Jenjcook

I took this to the show too

Plain old caramel. Cheap. Long shelf life. No danger of expanding and cracking.

Well here it is. It was a pain, but it turned out pretty well.

Wow. I know I'm a chocolatier, not a baker, but I really didn't think working with fondant would be outside my skill set....uuug. After five hours I eventually wadded it up in a ball, threw it the corner and quit! I clearly need to find something else to cover my cake dummies. I'd sooner spray them in cocoa butter that try the fondant against.

I was planning to make the chocolate shells as usual. The chocolate will last a long time if stored properly, just looking for a filling that wont rot in that time. If that's the case, why not just mould up solids? Then there's no issue at all with spoilage. I'm definitely considering that. I was just thinking of the most economical solution

I was planning to make the chocolate shells as usual. The chocolate will last a long time if stored properly, just looking for a filling that wont rot in that time.

I need some advice. I have made wedding truffle towers before (on something similar to a cupcake stand), however i am going to a big bridal expo this month and I want to attempt to make something similar to a "cake bite wedding cake" (http://www.thedailymeal.com/wedding-cake-day-steampunk-cake) but with molded chocolates. I know the basic idea is a foam cake dummy covered in fondant with the cake bites, or in my cake molded truffles, stuck in place with tooth picks. Has anyone ever attempted one of these? and if so any tips to pass along? It seems relatively straight forward, but it is going to take ALOT of product to make so Id really rather avoid pitfalls and waste. I am thinking of using the 8 sided geodesic mold because it seems like the pieces would stack nicely side by side (http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/geodesic-dome-40-cavities.asp) Also has anyone ever made "dummy" chocolates for displays? ie something with a filling that wont spoil like a homemade play dough or the like (http://fun.familyeducation.com/sculpting/recipes/37040.html) Im thinking if I manage to pull off this display I might try to make it out of something I can keep for future displays. If i use regular product (it will take about 300 pieces) they will have had a tooth pick stuck in them and basically be trash afterword.

You could use a compound chocolate like Merkens coating that does not require tempering. If you want a thin coat paramount crystals work well to thin it out. Vegetable oil tends to make compound coatings rather soft in my opinion.

Ooooh. duh. I wasnt thinking water activity. Which is stupid ive read it written in that shorthand a hundred times before. i agree that could be an issue, but i followed notters recipe to the T. well almost, i infuse my lime zest into the cream then strain because i dont like the way it feels gritty in the final product, but didn't change any key ingredients. I dont know the exact water activity, but i wouldnt think notter would publish one prone to ferment. i made another batch and let it sit overnight before filling my shells this time, thinking that maybe if there was some expansion as it crystalizes thing going on, maybe it would happen then instead of inside the shells. ill let ya know how that works. as for the design. I rub the yellow into the grooves, some inevitably gets on the flat part too, so after it sets I polish that clean leaving only the yellow grooves, then spay it green.

What is "Aw"???It is a texture sheet in a magnetic mold. I rub one color into the grooves of the sheet, let it set, then polish the flat parts clean, so that the color is only in the grooves then airbrush the second color. Snap it in the back of the mold and pour chocolate.

What is going on! I made Notter's key lime pralines. They tasted great....but a week later they did this! It's like the key lime filling expanded. The shells aren't all that thin bc the Callebaut I was using is pretty viscous. Anybody know what happened, and what I should do to keep it from happening again?

My zebras are getting better!

I was so disappointed when tomric said my molds were on back order and I'd have to wait a month. So when ups brought the package today (after 2 weeks) ....i swear it was like I was five years old again on Christmas morning and saw that Santa came!

Oh whoops no. Sorry, I use white for the ganache and pipe into white or milk.

Ok, here is the problem I'm having. My magnetic molds work absolutely beautiful with transfer sheets and sprayed texture sheet...BUT. If I try to use it like a regular mold and just airbrush, it sticks to the metal back piece every time. Is it the metal? I don't warm it, but I don't pre warm any of my molds when airbrushing and this is the only one that sticks.