There's truly nothing more tempting and so heavenly than being able to enjoy a rich and luscious serving of chocolate cake. When it comes to cake decorations, chocolate is king. There is great value in learning how to properly master the art of using chocolate for cake decorations and it will certainly go a very long way in terms of presentation. But before you start delving into the various methods and recipes available let's start with the basics first. It would be a great injustice to take chocolate very lightly.
First, you need to learn how to melt chocolate. The problem that most beginners have is that they tend to melt the chocolate a bit too quickly. In order to melt it properly, the chocolate must first be broken down methodically. Whether the piece or chunk is sliced or shaved, the heat must be made to work on the entire surface area of the chocolate being melted in order for it to be of uniform smoothness. The best way of doing so is to place the pieces into a small container and putting it inside a pot of warm or hot water. Note that boiling water is not advised at all. The chocolate will begin to melt evenly but do not forget to stir. Keep at it until the chocolate becomes completely melted and without any lumps or chunks. Once the chocolate has been properly melted, you can now begin the process of shaping and forming the chocolate into any desired shape or purpose.
Making curls and cutouts from the chocolate is made possible once the chocolate has reached a certain velvety smoothness. In order to do so, the chocolate should be spread evenly onto a flat surface like a metal baking pan or cookie sheet. It should be left to cool by itself at room temperature.
Chocolate curls are made by scraping the chocolate with a metal spatula. If done properly, the chocolate will start forming curls as it is being scraped. Place the scraped chocolate onto some parchment in order to allow it to cool and harden further.
Chocolate cutouts, on the other hand, are just as easy to make as the chocolate curls. All it takes is to simply use a sharp knife or other tool available to make the desired shape or design. Depending on the situation, even a cookie cutter will work just as well for the job.
Besides melting the chocolate, there's also another important method of using chocolate for making simple yet very stunning effects on any cake. This is with the use of sifted cocoa powder. The process involves topping the cake with a stenciled paper design and slowly sprinkling the cocoa powder onto the cake. Once the design is removed, what results is a very nice design with a powdered accent.
Now that the basics have been covered, more advanced steps or techniques can now be started. Feel free to get the basics right first and then build on that foundation. Everyone loves a delicious chocolate cake so taking the time to properly prepare one will certainly reap a lot of satisfaction in the long run.
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