I am in the middle of making my first chocolate transfers and have a few questions. I couldn't really find any instructions on how to make them so I figured it would be similar to a FBCT (I have never done one of those either).
Do you just cut a small hole in the decorator bag or do you use a coupler and tip. If you use a tip, how do you thin the chocolate out again after it has hardened in the bag?
Do you go and pipe back over the outline after the transfer has hardened? It seems kind of flat looking to me. I also used brown chocolate to pipe the outline. Should I have used black?
Can these be stored for a few days before they are to be used? Do you store them in the fridge or what is the best way?
Do I need to make them very thick?
That is all the questions I can think of right now - if you all have any suggestions that I have not thought of, your 2 cents will be well appreciated! Thanks!
Hello kerririchards, I think one the of the best ways to do it is using a small air cone made of parchment paper. Is less messing and the bag is too big I think. Also it gets hard too fast and this way you waste less.
Just do the outline first and then fill in the figure you are going to do, I don't think you need to do it twice unless is too thin. The best way to store them is in a dry/fresh place. That's how I did it at school and takes time to learn but it's not difficult, but I think you're doing it right that way.
Hope it helps 
check out this old thread,
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-1174-.html
cali4dawn has a link to her website with some great tutorials, including chocolate transfers.
Regarding the bag, I've always used parchment triangles because you can cut them in half before folding them and have a smaller bag (or even quarters if you have a color you aren't using very much of). You really don't end up using a ton of chocolate so you don't want to have a big bag full. When I make the bag, I fold it very tight so the hole is tiny. You want to pipe an outline with a smaller hole and then if you're filling a bigger area later, you can cut the tip off and make it a little bigger so it flows faster. If you are using a coupler and a tip (which I haven't done yet) you can use a 1 tip for the outline and then a slightly larger one for filling. If it hardens in the tip, you really just need to poke it with a toothpick or something to dislodge it. This is another reason I like the parchment bags. You can pop them in the microwave at half power to re-warm them if the chocolate hardens. I've even started a project one night and finished it the next using the same bags . . . I just reheated them when I was ready to get back to it.
You can use a hot plate or an electric skillet (on the lowest setting) with a kitchen towel as a buffer to lay your bags on as you're working with them. This keeps the chocolate warmed up and soft.
It is very similar to a FBCT (which I haven't done but have read about). You pipe the outline, then fill in the colors. Be sure to overlap so when you fill in your colors, go over your outline, too. You just want to be sure that everything has a nice, thick coating so that you have less chance of breakage when you're moving it. And you want to overlap your colors to prevent breaking on a "seam". The back isn't going to be very pretty, so if you want to stand these up on the top of your cake where the back would be visible, you'd just make two of each image, reversing the second one before you pipe it so that it matches the front when you put them back to back.
If you turn it over and feel like it looks too "flat" you can absolutely go over the details with a small tip or opening to give it dimension. This really helps highlight some smaller details and give it texture. If you look at my photos, I have a sunflower cake that I did that with to highlight the seeds. You can use brown or black to outline . . . whatever goes best with your image.
You can store these in an airtight container for up to two weeks with no problem. Keeping them in a tupperware container on the counter (providing your house isn't too hot) is a perfect way to store them.
one tip that I heard that I really like is that rather than using waxed or parchment paper to pipe on, you can use a piece of cellophane. Chocolate tends to pick up the finish of what you put it on so when you use cellophane, you get a shinier finish. With waxed and parchment papers the finish is much flatter.
When you can, it helps to make extra pieces especially if it's for a special cake. They don't take that long to make when you get the hang of it and it's nice to have an extra on hand in case of breakage!
Good luck!
love the heating ideas....i was just checking into making some white chocolate transfers...one thing i read was using those plastic report covers (the one with the little slide on it)...i got some at walgreens for 2 dollars for 3 covers...the plastic is completely clear and easy to peel the chocolate off of...
love the heating ideas....i was just checking into making some white chocolate transfers...one thing i read was using those plastic report covers (the one with the little slide on it)...i got some at walgreens for 2 dollars for 3 covers...the plastic is completely clear and easy to peel the chocolate off of...
When I couldn't find cellophane to use, that's exactly what I did! It gives such a better sheen than waxed paper does to the finished piece.
Thanks guys! you were so helpful! I don't know why I didn't think of parchment bags since I have so many of them left over from classes a couple of years ago! I guess I find the plastic disposable so much easier. At least for everything but chocolate transfers! That seam in the bag kept getting in the way and making my lines come out funny. The transfer I made last night was really just a practice one for a cake I need to do this weekend. I will go ahead and make the rest today. Oh, and chakkakin, thanks for referring me to cali4dawn's tutorial. Is there anything that girl can't do???
And one more question: This morning my little girl and I sampled the practice dino that I made last night. It doesn't really taste much like chocolate! I used the Americolor Flo-coat to help color the chocolate and I think that is probably what I am tasting. YUK! Is there some way I can get the color but still have them taste like chocolate?
I have tried the flo coat with Americolor colors and had a hard time keeping the chocolate smooth and had to add a lot of it. I now only use candy colors . . . they don't seize up the chocolate at all. And, since you don't end up using a ton of chocolate, you don't tend to use that much color so your chocolate still tastes like chocolate. Also, like with buttercream, for darker colors I start with a darker chocolate wafer instead of the white chocolate.
I have just used the Wilton candy colors that I can get at Michael's or Chefmaster that I get at my local cake store.
Thank you guys so much for all of your great help with the chocolate transfers. Of course, cc went down at a very critical time in my life (while I was making these for the first time) so I had to use my own head for a while. I found that I do not like the taste of white chocolate, so I went back and piped dark chocolate to cover the entire backs of each dinosaur. And it tasted WONDERFUL!!! I have the pictures in my photos! Thanks again, SO MUCH!
WOW!!! Great job! Amazing, actually, for your first attempt with the chocolate transfers. My first attempt did not even get a picture taken. I love how you made a "girly" dinosaur cake with the pastel colors and the flowers. It goes SO well together.
I could see in one of the pictures where a dinosaur was kind of standing up on the cake that the backs of your dinosaurs are so smooth. I know you said you piped dark chocolate on the back for flavor . . . how did you smooth it? The backs of mine always look so lumpy.
one more thing . . . regarding the flavor of the chocolate, I have been using the Wilton wafers and agree that the taste isn't the best. I have heard that a lot of people think that Merckens (sp?) is the best tasting chocolate for using in applications like this so if you have a store nearby with the different brands, it may be worth trying to find Merckens. My cake store doesn't sell it so I am going to order some online. I think the quality of chocolate really would impact flavor and from what I hear, Wilton does not make the best tasting products since they're more concerned with performance. What brand did you use?
Wilton's Candy Melts and Merckens are "candy melts", not real chocolate. They have oils in them other than cocoa butter, so they can't be classified as real chocolate. The oils can vary based on what is cheapest worldwide at the moment of production, so they can actually vary in flavor. They're widely used because they don't require tempering and they're much cheaper than real chocolate.
I've found that the Premium melts in dark and milk from both manufacturers tend to taste the best and the closest to real chocolate. To be honest, by the time you invest in these, you might as well buy an inexpensive brand of real chocolate--even then you'll be able to tell the difference.
If flavor is the most important aspect to you and you don't mind tempering chocolate, then I'd suggest using "the real deal". Tempering with a microwave is pretty easy and keeping real chocolate "in temper" is also easy using either parchment or plastic bags that can be re-heated in the microwave.
Rae
Thanks for the clarification. I didn't even know you could use real chocolate. I thought you had to use the wafers due to the flexibility of heating and reheating. I'll have to try my next batch with real chocolate, though that could be dangerous as I'm likely to eat more than I pipe!
Wow, Rae! You sure know a lot about your chocolates! I really need to read up on tempering chocolate, just haven't had the need to until now. The brand I use is Nestle and I get it from the local cake supply. I haven't tried the Merckens or Wilton brands. I wonder if regular chocolate chips would work or almond bark.
oh, and ckkerber, the backs weren't perfectly smooth, but I took a tooth pick and kind of swirled and smoothed a bit while the chocolate was still soft. That helped a lot.
"Tempering" is necessary to bring the cocoa butter crystals back into "line"--evenly suspended in the mixture--after melting the chocolate. If you don't do this to real chocolate, you get (at a minimum) that greyish, dusty looking finish to your chocolate. If you want nice, shiny, appetizing chocolates, then you need to temper it.
To temper chocolate using the microwave, you are melting it above the point of temper (but not so high that it scorches or burns) and then cooling it down using added chocolate that is at a temperature lower than the point of temper. Dark chocolate is in temper at about 88F, milk chocolate at 84F, and white chocolate at 82F. This also means that the chocolate is generally in a good fluid state for pouring/piping, but will also set up fairly quickly.
Melt 2/3 of the chocolate you need in the microwave until it reaches a temperature of approximately 110-115F. Remove from the microwave and add the other 1/3 of the room temperature chocolate--this is called "seed"-- and stir gently from the bottom of the bowl. When the chocolate gets down to the proper temper-ature, it should be smooth and glossy. Remove any of the seed chocolate lumps and begin to use the chocolate. You should try to hold the chocolate at/near the appropriate temperature by re-warming the chocolate in the microwave for small amounts of time--10-20 seconds at a time on and off while you dip or mold your chocolates.
You can use a probe, infrared, or candy thermometer to take the temp of the chocolate as you work. You can keep the bowl of tempered chocolate on a food warming try with a towel on it--that way you're not running back and forth to the microwave every few minutes. There are many ways to keep it workable for long periods.
I prefer the microwave to the double boiler method because there is no chance of water ruining the chocolate. Steam from double boilers has been known to ruin a batch of chocolate very quickly.
This certainly isn't all you need to know about chocolate, but it's probably enough to use small amounts of chocolate for a transfer. You'll get the nicest shine and flatest results using the acetate (from rolls or from report covers, as mentioned above). You can do this on parchment, silicone, wax paper, or freezer paper (shiny side up), too, but it won't be as shiny as on acetate. You need to color chocolate with CANDY/OIL COLORS only so that it doesn't seize up on you. I've used the Americolor Color-flo and I don't know what's in it, but it can help with the use of those colors--but it
will in no way give you a really free flowing product--only the addition of melted pure cocoa butter can do that if the product isn't flowing properly even though it's in temper.
A final note--cost doesn't always predict how good a chocolate is, or how easy it will be to work with, but the percentage of cocoa butter is what makes it act the right way when heated/molded, etc. To be called chocolate, a product must have X% cocoa butter in it. In general, pricier chocolates have more cocoa butter in them, soooo bagged baking chips from the grocery store will not give you the same result as a gourmet chocolate.
Hope this is helpful.
Rae
Just as a reply about what chocolate I use, I only use Merckens. They come in a variety of colors and taste pretty good. I can't stand the wilton candy melts or the make n mold they sell at ACMoore. I found a store - party warehouse - near me that sells them and stock up on a regular basis. I won't go back to using any of the others now.
Hope this helps!
Deanna
For real chocolate, I prefer Callebaut. I've also used Peters in a pinch, but it isn't quite the same.
Rae
Thanks for the lesson, Rae! I knew none of that about tempering chocolate. I've melted chocolate in the microwave before for recipes but didn't know that I was supposed to add room temp. chocolate as "seed". I appreciate all of the info. and can't wait to stop using chocolate wafers!!! (though I'm a cheap skate and will be using up all that I have stockpiled in the pantry, first.)
Can I add Lorann oils to the melted Wilton candy melts?
Thanks,
darkchocolate
Just as a reply about what chocolate I use, I only use Merckens. They come in a variety of colors and taste pretty good. I can't stand the wilton candy melts or the make n mold they sell at ACMoore. I found a store - party warehouse - near me that sells them and stock up on a regular basis. I won't go back to using any of the others now.
Hope this helps!
Deanna
I have been using Merkens for years, at least 20 years. For melting wafers they taste the best. They usually cost a double what the other cheap tasting brands do- but worth it. I use them for making chocolate suckers.
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