Buy Molding Chocolate

Decorating By drushing Updated 21 Jun 2010 , 12:22am by veghed

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drushing Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 8:46pm
post #1 of 14

Hi Guys,
I am trying to find out where is the best place to buy molding chocolate. I usually buy most of my items at Micheals, Joanns, and Hobby Lobby. I am from Corpus Christi, Tx.

Not much here. Please I need suggestions. icon_cry.gif

13 replies
PiccoloChellie Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
PiccoloChellie Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 9:37pm
post #2 of 14

Make your own modeling chocolate! Cheaper and easier than buying it.

I use Toba Garrett's recipe, slightly modified:
1lb dark chocolate, chopped fine
2/3 cup corn syrup

Gently melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring frequently.
Once melted, let it cool for a few minutes at room temperature.
Add corn syrup all at once and stir with a sturdy spoon. It will start to come together very quickly.
Once the mixture begins to leave the sides of the bowl, scrape it into a large Ziploc bag. Seal the bag and pat the chocolate flat.
Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
Take the chocolate out and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Break off a chunk at a time and knead the chocolate until it becomes pliable and somewhat shiny.
Wrap any excess in plastic wrap then in a Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator for months.

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Spuddysmom Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 9:57pm
post #3 of 14

That sounds like a fun recipe for modeling chocolate but you cannot use that for molds. OP, are you looking for the kind of chocolate you use for candy/molds? Are you looking for a good quality chocolate or just a candy coating (almond bark. melts, etc.)?

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anmnewlin1 Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 10:05pm
post #4 of 14

Mike McCarey offers it at $9.00/lb. You have to call him to get it as I cannot find it on his website. I have not tried it but he was at a show recently and they were selling it there. I make my own and refuse to pay this much for modeling chocolate when it is only two ingredients and could not be simpler to make. I was scared to make it the first time but now I use about 5 pounds per week. I use chocolate rounds. You can put it in the microwave on 50% power for about 2 minutes at a time until melted and then put the corn syrup in micowave for about 10 seconds to heat it up.

10 oz chocolate
1/3 cup corn syrup

Mix the two together and once it becomes stiff, pour out onto suran wrap and put into the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Once you take it out, it will be very hard but just break off a little piece at a time and knead together. In our humidity, I had to modify the recipe and this works for me. You may need to adjust the corn syrup more or less.

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drushing Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 10:47pm
post #5 of 14

I want to use it too make flowers, and other projects. I agree with you 9.00 a lb. is a little expensive. I will try the recipe.

Thanks.

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catlharper Posted 2 Jun 2010 , 11:03pm
post #6 of 14

Thanx for the recipe everyone...I have to make an Owl this summer and modeling chocolate seems to be the way to go. So I have a question for you experts in working with this stuff (I'm a newbie when it comes to it)...The owl will be the size of a goose egg. I want to use chocolate fondant "feathers" on it and to make the wings. So I need to make the goose egg shape of out the chocolate then attach the fondant. My questions are:

Does the modeling chocolate get hard?
What do I need to attach the fondant to it?

Thanx!
Cat

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PiccoloChellie Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 1:32am
post #7 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by catlharper

Thanx for the recipe everyone...I have to make an Owl this summer and modeling chocolate seems to be the way to go. So I have a question for you experts in working with this stuff (I'm a newbie when it comes to it)...The owl will be the size of a goose egg. I want to use chocolate fondant "feathers" on it and to make the wings. So I need to make the goose egg shape of out the chocolate then attach the fondant. My questions are:

Does the modeling chocolate get hard?
What do I need to attach the fondant to it?

Thanx!
Cat




Not quite an expert, but I do enjoy working with modeling chocolate. icon_smile.gif

Modeling chocolate sets up fairly solid. For a "solid" form like an owl body it may be difficult to eat the finished product, just FYI.
Have you considered making the feathers out of modeling chocolate? When I make roses, all I need to do is warm the base of each petal with the heat of my hands for a few seconds and it adheres to the body of the rose. You might find it easier to attach the feathers this way. I've personally never attached fondant to modeling chocolate (though I have mixed the two in equal portions and it's DELICIOUS) - piping gel or even thinned corn syrup might work if you need to make the feathers from fondant.

The only difficulty I've found with modeling chocolate is that you have to keep it cool. Unlike fondant it does well refrigerated, and I've found it holds up just fine at normal room temperature ... but anything higher than 80 degrees or so and things start to droop.

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anmnewlin1 Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 1:55am
post #8 of 14

I made a stork cake with modeling chocolate feathers attached to fondant on the base. I used melted chocolate (it was traveling a longer than usual ride). It worked out fantastic. I used the feather veiner to add the details to EACH feather. It took me a long time but the cake was for a very dear friend who retired from the Houston Oilers. I figured I had to "nail" this cake. I have tried to attach a picture. Hope this helps. The feathers held up great and I had no problems. If you bump or hit a feather, modeling chocolate is a lot more forgiving more fondant. The heat from your hands melts the chocolate very quickly.

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catlharper Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 2:28pm
post #9 of 14
Quote:
Quote:


The only difficulty I've found with modeling chocolate is that you have to keep it cool.




Well that just ended that idea...guess I'll have to make the whole thing out of fondant. I'm travelling to an area that will be at least 105 on that day and even with A/C we'll end up in an 80 degree room. The thing would melt! SIGH.

thank you so much for that info...that would have been a disaster...as it melted it would have looked like the poor owl was moulting! LOL!

Thanx,
Cat

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PiccoloChellie Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 9:18pm
post #10 of 14
Quote:
Originally Posted by catlharper

Quote:
Quote:


The only difficulty I've found with modeling chocolate is that you have to keep it cool.



Well that just ended that idea...guess I'll have to make the whole thing out of fondant. I'm travelling to an area that will be at least 105 on that day and even with A/C we'll end up in an 80 degree room. The thing would melt! SIGH.

thank you so much for that info...that would have been a disaster...as it melted it would have looked like the poor owl was moulting! LOL!

Thanx,
Cat




50/50 fondant and modeling chocolate would work if you wanted to have the yummy chocolate flavor going on. I've used that in 80+ degrees and high humidity and it didn't melt.

And, my apologies, but I LOL'd at the mental image of a melty, moulting owl slumping listlessly over onto an otherwise beautiful cake, feathers dropping off everywhere. Yeah, I'm glad you don't have to worry about that happening. icon_lol.gif

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weirkd Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 9:34pm
post #11 of 14

Ive tried Mike McCareys white modeling chocolate. I bought it from a place in Canada. It was $15 for a pound of it plus shipping. It was more ivory color than white and it looked like a 1/2 lb not a pound because it didnt even register on my digital bathroom scale. (I dont have a kitchen one so I kept it in the plastic bag and weighed it that way).
It worked wonderfully but I think it was a bit pricey for what I got. I ordered another brand from a Pastry Chef website that Ive dealt with in the past. This one is 5 lbs and its like $59. If I had better luck with making it I think I would. Although the last time I made it I had tried a recipe someone gave me on another thread and it worked just as well. I will have to find the post!!

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catlharper Posted 3 Jun 2010 , 9:44pm
post #12 of 14

[quote="PiccoloChellie"][quote="catlharper"]

Quote:
Quote:



50/50 fondant and modeling chocolate would work if you wanted to have the yummy chocolate flavor going on. I've used that in 80+ degrees and high humidity and it didn't melt.

And, my apologies, but I LOL'd at the mental image of a melty, moulting owl slumping listlessly over onto an otherwise beautiful cake, feathers dropping off everywhere. Yeah, I'm glad you don't have to worry about that happening. icon_lol.gif




Yup...that's exactly what I was picturing! LOL! As funny of a mental picture it makes now I'd be in a puddle myself watching it melt! I think I made do a dry run in July to see how it does in the heat.

Thanx!
Cat

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mhicks Posted 18 Jun 2010 , 3:55pm
post #13 of 14

Hello!

If you want to attach some chocolate items to fondant you can try royal icing or Chocolate Spray..

If I am misunderstanding you question.. sorry!!

There is a Chocolate Freeze Spray, you spray it on the melted chocolate to harden/freeze the chocolate into position!

I hope this helps!

Other chocolate freeze topics on Cake Central..

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopic-636236-previous.html
http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-32623-.html

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veghed Posted 21 Jun 2010 , 12:22am
post #14 of 14

The recipe in the 2nd (3rd?) post is the same as I found online somewhere. What type of chocolate do you use? Surely not candy bars???

This article also said it could be used instead of fondant to decorate cakes and had a picture of a 3 tier cake.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5226271_make-recipe-cake-dessert-decorating.html

This interested me because I saw in another thread that some decorators mix molding chocolate in with their fondant to avoid cracking and crinkling of the fondant. Have you done this? Is there any drawback?

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