar
75g (2.6OZ) Dark Chocolate roughly chopped (even if you don't usually like 70% dark chocolate, I would recommend using it here because your are adding sugar to counteract the bitterness)
Tools.... a wire whisk and a baking tray lined with non stick paper ready for you to tip your completed soil on.
Method
On you stove top in a small to medium saucepan add the caster sugar, gently pour in 2 tablespoons of cold water. We are being gentle so we don't splash sugar crystals on the side of the pan.
Turn on your heat to high and you are going to just let it do it's thing without stirring, the sugar will dissolve and bubble and boil until you see "golden brown edges".
the center of the boiling sugar is still clear, the edges have changed to golden brown.
have your roughly chopped chocolate ready to go
Immediately remove saucepan from the heat and all at once whisk in the chocolate, along with any flavouring if using. Don't forget to whisk around the edges. Whisk until all the chocolate is coated, this doesn't take long ... a couple of minutes.
it starts to look like "soil" almost instantly
Yep, you're done, it's finished and ready to poured onto your non stick paper prepared baking tray to cool.
finished chocolate soil
Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze up to a month.
*I've adapted this recipe from Heston Blumenthal's chocolate soil... halved the sugar and made it a simpler soil. His recipe has many more elements and is part of his wickedly delicious tiramisu recipe. Check out Hestons tiramisu on SBS food.
Clean up tips: Remember how we cleaned up our sugar work saucepans? It's the same today, fill your saucepan with water, bring to the boil, empty the water out and wash as per usual. Clean your whisk the same way, boiling water will remove any stuck on crystallised chocolate.
*really want to, need to, use a candy thermometer... 135 cel or 275 F.
Happy Baking :)
You might also like to make fast bubble sugar decorations/toppers.
Make quick and easy faux gingerbread mushrooms.
You've made the soil now make the dust... Nutella dust
a change from chocolate? Make a fondant gold fish!
Reader Comments (13)
Wow. That was an incredibly easy and effective method. Worked first time. Thank you
Absolutely brilliant recipe. Soooo easy and quick without having to use a thermometer :-) Using it for soil in the halloween graveyard.
does not work 2 attempts chocolate just melts
sorry so my 2 attempts the chocolate melts completely but i decided to lay it out on baking try to dry like praline and then blitz it just like chocolate soil :)
Chantel sorry I'm not sure what is happening with yours… I've have made it regularly for years using the method above. What chocolate are you using? Are you getting sugar to 135 cel (golden brown edges) before removing from heat and tipping the chocolate straight in? It's always worked instantly when I've made it … really not sure what is happening?
Made it today again for the second time, worked a dream the first time and even better today. I used a smaller stiffer whisk this time whereas I'd used a balloon whisk attachment from a beater which left too much crystallised chocolate around the sides. I think I also let it go a bit too golden towards the centre but I don't think it mattered too much, except that there were larger 'pebbles' in the soil than before. So simple to do and a big hit for desert.
Happy you are happy with the chocolate soil Denis … I kind of like that you got the larger 'pebbles' … I'm going to have to try that.
Tearing my hair out, 3 attempts and I've just getting melted chocolate. Used a candy thermometer aswell after reading comments
Hi Jessica, I have no idea why you are getting that result... it sounds at first the sugar isn't hot enough...but you used a candy thermometer, so what brand, % of chocolate are you using? I'll try to recreate your melt experience to see what could be causing it and I'll post a update this week. As I said I make it regularly and have never had a problem. Jeniffer
Hi! Thank you so much for this super easy chocolate soil recipe! I made it the first time today and it is a success! Never expect chocolate soil to be so easy. It's also very delicious! Now I can't wait to use it to decorate my cakes.
Worked perfect - thankyou.... if you think you're just getting melted chocolate keep stirring hard it kind of melts first before turning to soil.
Is the soil supposed to be a soft soil or a crunchy soil? Mine was like rock hard...
Thank you Shirley, happy you found it delicious.
Thank you so much Amateur Cook :)
Ed... yes is it "crunchy" it's a "chocolate candy" of sorts... adds textural element to plated desserts and cakes.