Decorate with Chocolate

Have you wonder how people decorate simple cakes and tarts into high-end pastries with dramatic curls of chocolate and sell it for incredibly high price? You can do the same effect at home. Turn your cakes and tarts into masterpiece.

 

Preparation

• Melt at least a pound of chocolate and pour into a cake or loaf pan to make a sizeable, solid, smooth block for curling.

• Allow to cool and harden completely in a cool, dry place, preferably overnight.

• Run a knife around the edges, and it should be easy to invert and remove once it is completely solid.

• Place your block of chocolate on a piece of sturdy cardboard.

 

Create a chocolate fan

• First warm the chocolate slightly by placing it in a warm oven for 5-7 seconds. Do not let it melt!

• With light pressure, run the cheese slicer/ vegetable peeler down the block of chocolate. You simply want to skim off a small layer, not cut into the chocolate.

• As you are creating your fan shape, you can use your free hand to guide the strip of chocolate into gentle folds, waves, or a fan shape. If your hands are very warm and start melting the chocolate, use thin plastic gloves.

You can experiment with making a variety of curls, fans, swaths, and other shapes out of your molding chocolate depending on the speed of your movement and the pressure you apply. You will find that small differences in the movement and pressure of the slicer will produce big differences in your chocolate decorations. If you are making a large amount of curls at once, you may need to re-warm the chocolate briefly if it starts to chip or break apart. Play around, go crazy and have fun!