Any Advise Covering A Carved Cake With Modeling Chocolate???
Decorating By VickyAton Updated 9 Mar 2011 , 7:53am by new2bake
I am covering a carved vintage car cake with modeling chocolate, which I have never used before, is it much different to handle than fondant? The cake is not too huge, so I should be able to work quickly, but I have never done this before and any advise would be appreciated.
thank you
i aked the same question an was told to privte message steady2hands or Anasasi but they havent gotten back, but you migght give it a shot
hi, i am the one that told you to p/m these two. i did and they both answered me. so now i am gonna try to send you the p/m from anasasi. then i will try to find steady2hands p/m back to me.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Private_Messages&file=index&folder=savebox&mode=read&p=3533964
this is the cake that steady2hands made. she tells how she did it. cakes covered with modeling chocolate and drapes with modeling chocolate with some fondant. but again the cakes are covered with modeling chocolate.
http://.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=141373
here is a p/m from her also. i asked her several questions about her beautiful cake.
hope this helps you both. i have not done this yet, but will be my project soon.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Private_Messages&file=index&folder=inbox&mode=read&p=3463309
well , i thought that is what i did. so help me out to do different. i went on my p/m . clicked copy , then came back to this thread and clicked paste. what do i have to do different. i do this allthe time sending links , but have never done it from my p/m . thanks for your help. on steady2hands site under her pics. you will see this chocolte covered wedding cake with drapes and roses. down a little ways she tells how she does it. she covers cakes all the time with modeling chocoate. she tells how much shortening she adds per lb. of modeling chocolate. the other person just p/m me back and told me all that she does. that is what i thought i posted here. by copying and pasting. so tell me how to do this different from my p'm . thanks
While Icer101 gets those copies coming, I'll just say that modeling chocolate doesn't stretch like fondant but you can repair things with the heat of your hand which is very cool.
I made a fireman's hat and didn't even roll it out per se, I just manipulated it and worked the random seams out like I said, with the heat of my hand.
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/1985/Candy-Clay-for-Modeling--3D-Figures
heres the recipes that stead2hands used to cover her cake( i think)
ok, first let me say, i have not done this as of yet. Anasasi and steady2hands , both p/med me after i p/med them. last year. i saw steady2hands beautiful white chocolate wedding cake with roses and drapes and asked her about the chocolate covering. she then p/m me back. her wedding cake is covered with wilton candy clay recipe with a little extra shortening in it . i believe her. look up her username and you will see this cake and scroll down and you will see how she answered how she did it. again , i believe her. anasasi also p/med back after i p/med her after seeing a thread with her talking all about how she covers cakes in modeling chocolate She is not just globbing it on and pressing it out. look under her username and you will see on her cake pics some of the cakes she has covered. i was talking to her about her ball hat and glove one. i did copy and paste from my message box of what both of these ladies wrote to me. i don,t know how to make it come thru on the thread. again look up all that i have told you. i am sending a pic of another cake that i have saved from another site. that the middle tier is covered in modeling chocolate. again, just type in on your home page. HOW TO COVER A CAKE WITH MODELING CHOCOLATE. YOU WLL SEE SEVERAL SITES THAT TALK ALL ABOUT THIS. i have a cake friend , mari senago. she teaches at ices conventions(she works with chocolate only) . she covers cakes in chocolate and no it is not like the way K8Memphis says she does it. NOW , I AM GOING TO TRY TO SEND THIS OTHER LINK. wish me luck. lol!
http://www.mysweetandsaucy.com/tag/modeling-chocolate/
this is the pic of steady2hands beautiful wedding cake covered in modeling chocolate, etc. hope it works again, on this site under her username , you will see this cake and scroll down and she tells how she did and does her cakes in modeling chocolate. hth
http://www.pennyscakes.com/apps/photos/
trying again.
Hi there,
Sure thing, here's what I do to make my MC (and I used it to make my Phillies baseball cap also : ) Just use melted chocolate to glue together any of the details to the modeling chocolate.
MODELING CHOCOLATE
I generally make my modeling chocolate w/ a ratio of 24 oz of white chocolate to 3/4 of a cup of light Karo syrup. For dark chocolate I use 16 oz to 3/4 of syrup. I found the recipe below in the book Cake Art by The Culinary Institute of America and I just modified the ratio of corn syrup to chocolate as found in the parenthesis in the instructions below. Do a couple of test runs to see which consistency you prefer. Using 2/3 of a cup of Karo Syrup works well for me also, but results in a slightly different consistency. Unfortunately I've learned through trial and error that some colors do better with the 2/3 cup while others work out better for me using 3/4 of a cup. The full cup of Karo syrup always comes out to runny for me to work with. Also, make sure you measure out exactly 16 oz of chocolate for the dark and 24 oz for the white or colored prior to melting. Wilton disks work perfect for this since you can get them in so many colors. Note that most of the colored disks are made based off of white chocolate, so go with the measurements for white when using colored.
Dark Modeling Chocolate:
1 cup corn syrup, warm* (¾ cup for my preferred consistency)
1 lb dark chocolate, melted and still warm
(I do this in the microwave at 30 second intervals until just until it's all melted, careful not to overheat it)
White Modeling Chocolate:
1 cup corn syrup, warm* (3/4 cup...same as above)
1 1/2 lb white or colored chocolate, melted and still warm
1. Stream the warm corn syrup into the melted chocolate and stir; the chocolate will appear slightly greasy, but the mixture will come together as you continue to stir. The modeling chocolate will come to together in a ball once the chocolate and corn syrup have been completely blended.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture on a tray to cool. Completely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least and hour.
(I leave mine in the fridge overnight).
3. When the chocolate has HARDENED (and don't be surprised at how hard it gets, this means you've done it correctly), pull it out for about 10 - 15 minutes and then knead it. You'll find that the chocolate will be rather stiff, if it's too stiff just break it off in smaller portions for kneading and then incorporate it all together. This will likely be the hardest part of making it. Shape into a log and wrap well in plastic. Store modeling chocolate in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (I believe that Wilton suggests storing it at room temp, don't do this as it will dry out). You can also freeze it the same way for up to 3 months.
4. When ready to use, remove the MC from the refrigerator and let it sit for about 10 minutes. You can then knead the modeling chocolate until smooth and pliable, using a light dusting of cornstarch, if necessary, to prevent sticking. (I have found that a combo of crisco on my mat and gloves, not too much, and a light dusting of cornstarch over the Crisco on the mat and dusted on the modeling chocolate, when necessary, works better for this).
The book mentions to be careful not to overwork the chocolate or it will become oily. That doesn't scare me much because that's how I achieve the sheen. That and sometimes I'll rub a very light coating of crisco on it, lol For the shine on my B.O.B. cake I used piping gel, which didn't affect the chocolate.
You'll find that this stuff may seem a bit heavier than fondant, but it's much more forgiving when fixing seams, etc. and it tastes great too. Use it as you would regular fondant and roll it out slighly thinner. Once you've covered the cake, put it in the fridge to allow the chocolate to firm up. Oh, and as you work with this the chocolate may get softer from the warmth of your hands, so work efficiently (especially in the summer). I definitely make sure to use gloves so as not to allow any oil from my skin to contribute to this. You can also throw the chocolate in the fridge for a couple of minutes if you find it getting too soft, this firms up in no time at all.
Once the cake is covered put it in the refrigerator to allow it to firm up. If you don't normally store your cakes in the refrigerator you can leave it out on the counter and it will be fine. I like to put mine in the refrigerator for at least an hour and then pull it out for any touch ups once it's firmer. I just prefer to have my designs "set" quicker I guess. Either way it will work out. Just keep in mind that if you use ganache instead of BC(which I absolutely love to do!) to ice the cake under the modeling chocolate then it may have a tendency tol sweat after you remove it from the refrigerator. I prefer to keep such cakes in the refrierator right up until presenting it, or I simply do not refrigerate it once it's covered in the MC.
HTH!
heres the other one from steady2hands. finally figured it out
Surprisingly it is very easy to cut. I guess the moisture from the cake keeps it soft.
I covered another wedding cake with it too. It was a blue cake with a brown Damask pattern (1st time ever doing a Damask). The photographer told the bride's mother that out of all the many wedding cakes he's eaten, that was the most delicious ever. I felt really good about that because the bride's mother personally told me. That cake was strawberry covered in the white chocolate also.
To me, they are just as easy to cut as a fondant covered cake.
Another good thing about the chocolate is that it is super easy to repair. If there's a flaw/gap, all I do is roll some of the chocolate clay between my fingers to warm it and then put it on the blemished spot & rub it til they blend together. Also, flaws can be cut off with a knife, and again just use your fingers to warm the chocolate til it's smooth.
WOW!! I do wish you luck. Can,t wait to see the pix. Now i can,t wait to go ahead and try it. Several sites on internet says. you can do anything with modeling chocolate that you can do with fondant. WE just have to go outside the box and try it. im excited to see how you did and how you felt about it all.
This is what stead2hands just private messaged me
Here are some tips for modeling chocolate:
RECIPE:
1. My favorite recipe: Candy Clay for Modeling and 3D Figures (Posted by ¡§Anonymous¡¨).
Link - http://cakecentral.com/recipes.....3d-figures
2. Make sure all surfaces, utensils, hands, etc. are dry. Even one little drop of water will ruin the whole batch.
3. When mixing corn syrup into the chocolate, mix only well enough to incorporate the two together. The longer you mix it, the more oil will form on the outside of the Candy Clay while it sits overnight. (See #4 for solution)
AFTER MIXTURE SITS OVERNIGHT:
4. Kneading: The Candy Clay must be kneaded before using. Don¡¦t worry if you feel any chunks while kneading; it¡¦s just those stiff chunks of oil. Just squish them with your fingers which will warm it and make it easy to knead into the clay. (Note: It can be frustrating if you have a lot of chunks to deal with. The best way to avoid frustration is to not over mix the corn syrup into the melted chocolate.)
5. Coloring: Knead gel or powdered colors into prepared Candy Clay. Do not add color when making the recipe.
COVERING A CAKE:
6. When using Candy Clay to cover a cake, knead about 1 T. Crisco per lb. into prepared Candy Clay. This will make it soft enough to cover a cake (as suggested by a fellow CCer
7. It takes A LOT of kneading time in order to soften the clay to cover a cake (but the taste is worth it). It can be tiresome so when kneading large amounts I have put it in the microwave for literally a "few" seconds to start the warming process.
8. Knead on a surface dusted with corn starch. Once well kneaded, roll out large enough to cover the cake. At this point you must work quickly or it will get stiff. If that happens, just knead it again. I had to do that a few times on a large layer until I learned to work more quickly º .
9. When placing the rolled clay onto the cake, it may tear. Small tears can be easily repaired (see #10). For large tears, remove the clay from the cake, wipe off cake crumbs and knead again.
10. It is ¡§super easy¡¨ to repair. If there's a flaw/gap, just roll some of the chocolate clay between your fingers to warm it and then put it on the blemished spot & rub it with your finger. The warmth from your finger will help it blend together. Also, flaws can be cut off with a knife, and again, just use your fingers to warm the chocolate until it's smooth. (This is one reason I love working with this stuff º.)
11. Chocolate Clay will harden on the cake but will be very easy to cut (like fondant covered cakes). I guess the moisture from the cake softens the underside of the chocolate.
COST:
11. When pricing chocolate covered cakes keep in mind that not only are the ingredients expensive, but kneading large amounts of Candy Clay takes A LOT OF TIME. (I personally would charge more for a cake covered in chocolate than a cake covered in fondant.)
SWAGS & DRAPES:
12. To make swags/drapes, knead together 1 part prepared Candy Clay recipe and 2 parts Wilton fondant. (I'm sure other fondant recipes will work but Candy Clay doesn¡¦t stretch well for swags/drapes. I had Wilton fondant on hand at the time and it was just for drapes around a wedding cake so wasn¡¦t concerned about taste º ). The combination of the two worked easily & beautifully!
WARM/HOT HANDS:
13. When working with the clay for long lengths of time, the warmth from hands will cause the clay to soften too much. If it gets too soft, set it on waxed paper and in very little time (length of time varies according to room temperature & humidity) it will be stiff enough to work with again.
HUMIDITY:
14. I live in a very humid area so when making Candy Clay (& Buttercream too), I try to watch for upcoming weather conditions and make the Candy Clay on the least humid day.
Hopefully this list of tips will help and not be too overwhelming or discouraging. It¡¦s just a mixture of info. I learned on CC as well as my own experiences of trial and error. Candy clay is my preference out of it and fondant when it comes to covering cakes. In my opinion, the taste and ability to easily make repairs far outweighs the extra cost & time.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%