Molded and Filled Chocolates: Troubleshooting and Techniques

[Jim D.]

Continuing with my issues over closing chocolates. I have now made 8 different pralines. My technique for casting and filling the molds is improving, but closing remains a big problem. I am including an embarrassing photo showing the issues all too clearly:

As can be seen, even the chocolates that turn out without "feet" have rough bottoms. And I don't know what is going wrong. It's (1) the consistency of the chocolate, or (2) the tools I am using, or (3) the filling of the molds--overfilled or underfilled, or (4) something else. I apply a full layer of chocolate to the entire mold and use a small spatula to make sure all cavities are covered, waiting a bit for the choc. to settle into the cavities.. I then take a drywall scraper or a long flat spatula and attempt to clean off the top of the mold (at this point I am not worrying about the sides). Sometimes I get a good sweep of the scraper and the tops look fairly good, then a closer look reveals little nicks in the chocolates or actual holes in the covering. So I repair the holes with a fresh bit of choc., but by then the choc. is beginning to set, so I conclude that saving the pralines is more important than getting a smooth bottom. Thus the results in the photo. I should add that trimming off the feet is not a big deal, and the chocolates turn out looking fine--except for those ugly bottoms. I am also having success with unmolding. After I started "greasing" the molds with a little melted cocoa butter, I haven't had a single problem. It takes only a few minutes and makes all the difference in the world.

Any suggestions for the closing issue would be most welcome.

[carsondial]

Have you tried the acetate method? (depositing a dollop of chocolate on one side of the mold, laying an acetate shet over and scraping it across over the sheet)

It's mentioned here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/119593-closing-molded-chocolates/ - I used some blank sheets at the weekend for a christmas order and they turned out pretty well...

[Jim D.]

Have you tried the acetate method? (depositing a dollop of chocolate on one side of the mold, laying an acetate shet over and scraping it across over the sheet)

It's mentioned here: http://forums.egulle...ded-chocolates/ - I used some blank sheets at the weekend for a christmas order and they turned out pretty well...

Thanks for your idea. I saw that thread and was intrigued. I will have to get some acetate sheets. What happens with the chocolate that is smeared between the rows of cavities--how do you get that off the mold? Meanwhile I had a thought about my technique and am inclined to believe it is too much filling in the cavities. There isn't enough chocolate covering and so the too-thin layer tends to get scraped off. Otherwise it doesn't make any sense--the cavities are perfectly level with the rest of the mold, so should not be getting scraped below that level.

[curls]

How much room are you leaving between the filling and the bottom of the mold? You should cover the bottom of the mold with chocolate, tap the mold three to five times to get the chocolate to settle down and release air bubbles and then scrape off the extra chocolate. The chocolate should still be fluid during these steps. Then put the mold down, let the bottoms begin to set / crystalize, put them in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes, then they are ready to unmold. Think you just need a live demo and it will all fall into place. You should join us at the 2013 Chocolate Workshop. Here is a link to a video that may help.

[pastrygirl]

I'm guessing that while you 'wait a bit for the chocolate to settle into the molds', the chocolate is setting up and making scraping more difficult. You want your chocolate rather fluid, cover your bottoms, tap out bubbles, and scrape off quickly. Resist the urge to mess with it, messing with thickening chocolate is usually a disaster. The bottoms will always contract slightly, I go over mine with 1 or 2 'beauty coats' to fill in.

[keychris]

I'm guessing that while you 'wait a bit for the chocolate to settle into the molds', the chocolate is setting up and making scraping more difficult

agree with PastryGirl - you just have to work faster When I cap the molds, I usually have the acetate on the mold ASAP after the chocolate goes over, tap it a couple of times then acetate. It's more important (to me) to get the bottoms looking beautiful and have maybe one or two that aren't perfect than to have the chocolate thickening - if you have thickening chocolate and try to put acetate over it, the chocolate will force your filling out of the shells (that's the voice of experience )

acetate method is awesome, but will be just as frustrating to start with It leaves a beautiful shiny base though and is well worth it.

Chris

[Kerry Beal]

Donna - how close do you live to Jim? Like you say - seeing it once is all he needs.

[Jim D.]

I'm guessing that while you 'wait a bit for the chocolate to settle into the molds', the chocolate is setting up and making scraping more difficult. You want your chocolate rather fluid, cover your bottoms, tap out bubbles, and scrape off quickly. Resist the urge to mess with it, messing with thickening chocolate is usually a disaster. The bottoms will always contract slightly, I go over mine with 1 or 2 'beauty coats' to fill in.

Could you explain a little more what you mean by "beauty coats"? I have the same goal in mind, but they don't end up being beautiful. When I add any choc. later, it just creates bumps and lumps.

[Jim D.]

I'm guessing that while you 'wait a bit for the chocolate to settle into the molds', the chocolate is setting up and making scraping more difficult

agree with PastryGirl - you just have to work faster When I cap the molds, I usually have the acetate on the mold ASAP after the chocolate goes over, tap it a couple of times then acetate. It's more important (to me) to get the bottoms looking beautiful and have maybe one or two that aren't perfect than to have the chocolate thickening - if you have thickening chocolate and try to put acetate over it, the chocolate will force your filling out of the shells (that's the voice of experience )

acetate method is awesome, but will be just as frustrating to start with It leaves a beautiful shiny base though and is well worth it.

Chris

I'm interested in the acetate method and have read the thread and watched the video. But I am still puzzled as to how one deals with the chocolate between the rows of cavities--how do you get it off the mold if you are waiting until the choc. has set up to remove the acetate?

[curls]

Donna - how close do you live to Jim? Like you say - seeing it once is all he needs.

Kerry, Jim D. is about 2 1/2 hours away from the DC area. Guess it is up to him if it is worth the drive!

[keychris]

I'm interested in the acetate method and have read the thread and watched the video. But I am still puzzled as to how one deals with the chocolate between the rows of cavities--how do you get it off the mold if you are waiting until the choc. has set up to remove the acetate?

There's very little left between the rows, if you've applied the acetate correctly. Here's some pics:

This one has the acetate on - you scrape down firmly and it forces all of the chocolate out. You can see it's slightly thicker at this end, my technique isn't quite perfect And I leave a lot of mess on the sides

and away comes the acetate.

these are from a little photo tutorial I put together on my facebook page: https://www.facebook...01914679&type=3

As an extra point: you can see some of the filling in the second picture - the chocolate was setting up as I took the photo before I put the acetate on and it did exactly what I described earlier - pushed into the filling and pushed it out.

Chris

[Jim D.]

I'm interested in the acetate method and have read the thread and watched the video. But I am still puzzled as to how one deals with the chocolate between the rows of cavities--how do you get it off the mold if you are waiting until the choc. has set up to remove the acetate?

There's very little left between the rows, if you've applied the acetate correctly. Here's some pics:

This one has the acetate on - you scrape down firmly and it forces all of the chocolate out. You can see it's slightly thicker at this end, my technique isn't quite perfect And I leave a lot of mess on the sides

and away comes the acetate.

these are from a little photo tutorial I put together on my facebook page: https://www.facebook...01914679&type=3

As an extra point: you can see some of the filling in the second picture - the chocolate was setting up as I took the photo before I put the acetate on and it did exactly what I described earlier - pushed into the filling and pushed it out.

Chris

Very help, esp. the photos. The bottoms are very nice. I'll also take a look at the Facebook tutorial. Do you have a suggestion as to where I could find the appropriate kind of acetate? Thanks for your help.

Jim

[pastrygirl]

I'm guessing that while you 'wait a bit for the chocolate to settle into the molds', the chocolate is setting up and making scraping more difficult. You want your chocolate rather fluid, cover your bottoms, tap out bubbles, and scrape off quickly. Resist the urge to mess with it, messing with thickening chocolate is usually a disaster. The bottoms will always contract slightly, I go over mine with 1 or 2 'beauty coats' to fill in.

Could you explain a little more what you mean by "beauty coats"? I have the same goal in mind, but they don't end up being beautiful. When I add any choc. later, it just creates bumps and lumps.

The beauty coat is just a final swipe of chocolate to fill in the slight concavity due to chocolate shrinkage, as well as other blemishes and rough spots. Very little chocolate gets used. I ladle a line across the end of the mold and scrape it across with my drywall tool. Make sure your tools are clean & chocolate is not lumpy, work quickly, and leave it alone between coats.

I have not used acetate on molds, but have bought it at art supply stores for use with chocolate garnishes.

[YetiChocolates]

I'm interested in the acetate method and have read the thread and watched the video. But I am still puzzled as to how one deals with the chocolate between the rows of cavities--how do you get it off the mold if you are waiting until the choc. has set up to remove the acetate?

There's very little left between the rows, if you've applied the acetate correctly. Here's some pics:

This one has the acetate on - you scrape down firmly and it forces all of the chocolate out. You can see it's slightly thicker at this end, my technique isn't quite perfect And I leave a lot of mess on the sides

and away comes the acetate.

these are from a little photo tutorial I put together on my facebook page: https://www.facebook...01914679&type=3

As an extra point: you can see some of the filling in the second picture - the chocolate was setting up as I took the photo before I put the acetate on and it did exactly what I described earlier - pushed into the filling and pushed it out.

Chris

Very interesting Chris, I'm going to have to try this! Something I never thought of, but makes sense. I just recently had a disaster capping some chocolates, so if I can find an easier way to do it I'll give it a try! Thanks for sharing

[Chocolot]

I will include 6 photos I took today of shelling and closing. They are far from perfect and holding the phone in one hand while working is a bit difficult:-)

shells

filled

closing

swiping

Jim, I'm not sure where you are having trouble, but hopefully these might help.

[Jim D.]

I will include 6 photos I took today of shelling and closing. They are far from perfect and holding the phone in one hand while working is a bit difficult:-)

Jim, I'm not sure where you are having trouble, but hopefully these might help.

Very helpful photos. When I saw the picture with the filled cavities, I said to myself, "Aha, some of them are filled right up to the rim --and one appears to be a little above the rim--these will never work." But then you have a clean swipe, no filling showing, no ragged covering. A perfectly clean mold. I am in awe. I will keep trying, and I do very much appreciate your effort in taking these pictures. One question on equipment: Are your scrapers flexible or fairly rigid? I'm guessing that a flexible blade (such as I have) may tend to pick up and drag filling more easily. Probably grasping at straws.

Jim

[keychris]

this is vaguely like what I use:

grab one from your local hardware store

[Kerry Beal]

I use a combination of this ateco 1375 and this Richard taping knife. They don't make the 9 inch taping knife that I like any more - but I do have a couple around. The 9 inch is better on the bigger molds.

[pastrygirl]

I use this 8" scraper: http://www.shopchefrubber.com/Bench-Scraper-w-handle-8/

One of the more affordable chocolate tools

Edited December 20, 2012 by pastrygirl (log)

[YetiChocolates]

I'm privy to the good ol' bench scraper myself http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=708&categoryid=0#.UNK2taVU3dk

I always have two, one for working with liquid chocolate, one for dealing with chocolate that's set up. I also have two small off set spatulas handy for any sort of touch ups I need to do.

Honestly I think you'll have to do a lot of trial and error to find the best tool that works for you, everyone has their preference. I know when I was in school the chef who taught the chocolate portion preferred a taping knife, which I also used for awhile, but didn't like the small metal edge. I always seemed to get chocolate up in the plastic handle and then when I washed it it would always leak water afterward. I like the bench scraper because the metal edge is much taller, I don't have to worry about chocolate getting under the handle (it's a much more sturdy handle as well), though I did like the width of the taping knife over the bench scraper, but you just adapt and overcome those small challenges that pop up along the way.

[Jim D.]

Many thanks to those who responded to my question on scrapers. Very helpful. At the moment I am using a Wilton spatula (useful part is 8" long, and it's probably too flexible) and a 6" drywall tool I got at Lowe's (it's beginning to discolor after only a short time and doesn't look all that sturdy). Most of my molds are about 7" wide, so something in the 7-8" range would, I think, be really helpful. I appreciate the quick replies to my question.

[Mette]

Very helpful photos. When I saw the picture with the filled cavities, I said to myself, "Aha, some of them are filled right up to the rim --and one appears to be a little above the rim--these will never work." But then you have a clean swipe, no filling showing, no ragged covering. A perfectly clean mold. I am in awe. I will keep trying, and I do very much appreciate your effort in taking these pictures. One question on equipment: Are your scrapers flexible or fairly rigid? I'm guessing that a flexible blade (such as I have) may tend to pick up and drag filling more easily. Probably grasping at straws.

Jim

Hi Jim,

you're always going to be in some kind of trouble if the filling goes above the edge - either poor capping or filling mixed in with your chocolate - ideally it should be 3 mm below the rim of the shell (but honestly - who's measuring?).

As already stated, you need a firm scraper (I use one of these http://shop.rockidan...plastskaft.html), warm chocolate and friends willing to eat the misfits. And then you need to watch the angle of the scraper - you want to keep it fairly vertical, but at a sligt angle towards the direction you are scraping, and be quite firm.

It really is hard to explain, and quite easy to understand once you've seen it demonstrated....

Best of luck

Edited December 20, 2012 by Mette (log)

[Jim D.]

Very helpful photos. When I saw the picture with the filled cavities, I said to myself, "Aha, some of them are filled right up to the rim --and one appears to be a little above the rim--these will never work." But then you have a clean swipe, no filling showing, no ragged covering. A perfectly clean mold. I am in awe. I will keep trying, and I do very much appreciate your effort in taking these pictures. One question on equipment: Are your scrapers flexible or fairly rigid? I'm guessing that a flexible blade (such as I have) may tend to pick up and drag filling more easily. Probably grasping at straws.

Jim

Hi Jim,

you're always going to be in some kind of trouble if the filling goes above the edge - either poor capping or filling mixed in with your chocolate - ideally it should be 3 mm below the rim of the shell (but honestly - who's measuring?).

As already stated, you need a firm scraper (I use one of these http://shop.rockidan...plastskaft.html), warm chocolate and friends willing to eat the misfits. And then you need to watch the angle of the scraper - you want to keep it fairly vertical, but at a sligt angle towards the direction you are scraping, and be quite firm.

It really is hard to explain, and quite easy to understand once you've seen it demonstrated....

Best of luck

Thanks for those helpful tips. Is that scraper 35 cm--13+ inches wide? Or is my conversion off? That's very wide, would certainly cover any mold.

[Jim D.]

Again I want to thank all those who have responded to my questions about technique, and I write to update you on the latest attempt, a success. At the urging of my niece, we made salted caramel from Andrew Shotts's book, and I piped it into dark chocolate shells and left it overnight. Today I decided it was time to try the acetate method for closing the shells. The local art supply store was closed, but, not to be deterred, I thought of good old Staples and went there to purchase transparency film (for overhead projectors). (I hope I am not poisoning people with the acetate; I'm assuming the best.) The smallest box held 100 sheets, but I was determined, saying to myself, "This had better work or I will have 99 pieces of acetate to get rid of." Long story short, it worked! It was, as others have said, messy, but not as messy as my previous efforts with a scraper. As can be seen in the photo, the bottoms came out as smooth as one could ever want. The process does leave some choc. on top of the mold between cavities, but not a lot (I scraped the length of the mold on top of the acetate maybe 7-8 times as firmly as I could). The resulting bottoms were thicker than usual, but I think that is because (again, as someone has said) you can pipe more filling in the chocolates with this method since you don't have to worry about scraping out filling. Here is what they look like: bottom and top. I must say the moment of peeling off the acetate is a great experience.

Jim

Edited December 20, 2012 by Jim D. (log)

[keychris]

hurrah!

nice one