The art of not being one with the universe

It’s convenient to keep a plate or two of chocolate in the freezer. Then when making chocolate cake, I can just take it out, place it on a suitable surface such as a cutting board, and pound the unopened packet with a hammer, mallet, sledgehammer, blunt end of an axe, or other convenient kitchen utensil. Mind you, this works best with chocolate wrapped in fairly strong plastic. Paper wrapping tends to tear much more. When pounded such, the cold chocolate will break into small bits, suitable for spreading on top of cake or mixing into batter. Room-tempered chocolate won’t break as easily, being more plastic and less brittle. It’ll tend to deform and melt more. It’s also convenient to keep chocolate in the fridge or cupboard, in case you fancy a chocolate.