Chocolate cards

[Lior]

I keep getting these requests for making a card out of chocolate-about the size of an A4 paper folded in half or even bigger. Often up to 4 or more sentences have to be written on this in chocolate of another color (A short poem to a mom etc). What I usually do is pour chocolate into a frame using caramel bars with a clear transfer sheet as the bottom surface, which becomes the top of the card as it is smooth and shiny. Then using a piping bag made from b.paper, I write on the card and decorate it etc. Does anyone have a better way of making cards or of writing the "blessings"? I am always worried that I will make a mistake or do an ugly letter and then it is a disaster. The caramel bars are too long also, IMO.

[Mjx]

For the lettering, is there any way you could use transfers, or compose a stencil?

When I'm doing lettering on a cake, I usually work out the characters and spacing on a paper mock-up of the surface, then copy it onto the cake surface itself using needle (stuck into a chop stick), whose light scratches are really only visible if you're looking for them, so a small mistake seldom shows. Could you do something like that?

[Lior]

I can try this- although does the spacing become an issue? A scratch is thin and piping is thicker. I guess practice helps here. I think I did not quite understand the stencil idea of yours. Do you place the stencil on the cake icing?

[Mjx]

. . . does the spacing become an issue? A scratch is thin and piping is thicker.

The first time I did this I did run into trouble with the spacing/thickness of the piped icing, and after that, made a few experiments to get a sense of the correct spacing of letters by writing out words on paper, then going over them with icing, to see whether I'd got the size/pacing right (I definitely recommend this).

I also use the finest tip I've been able to get my hands on, and a proper bag, since I've had a couple of traumatic fiascos involving parchment paper unrolling/plastic bags splitting, and spewing icing over the cake.

I guess practice helps here. I think I did not quite understand the stencil idea of yours. Do you place the stencil on the cake icing?

I've only used a stencil once (as afar as I can remember), for a rather tricky pattern: I used waxed/greaseproof paper, and made sure the icing surface was no longer sticky, but dry, then rested the stencil on it. I cleaned out my Badger very carefully, and used that (if you don't have an airbrush or other spray device, this probably won't work). For lettering, I don't have the patience to make a stencil (and the ones I've seen in art supply shops were on the pricey side), even if I'm just writing 'Happy birthday', so I just scratch it in, take a deep breath, and hope for the best.

[Lior]

got it! I will try tis tomorrow-thanks.

[nanefy]

Could you print out exactly the words you want to write (but print it in a mirror image of itself, so it's backwards). Then set that underneath a piece of acetate and pipe the words onto the acetate. Wait for it to set up and then pour your chocolate over the top?

[Lior]

I have thought of this,and it is a nice idea for sure-thank you! The problem is the letters get spread out when chocolate is pored over them and the look is not the one I need. I made another card yesterday and although the customers are enthusiastic about the cards, I feel it is not perfect enough or professional enough and this bothers me to no end! I am sure other professionals would totally agree with me about the cards. Oof!

[Lior]

ANother card order-what is going on?? It is odd that the customer loves it and I am not pleased. Does anyone do writing in chocolate-words/sentences?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I do, but I've always just used small casting blocks for each letter (so that what I end up with is a tablet with the letter on it), then assembled them over a molten base. This allows me to paint the letters in white (for example) and then pour a dark base behind them, then just arrange them like moveable type.

I'm not sure if I'm making sense, though. In practice this is ridiculously easy to do, but to describe it is quite difficult. Imagine that you've got all of your letters as individual low-profile tablet moulds. I had to make my own - I got a stampmaker to make me up a set of high-releif stamps for each letter, then vac-formed the moulds based on those.

Edit - Kind of like these....

Edited July 10, 2011 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[Lior]

Thank you! I think I get it. Can you take a picture next time? I must add that the effect of molded letters (if this is what I think you do-like on a cake you posted?) is different than writing with a piping bag. I do have polycarb molds with letters-in English letters (Latin/Roman alphabet). I usually need Hebrew. I feel it would be perfect if I could have the writing under an acetate sheet and then write on the acetate- but then the writing will not be on the card! Perhaps hand writing or decorating is a skill that takes much effort and time to perfect- I am in the 3rd or 4th grade!

Edited July 11, 2011 by Lior (log)

[Lior]

Another card... NOw I have an order for a chocolate card to be given at the opening of a new restaurant. It has to be all from non dairy-so dark chocolate. The problem is writing on dark chocolate with dark chocolate. I thought to write in red because of the logo. Colored cocoa butter won't taste good as it is quite a bit of writing. I am looking for suggestions. I attached the logo. I have never added red to dark chocolate-has anyone done something similar? Thanks in advance!

The logo is a bar code with a picture of a fork and knife with the words in red

Edited August 8, 2011 by Lior (log)

[Lior]

I am open to advice on decorating the card using elements from the logo...

[curls]

Can you get parve white chocolate? Then you can use the white chocolate to decorate the dark chocolate card.

[Lior]

That would be acceptable for writing but I cannot find any! I use Valrhona and other suppliers-if they have-probably will not deliver a small amount. I will look into it though=thank you.

[Lior]

well in teh end I made it simple. The photograph is awful but you get the idea. The markings on the card are there but not as obvious as in the picture. I need to find a proper mold-this is around the size of half an A4 sheet of paper. I used handwriting and molded letters.

[lironp]

Looks very elegant, I love the gold!

[Lior]

eh-thanks! Still not where I want it to be, but it never is...It is hard when you don't have ALL the right tools and molds, and shitty handwriting!!haha!! The funny thing is, they never see what I see, and I care about what I see. Thanks Liron.

[lironp]

That sounds so familiar... I am never satisfied with what I do (and have the shittiest writing ever!), but I guess most people don't see the things that bother me...