Chocolate For Cherry Blossom Branch?
Decorating By sister340 Updated 11 Jul 2009 , 1:55pm by drakegore
chocolate clay is so easy and once you've done it, you'll find millions of ways to use it 
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a lot of recipes do not "age" the chocolate, but i suggest wrapping it and letting it sit for at least overnight (up to 24 hours) before you use it. i age mine in the fridge, then bring it out to room temp before kneading. also take care not to over knead as it will get to soft and will most likely start to get "grainy" to the touch. just knead until you see a glossy shine. easier if you just knead what you will immediately use instead of the whole bunch .
i make branches and vines with it frequently.
i use smbc and just put the vines right onto the bc. i chill the cake and then just position and gently push it on. if you are using a crusting buttercream, i am not sure what the best method is...either putting on before it crusts or applying a bit of bc to the back of the vine. if you are attaching to fondant, then you can use a bit of melted chocolate or royal icing.
what i do is make a rough template for how i want my branches to look. i model the clay to shape and then i take my dresden/veiner tool and gently roll it over the branch to give a bark texture. then i lay them out to harden a bit (think tootsie roll) before i put them on the cake so they will be easier to wrangle. i have let them sit for up to two days and as little as a couple hours...this is just up to you.
if you are trying to get a branch to stand up and away from the cake, you may need to use a supprt if your branch it too big. i don't like sticking things in my branches because they always get eaten first by the shorty crowd so i plan little branches to stand out from the cake and usually they do just fine as long as i let the chocolate dry for a day or two.
good luck!
diane
hi rogers 26!
i don't mean to be a busybody , but the paint on clothes hangers is probably not good stuff to be touching food. i would worry about lead in clothes hanger paint. i am not neurotic about food safety, but this would worry me.
i am sorry to poke my nose where it probably doesn't belong! my intentions are good.
diane
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