Yes. Strawberries and chocolate go together well because of their “sweet” overlap (no pun intended). The two food items are sweet in their own right, but they also bring other “features” to the plate that results in several different interesting combinations.
How Do Strawberries And Chocolate Go Together Texture And Taste-Wise
Strawberries and chocolate go together in many different ways, but the texture is not one of them, and the differences are quite striking:
- Fresh strawberries are a beautiful red (mostly). There are some white strawberries as well, but like white chocolate, they are exceptions, not the norm. Chocolates, on the other hand, are usually dark brown, owing to the color (and pigments) of the cocoa they are made up of.
- Strawberries are rough to the touch, thanks to hundreds of “seeds” lining the skin, each in its own little hollow. But when the skin is removed, the strawberries reveal juicy, fruity flesh that can quite easily be mushed. Chocolates, on the other hand (in their most default forms), are smooth and brittle. If they have nuts or other things inside, they might feel rough to the touch.
- Strawberries can be converted to other forms, especially jams and preserves that change their natural consistency quite a bit while retaining the flavor. Jam is technically not a liquid, but it’s as close to a liquid consistency as a strawberry would go without losing its flavor entirely. Chocolate, on the other hand, comes in liquid form and can quickly be melted into liquid from its solid consistency.
When it comes to taste, the main overlap is sweetness, but it’s not the same kind of sweetness you might expect from a different pairing or another fruit. Strawberry’s sweetness is fruity, fresh, and juicy. It explodes in your mouth (minor explosion). The chocolate, on the other hand, usually melts in your mouth and sticks there for a while. The sweetness is pure and rich.
The secondary “taste” characteristic of a strawberry is acidity, and chocolate comes with a little bit of bitterness (or a lot of it, if you are going with purer forms of chocolates). In suitable recipes, these secondary taste characteristics can go together very well indeed.
Where Do Strawberries And Chocolate Go Together Well
There are quite a few places strawberries, and chocolate can go together well.
A bowl: If you have a bowl of liquid chocolate and a few slightly chilled strawberries, then you can enjoy the most natural combination of two. This is a very common dessert starter that you can eat right away or serve with more than just regular chocolate on the strawberries (called chocolate-covered strawberries). You can eat pieces of chocolate with strawberries as well.
Milk Shake: Yes. There can be a variety of pairings in this domain, like mixing both together, adding raw strawberries or chocolate-covered strawberries as a sort of topping, or even adding liquid chocolate on a cold strawberry milkshake.
Cakes and Cupcakes: The same principle and milkshake process applies. Strawberries and chocolates are used on cupcakes (as toppings, sometimes in the flesh) on a cupcake made with the other.
Bread: A bit unusual, but it works. Sometimes, it’s a simple chocolate chip and strawberry chunk bread. In other recipes, bananas are involved as well.
Cookies: Yes, in a surprising variety, actually.
Jam: You might not think the two would work together as a jam, but they do. It might be too sweet for the taste of some people, and there is a problem of chocolate freezing when the jam is cooled in little chunks, messing up the jam’s consistency, but it might still work.
Desserts: This is the most natural pairing of the two, and there is a lot of variety when it comes to these two. Thanks to the sweetness factor they both offer, they are used to whip up some very imaginative (and some highly predictable – like chocolate-dipped strawberries) desserts.
View more like this: Types of Strawberries | What Can You Do with Frozen Strawberries? | How Far Apart To Plant Strawberries | Do Strawberries Need Full Sun? | Do Deer Eat Strawberries? How to Prevent?
Two Recipes Where Strawberries And Chocolate Come Together
There are a wide variety of desserts where chocolate and strawberries work together quite well.
Nutella-Covered Strawberries (A variation of the typical chocolate-covered strawberries)
Take a dozen fresh strawberries and a quarter cup of Nutella. You will also need hazelnuts (chopped, quarter cup) and milk cholate chips (one cup, melted).
Strawberry stalks should be removed. Cut off the centers with a paring knife and pipe Nutella into the strawberries.
Each strawberry should have a toothpick inserted through the side. Dip the stem end of the strawberry into the melted chocolate using a toothpick, allowing excess to drop off. Place strawberries on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet, point side up and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Remove toothpicks and place strawberries in the refrigerator to set—dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.
Strawberry Soda Cake (Using A Slow-Cooker)
Mix 1% chocolate milk (one cup), melted butter (half cup), and vanilla (two teaspoons) in a large mixing basin until thoroughly combined. Whisk together flour (two cups), sugar (half cup), baking powder (two-and-a-half teaspoon), and salt in a separate basin (half teaspoon); gradually fold into chocolate milk mixture. Add the chocolate chips (quarter cup) and mix well. Fill a greased 3- or 4-quart slow cooker halfway with the mixture.
To make the topping, mix the soda (strawberry, one cup) and sugars (three-quarter cup brown, one-quarter regular cup sugar) in a small pot. Cook, constantly stirring, until the sugar has dissolved over medium heat; remove from heat. Pour over batter after mixing in dark chocolate chips, jam, and molasses quarter cup each.
Cook, covered, on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve with strawberries and whipped cream.
Some other desserts where the two come together are:
- Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cobbler
- Strawberry Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Coconut Neapolitans
- Chocolate-Dipped Strawberry Meringue Roses
- Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cheesecake
Final Words
Strawberries and chocolate is a very good pairing, whether you go for a simple recipe like chocolate-dipped strawberries or something a little more complex, but it’s usually worth it. This pairing is a great delight for every sweet tooth out there.