Here again, with still dull matt top. I have noticed that the sugar n butter i melted did not look like the pictures. i then have these questions: 1. The first melting: The butter was heated until melt or clarified. I could not get the white foam top... The instruction says...heat butter until melts. Mine melt but no white foam??? 2. The second heating, again, when the mixture is about to bubble...mine did have the foam. 3. From my first post, Molly thought my sugar did not dissolve enough... I also think so...my finished batter looks grainy. How do i get the sugar dissolved as much as possible??? From the first heating and then stir a lot...not just to combine? The mixture tends to boil before the sugar dissolves. 4. Another question is...how hot is the butter when it is added to the cocoa & egg. 5.If i rub the finished batter with my fingers, how grainy is the sugar in the mixture? I wish i could solve this shiny top issue. It has been killing me :) Thanks in advance for your advice. iii I'm just not sure what's happening here... Maybe you should try melting the sugar and butter on the stovetop. Are you using real butter? Real sugar (e.g., cane sugar, not beet sugar)? The sugar won't totally dissolve in the butter; it'll form a big sludgy lump, but it should definitely be so hot you don't dare stick your finger in it. I just give it a few stirs to try to mix it up a bit, then I add it to the cocoa etc. mixture within a minute or so of taking it off the heat. And in the prepared batter I can't feel any graininess - it's smooth. Well, I can't remember if it's absolutely perfectly smooth, but when I lick the spatula (yes, childhood habits die hard...), I don't recall thinking, "Hmmm, this batter is grainy" - it has a smooth feel on the tongue. Also, are you using large eggs? That shouldn't really make a difference in the crust, but it would make your batter thicker than it should be if you're using smaller eggs. Again: hmmm... hard to diagnose these things from afar! BUT - don't let it kill you, we'll keep trying! (Are you at high altitude?) PJH

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