I have to make some big chocolate curls for a cake. I've been working on this for 2 and a half hours now and have 3 good ones. I need about 12-15 more.

I can't do this!! I've tried shaving the bar of chocolate and melting chocolate and peeling it off the baking sheet with a putty knife. I have to deliver this stupid thing tomorrow at 5:30 and I can't do these stupid curls!!

Please if any of you can help, I'd be soooo grateful!

Here is the link to the cake she wants...

http://www.rosascatering.com/gallery/main.php/v/traditional_grooms/gcake10.jpg.html

Have you tried using a vegetable peeler to get the curls? I haven't tried it but I've read about it before.

Sorry I can't be more help! Hang in there!!

If you have a large block of chocolate, you can try warming it slightly (heating pad can help) and then using a long peeler or a chef's knife along the side of the block. I think that should get you close enough.

I'm sorry I can't help but I can give you a bump.

Try this link

http://members.optusnet.com.au/boonenati/

Boonenati did wonderful chocolate cigarettes ... it might help!

I had to do a cake with white chocolate curls once. I found it easier if I softened the chocolate just a little bit. Not to the point of melting but more than room temp. It's been awhile, but I think I put the chunk of chocolate in the microwave for just a few seconds until I could work with it.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/boonenati/

click on the cupcake at the top that says chocolate cigarettes

Hope it works for you!

try this

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/FoodandFamily/Winter_2003/ineveryissue/rw_recipe_curls.htm

I had this problem a while back. The chocolate wouldn't cooperate. So, I gave up on the chocolate and went with chocolate paste. They loved it and never knew. I'll put the pic. in my gallery for you to see.

On the next page in this forum there is the same question. Here is a link that someone posted. It looked good to me, although I have never tried it.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/boonenati/

Thanks everyone...

Yep, tried the veggie peeler, for about an hour and a half. Ruined a bunch of chocolate. So I melted that and tried to scrape it with a scraper to make big curls...got a few, but definitely need more, and the technique is sooo not reproducible. At least not by me. Killed another 2 hours that way.

I've sent my DH out for another big, thick block of chocolate, and if I can't get this to work, I'm going to use that big block of chocolate to beat myself to death.

I love those chocolate cigarettes but I think they look a little too refined for this cake. I think mine are supposed to be a little rough and "bark" like. Plus I have no access to acetate in any form before tomorrow at 5pm. Sigh...where's that damn bourbon bottle????

hello,
according to my (dutch ) book you have to use chocolate that's on room temperature (20 Celsius). Warmer chocolate gives thicker cheeselike curls, colder gives little thin curls.

And i wouldn't beat myself with the chocolate but eat is as a consolation.
Luck! Suzan

I don't know if you have time to do this but I found through experimenting that if you melt down the chocolate, add some shortening and pour it into a foil lined smal pan (I used a giant muffin pan), then let it cool in the fridge - take it out for a few mins to warm up a little. Then use a vegetable peeler. Those babies come out great. It's something about adding the shortening that worked I guess.

Here is how I make them. I use a sheet cake pan, have your chocolate melted and ready to go, tempered or untempered, but if untempered then add about 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil to 1 lb. chocolate. Warm the sheet cake pan in a very low oven 200 degrees or so, and only until the pan feels warm to the palm or your hand, not hot. Spread the chocolate onto the BACK of the sheet cake pan with an off set spatula, smooth and spread till about 1/8" thick. Put in fridge just till it begins to lose it's shine and you can touch it and not come away with chocolate on your finger. This is a trial and error thing, too cold and the chocolate will splinter when you try to roll, too warm and it will bunch up on the blade of your scraper and be sticky. Put the pan of set chocolate on a counter with one end of the pan butted up against the wall so it won't move when you try making curls. Use a bench scraper or a chocolate scraper with a handle, start from the end closest to you, put the blade edge of the scraper just under the chocolate a little bit, not on the surface. Push straight away from you and the chocolate will begin to curl. If you push slowly you get tighter curls, if you want larger ones push quickly and with a bit of pressure. You can get an interesting curl by pushing away and then go in an arc rather than straight away from you.

OH MAN, chocolate has had me in tears before.
I have tried choc paste and had sucess with it, but the last time i had to go with my acetate option.
i hate chocolate, except if it's just going in my mouth

how did it all work out for you in the end?? I'd love to find out. I've had more than one chocolate nightmare in my time.

Here is my latest story of chocolate tragedy
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-105161-pita.html

Nati

It all turned out ok. I finally got a bunch of curls using a big block of Callebaut. It took forever and my fingers were killing me, but I finally got enough, and even had some left over. The cake is the 3 tier chocolate one with "40" candle. The leftover curls were used on the chocolate basketweave single tier cake I have in my photos.

That was an incredible disaster story! I gotta tell ya....I would have been hysterical.