Chocolate glaze in a cavity w/o filling it up

[gfron1]

I've been thinking about how to execute that Kit Kat Cake for nearly a year and I think I've got all the kinks worked out with one small exception. A kit kat has a smooth chocolate glaze - matte, not shiney AND it has indented lettering on the top. I could do the lettering with 3-D signage letters which would leave a cavity. But then I have two options...

1. Fix the letters on the bottom of the form and pour a thin layer of chocolate, and once set remove the letters - this option sounds tricky because of cracking and possibly too thick of chocolate; or

2. Fix the letters on the bottom, pipe in mousse or buttercream, freeze, remove the letters and then add a chocolate glaze. I'm leaning toward this option.

The problem is that once I've poured or sprayed a glaze I risk the possibility of the letter cavities filling up with excess glaze. So what do you think? What would be the best technique for coating the entire cake with a matte chocolate finish?

[Lior]

perhaps you could replace the letters in the cavities while coating the cake and then remove them and give the cavities a spray with thinned chocolate. Would that make sense?

[gfron1]

That does make sense. For some reason I keep thinking that I should freeze the whole thing and just dip it like you chocolate folks might do with a truffle, then simply shake it off and let it dry.

[Lior]

I guess you can try that but if frozen it may cause the chocolate to crack. You can spray it with cocoa butter wait 24 hours to get if firmer and then dip-maybe, but the mousse is probably too soft and wobbly.

[gfron1]

Okay, new thought. What if I sprayed, then after it sets, hit it with a heat gun just enough to eliminate the velvet effect, but maintain the coating.

[Tri2Cook]

I don't usually get much of a velvet effect if the item I'm spraying isn't frozen or very cold. A light touch with the sprayer on a room-ish temp item and a warm spray that is thinned with more cocoa butter than I use for velvet sprays (I don't usually go anywhere near 50/50 for velvet, more like 70/30) gives me a nice matte finish.

Disclaimer: I haven't sprayed anything without the intent of getting the velvet effect in quite a while so I can't really remember exactly how smooth the result is but it's definitely not the fuzzy velvet thing.

[Lior]

Perhaps cold but not frozen? Then if it is not smooth enough you could give it a heat gun hit. Perhaps make a few little ones and try different effects/methods? I wish I knew more about pastry! I need another lifetime!