Wrapping A Cake In Chocolate By Shirleyw
Decorating By stephanie214 Updated 13 Mar 2014 , 8:27pm by ellavanilla
I definitely will. Is the mylar heavier than the kind they make balloons with? I'm trying to get an idea of what weight to look for. Thanks!
Yes, it is a completely different texture than Mylar balloons. It is a clear rigid plastic sheet that comes in different thicknesses and is usually on a large bolt like fabric, it sells by length and width. I buy it at a plastics supply store in my area called Tap Plastics, I don't know if they are strictly a California based company, but you may also be able to find it at an art supply store.
aha... it all makes sense now! thanks again, you've been extremely helpful. 
I've done a few these the past couple weeks, and it's so easy! Just a little effort, and the results are wonderful!!!
I love this new technique, and really hope that someone picks a wedding cake with a chocolate collar soon!
Hi there, have you try using parchment paper? I did and it works so much better than tin foil or wax paper. I did a cake last Christmas for a friend at work with chocolate over chocolate ganache & wrap with poker dot chocolate band. The parchment paper is a snap to unwrap. Try it.
I can't wait to try this. I love chocolate and am so excited to find another form of it. I wouldn't even know what mylar was, except for I work for a civil engineering company now. We use mylar to print final drafts of plans/maps. It holds up and doesn't turn yellow and crumble with age like paper does. We buy ours from OCB, a reprographics company. If you cant find it at an art store, maybe look in a phone book to find one in your area.
Have you ever tried Ghiradelli choclate for this technique? I use it for my cake balls and love the stuff!!
What I'm wondering is how do you lift it up to attach to the bottom first without the whole thing giving way? I mean how do you handle the chocolate for the entire cake while putting on the first half without it slipping and folding in on itself. Do you get what I'm trying to say? I can see me picking it up and folds up or something, it sounds yummo, now how do you make those ciagello things around the edge of the other cakes? Thanks you all are GREAT. I'm wanting to learn more, I've been away from it for 15 years and it's like I know nothing. 
I just tried this yesterday and was thrilled with the results. I used a thick vinyl and candy melts and it worked perfectly. The only problem I had was that I put too much chocolate on but other than making a mess of my countertop it still came out great.
What I'm wondering is how do you lift it up to attach to the bottom first without the whole thing giving way? I mean how do you handle the chocolate for the entire cake while putting on the first half without it slipping and folding in on itself. Do you get what I'm trying to say? I can see me picking it up and folds up or something, it sounds yummo, now how do you make those ciagello things around the edge of the other cakes? Thanks you all are GREAT. I'm wanting to learn more, I've been away from it for 15 years and it's like I know nothing.
First of all you need something strong enough like the Mylar plastic. It can't be too thin or it wobbles and will leave waves in the set chocolate. Too stiff and it will try and pop off the cake before the chocolate has set. You pick the wrap up carefully by pinching the two top corners between your thumbs and index or middle fingers. Get the bottom edge in as close as possible to the side of the cake, rest it on the cake board for stability now move the top of the wrap in towards the sides of the cake and it will attach itself. Then move your arms in opposite directions around the side of the cake and attach the edge in the back of the cake. Where you left smudges in the top corner of the plastic from your fingers, just spread a tiny bit of chocolate to cover it. Carefully wipe the top edge of the wrap off with your fingertip to neaten the edge, but don't push down on the wrap or in, it will distort the wrap. People have a tendency to want to smooth the sides of the wrap with their hands, the way you would a fondant cake. DON'T do that! If you do you will leave wavy lines in the hardened wrap.
The chocolate cigarellos can be made by hand but they are very time consuming and it is difficult to get them all the exact same width and height, I buy mine premade. Scroll down to LU Chocolate Pencils. They are 8" tall, I cut them with a sharp knife that has been warmed slightly so they are just a bit over 4" tall to cover the sides of a 4" cake. The leftover pieces can be used to fill in the top of the cake.
http://marquefoods.com/chocdecor.htm
so what kind of choc. is everyone using?
how are you melting the choc.?
also, how did they get the colored stripes on the cake? im lost.
i deff. want to try the choc. wrap out.
If you read the instructions for the wrap I believe I posted that I use Guittards semi sweet chocolate chips, 12 oz. bag and I add about 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to the melted chocolate to give it pliability and some shine. You can use tempered chocolate but it isn't vital for a wrap. Melt the chocolate slowly, and don't overheat it. I use a double boiler but don't let it steam or it will cause the chocolate to seize or harden into a solid mass.
I don't live in your area, are there shops there that sell bulk chocolate? Is there a certain type you are looking for? There are many online sources for ordering chocolate. Surely they have chocolate chips in your grocery stores, if they don't have Guittards try Ghirardelli or Nestles. This is just a chocolate wrap, it really doesn't have to be made of quality tempered chocolate unless that is your preference.
eriksmom- i read in another post about this that they use a pastry comb to achieve the multiple color.
http://pastrychef.com/Catalog/three_color_pastry_comb_1026496.htm
and here is the link to the post where i found this in.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=21858&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
HTH!
thank you Stephanie and Shirley for the tutorial.
edited to add:
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=21858&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
Warning: stupid question coming in....do you take the chocolate collar out before cutting the cake? If you take it out before cutting, how does the cake look without it, will it be a smooth finish. I'm just worried about how the served piece would look. Thank you.
oolala, you posted a pic on the first page of this thread that has stripes. how in the world did they do that? ive heard of the chocolate wraps, but have never even attempted it. how would you get the stripes so perfect?
i imagine that the stripes are a chocolate transfer sheet ...to my understanding, colored cocoa butter on a sheet that you place on top of warm melted chocolate...when it cools and the sheet is peeled away, the cocoa butter designs stick to the chocolate. in the picture that was posted with the stripes, you can see on the coil at the side, that the underside is plain white chocolate, thats why i think it must have been a transfer.
The way I did these was to spread melted white chocolate on my Mylar, scrape through it with a chocolate scraper made for doing striped chocolate cigarellos, I used sort of a wave design, pipe melted chocolate in a contrasting color on the clear lines, wrap the cake and chill, remove the wrap. You could use a pastry comb if you have one with a wide enough space between the teeth.
This is not a great example because I didn't have a piece of Mylar long enough to wrap all the way around the cake, I did it in two pieces or sections and of course the lines did not match up perfectly.
Shirley - say whaaaat? wow your cake looks great!! 
you know i've been wondering if the cake comb i have would be good to make the lines?! i have the wilton's one. Shirley where did you get the pastry comb from? the one i found is mighty pricey, but i imagine is good for someone who always does cakes and other nice pastries.
Aha! I found it. After all these years I wasn't sure what to look for. I still use that blue handled scraper to smooth the sides of my cake when I ice it.
http://www.pastrychef.com/Catalog/chocolate_cigarette_kit_389840.htm
And let me tell you, the directions for making the striped chocolate cigrellos sound easy when you read them. Not so easy when you actually do them. It is all key to the amount of time you allow the chocolate to set. Not long enough you get globs of semi set chocolate wadded up around the blade of the scraper. Let it set too long and it splinters into long separate pieces in front of the blade. It's really trial and error and learning exactly when the right moment is for pushing that chocolate away from you into rolls or cigarellos.
I have yet to try this. I have the instructions in my idea keeper, but hadn't taken the time to test it out. Now that this new thread has renewed this great method, I'll just have to give it a go!
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