I want to decorate a cake with a white chocolate band that goes all around and covers the entire side of the cake plus an inch over the top. I have done this with dark chocolate no problem. I tempered my white chocolate, smeared it on wax paper, let it set...great, no issues. Then it completely melted!!! Thankfully this was a test but can anyone imagine what went wrong? Can you even do this with white chocolate? This cake is going to have to travel about 1/2 an hour to get to work.

THX

I've never tempered white chocolate, but from what I just read on the internet, you may have to add cocoa butter while tempering it. I think white chocolate generally has less than regular chocolate unless you're buying the Lindt Coverture (sp?) which I believe has a higher cocoa butter content.

How about if you use white modeling chocolate? Then it will (should) stand up and can be 1 inch taller than the cake.

Now I see you are in Cave Creek AZ.....no wonder your chocolate is melting - how hot is it there today? I was in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and couldn't even get my MC to set up because of the warm weather....

can you use the method that shirley w. on this site has posted with a stickie under cake decorating in forums. she is using dark chocolate with spreading the chocolate onto mylar that has been cut to fit around the cake and a little over the top. look at those instructions. i have done this her way using dk. chocolate. but not the white. wouldn,t hurt to try it. of course doing all in a cool-cold room and in cold car. lol.hth and using good quality chocolate.

i have, and im in aust. so i undertsand heat.. mind you it was only spring when i did it. im not sure what method you are doing? but i spread the chocolate on wax paper then when its almost set wrap it around the cake. wait for it to set completley, then peel off the paper. with white chocolate, or if its really hot for that matter, i put it in the fridge to set completely. then take it off, take the paper off, then back into the fridge until it must come out....hth

yes it was hot in AZ today but I had the air set at 75 so I don't think the heat was a factor. The spreading and setting worked fine, I got it around the cake fine but when I took it out of the fridge it litterly melted right off the cake. lol, maybe I'll do a little research and see if cocoa butter is the answer. Thx all that replied.

BTW I'm using Callebaut

I had this exact same problem before. I was in school doing my final bake exam and I was trying to make chocolate straws. I knew the dark chocolate was not tempered so I tempered it but I thought the white chocolate we had in class was coating chocolate. It turned out to be couvature. After 20 minutes the white chocolate never set up. My Chef came over and asked me what was up and I told him of my realization and chucked the whole thing in the garbage. Long story short unless that white chocolate is coating chocolate it needs to be tempered. It won't ever set up unless it's tempered.

is it possible I didn't temper it correctly? It set up and had a nice snap. I do have to admit it's not the freshest product on the shelf, which is one reason I wanted to use it for this cake, I need more room on my shelf...LOL but I didn't think that would effect tempering. I will just have to try it again.

THX

sorry, i remembered what chocolate i used as well, im in aust., so not familiar with r brands, but i just used store brang cooking chocolate. and it really did work fine.