How to make little choc. box

[cakedecorator1968]

Hi Everybody!

Is there a quick way to make about 24 little chocolate box's about the size of a 1/4-pound of butter? Can I put cling-film over a block and dip?

Thanks!

BB

[Wendy DeBord]

I went to a demo where they used sponges wrapped in a baggie (they liked the thin type found in produce sections of grocery stores) and dipped in chocolate like you ask about. Refridgerate to set. The sponge allows for an easy release verses a solid object where you'd need to rap it to release.

I didn't think they looked so perfect, it's hard to dip to the same level each time. Perhaps if you stripe your chocolate it would take the attention away from the exactness a plain chocolate box needs.

I was asked to do chocolate gift boxes for valentines this year. I opted for walls that would fall away as the person ate it, just my opinion.....cause no one ever eats the solid choc. box. Heres a photo of what I did, hope it helps.

Edited April 19, 2004 by Sinclair (log)

[aidensnd2]

I agree with Sinclair, you could dip something but the boxes won't turn out uniform at all. Making the boxes like in the picture above shouldn't take much more time than dipping would and the results will be so much better.

Just my $.02 worth.

Dan

[FistFullaRoux]

Or instead of dipping, make (or find) a mold that has inside dimensions that match what you need. Fill with chocolate, wait a few seconds, then dump out the excess. Let it cool, then pop out a perfect looking box. You can decorate the inside of the mold, if you like, than that pattern will transfer to the outside of the chocolate box. This way, you will have a consistent outside appearance, but the inside may be a bit iffy. If you are filling with a sem-solid creamy type filling, no one will even notice.

[cakedecorator1968]

Thank you Sinclair, Dan and Roux-(Nice salad Joke Hilarious!)

Hey Sinclair is that "chocolate plastic" to make the bow?

[Wendy DeBord]

Yes, the bows are choc. plastic.

[nightscotsman]

Or instead of dipping, make (or find) a mold that has inside dimensions that match what you need. Fill with chocolate, wait a few seconds, then dump out the excess. Let it cool, then pop out a perfect looking box. You can decorate the inside of the mold, if you like, than that pattern will transfer to the outside of the chocolate box. This way, you will have a consistent outside appearance, but the inside may be a bit iffy. If you are filling with a sem-solid creamy type filling, no one will even notice.

That's how I would do it. As long as the chocolate is tempered properly and the molds are very clean, as the chocolate sets it will shrink slighly and you will be able to easily slide it out of the mold. You will also get a nice shiney outside surface. And as FistFullaRoux said, you can paint or spray the inside of the mold with white chocolate or colored cocoa butter before filling and it will transfer to the finished box, still with a glossy surface.

You can find clear plastic rectangular boxes at office supply stores that come in a range of sizes, work perfectly, and are quite cheap. They can also be purchased online from The Container Store here.

[chefette]

Definitely in the plastic boxes. Wash and carefully dry the boxes first so you don't have any unpleasant residu on them and be careful not to dry energetically which could build up static electricity. Make sure to terst the temper of your chocolate before introducing it to the plastic boxes since washing them out again is a real pain. It can be helpful to use a brush to lightly paint the interior of the boxes with chocolate prior to pouring in chocolate for the molding. The chocolate should be quite fluid to work well. It is just like any other mold - don't get intimidated. Bang out the air bubbles let it rest a moment or so and then pour out the excess, tap and carefully scrape the tops. Rest upside down on the marble briefly, rescrape and chill. In a moment or so they should set - give them a while to make sure the chocolate is completely set and let it pull away from the plastic. Jacques Torres may have instructions in Dessert Circus (The Piano)

Otherwise you can pour our chocolate on parchment or acetate and cut squares then make the boxes as Sinclair showed you. Despite the apparent ease of molding the boxes you may actually find making the boxes easier and less frustrating depending on your skill level and comfort with chocolate and molding. If you do the chocolate on sheets - let it get almost set up and then cut. You will want to lay a second sheet of acetate, parchment or a silpat on top and then weight your chocolate using a sheet pan or something like that to ensure that it sets flat (chocolate curls upward as it sets).

You can also obtain success by using lucite. You moisten the lucide and then the plastic (not rigid acetate) will adhere to that. You need to ensure that no water droplets end up on top. You spread a thin even layer of tempered chocolate onto the pastic sheet, and proceed with the cutting as above. The chocolate should not curl using this method - but to be safe, you may want to invert the lucite (with chocolate side down) onto a sheet tray.

Edited April 23, 2004 by chefette (log)

[duckduck]

Beautiful boxes Sinclair!

[Wendy DeBord]

Thank-you Duckduck. I just wanted to add another factor. The room temp can kill your best efforts. When I made those my room temp was about 90f. I HAD to use the cooler to set my chocolate, with-out getting a chance to score them first. I had to cut each piece with a hot knive. Which wouldn't have made any difference because the cakes I was enclosing are not cut perfectly enough-I can't free hand cut perfect sized cakelets -even with a ruler theres variation.

I only had parchment-it works but you obviously get a dull finish.

Did you ever tell us what your filling your boxes with?

[Wendy DeBord]

Brian, how did your boxes turn out? What did you do to make them?

[cakedecorator1968]

I made these instead and I'll do the box's when I buy a mold.

Thank you for the replies.

[FistFullaRoux]

I made these instead and I'll do the box's when I buy a mold.

Thank you for the replies.

Wow, that looks cool. What's the filling?

[Joni]

Wow!! And how do you do the hearts!!!??!!

[cakedecorator1968]

I went to make the box's without a mold and the tile's you see were going to be the tops and bottoms. I only have a few hours once a week to make a special for 20-30 portions so I thought the sides would take too long. During service I lightly torched the top chocolate for shine and to take off the chill for eating.

It's white chocolate vanilla bean mousse with strawberries and star anise corriander pound cake. Came across the combination by accident...Wow! An amazing combination, the spice after taste was perfect to the palate. I recommend you try it-you will see what I'm talking about!!!

[Wendy DeBord]

Looks NICE Brian! I hope we will see more of your work!

P.S. You have this down. Attaching the sides would have been a breeze for you. Use a hot knive, touch your chocolate to it and glue instantly. You'd have had boxes in a minute....next time........and molds can be limiting-once you have the tech. you can make any size you want-where as, in a mold you can't.

[FistFullaRoux]

Wow!! And how do you do the hearts!!!??!!

To do the heart shapes, make 2 or 3 sauces of different colors, but similar consistencies. Flavor is up to to you. I'll describe how it's done in Brian's picture above. Place a drop of the yellow sauce (looks to be about the size of a US nickel) on the clean plate. Place a smaller drop of the white sauce in the center of the yellow sauce. Place an even smaller drop of the red in the center of the white.

You should have something that kind of looks like a target, with the white floating on the yellow, then the red floating on top of the white. To turn it into a heart, simply drag the point of a knife or the tip of a toothpick through the sauces in one swift movement. Start above the target, then follow through for the little trail.

It takes practice, but is one of the cooler tricks that pastry and other chefs use.