I am making a cake for my sister's in laws anniversary party. When I first looked at it it seemed like it would be pretty easy. It's out of one of the Wilton Wedding books. There are 3 cakes, 14 in, 10 in and a 6 in. Frosted in choc. buttercream. That's the easy part. On top of each tier there are chocolate triangles that stand up on their sides. I made 6 chocolate plaques like instructed but when I started to cut the triangles out, they keep breaking. I tried a hot knife but it didn't help all that much. Any suggestions on how to get 90 plus triangles cut out without breaking them?? I am so frustrated!!

Hi. You might consider partially scoring the triangle lines into your chocolate once it has started to set. This will make it easier to completely break them apart once fully set. A partial score would be similiar to a hersheys bar where you can break apart the individual squares. If there is breakage after trying this then maybe you are going too thick or too thin on your choc. I don't know what tools you have but a metal benchscraper heated with a hot hairdryer or torch is easier to use than a knife. Knife blades do not have uniform thickness which makes your lines uneven. hth

Great idea using the bench scraper and scoring the lines. I'll have to remember that for future reference.

I have that book and after looking at it, I agree that scoring the chocolate before freezing it might help.

Also, you could try and find candy molds in the shape of a triangle, flag, pennant or similar shape/sizes.

Once I saw a demo, in which the instructor added paramount crystals to the chocolate to make it more soft, so it wouldn't break hard when you ate it. Not sure if that might help.

Keep in mind if using tempered chocolate (couverture) vs chocolate melts they are different. True temp choc should have a nice snap when bitten into. Choc melts (wilton) are confectionery coating and contain alot of wax. They do not require tempering for use. I am assuming since this is a wilton project that is being replicated that melts are what is being used. If so the addition of cocoa butter and crystals would be useless since no true cocoa butter exists in this medium. If you are not exp. in tempering choc then the melts are the easiest route to take and tend to come out well on most occasions. The taste however is not as pleasant. hth

Thanks for all the suggestions! My sister called last night and said that she changed her mind and doesn't want this cake after all. She wants something different. So it's back to the drawing board. Anyone need 18 lbs of chocolate??

Chocolate is good for designs up to one year and then after that is best used for baking. Just make sure to wrap it well in plastic wrap and place in a cool dark place like a pantry. You never know when you might need it so just hang on to it.