Chocolate Flower Cake – how to make a giant chocolate flower cake, using candy melts and everyday tools. A new tutorial by our contributor, Erin Gardner!
My obsession with chocolate flowers continues! What could be better than a delicious and beautiful chocolate flower? A GIANT chocolate flower, of course! [post_ads_2] Arranged on top of a cake to create a spring dessert pretty enough for any special occasion. From Easter to Mother’s Day, birthdays to bridal showers, today’s cake is sure to impress.
These blossoming beauties are a fun and easy way to quickly dress up buttercream iced cakes. Use a few simple ingredients, and tools you probably already have around the house, to create a stunning spring-inspired cake garden. These techniques could just as easily be used to create smaller flowers for the tops of cupcakes. Create your delicious buds with tempered white chocolate tinted with candy coloring or cocoa butters, or keep it simple and use candy melts — either works beautifully.
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CHOCOLATE FLOWER CAKE
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a tutorial by Erin Gardner
Supplies:
Buttercream iced cake
Small amount of extra buttercream
Chocolate or candy melts.
Sixlets
Small icing spatula
Piping bag
Parchment paper
Small bowls or round plastic containers
Black marker
Scissors
Tape
Use a black marker to draw triangles on parchment paper in various sizes. These triangles will serve as a guide for creating your chocolate petals. For an 8-inch round cake, I used three sets of triangles, approximately 2, 3, and 4 inches long. For a 6-inch round cake, I made two sets of petals using the 2 and 3 inch triangles. It’s easiest to work on petals individually, so cut the templates out leaving about a 1/2-inch space all around the outline.
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Melt and temper chocolate, or melt candy melts, in a small heatproof bowl.
Flip the pieces of parchment paper over before spreading on the chocolate. Use a small icing spatula to spread melted chocolate onto the triangle template. Work from the tip to the base of the triangle, leaving lines and ridges in the melted chocolate. The base of the triangle will be the outer edge of your petal. Spread the chocolate in a rounded, messy way, not in a solid line. This will give you more of a petal-y look.
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While the petal is still wet, place it into a bowl or plastic container to give it shape. Use tape to help hold the petal into place while it dries. Repeat with the rest of your petals, making 6-8 in each size. It’s always a good idea to make an extra petal or two just in case one breaks as you’re assembling the flower.
Once petals are completely set, peel away the parchment paper. Place the largest petals in a circle on the top of a buttercream iced cake.
Fill a piping bag with a small amount of buttercream. Feel free to color match your buttercream to your petal color if you’re concerned about the buttercream showing. [post_ads_2] I simply used the leftover buttercream from icing my cake. Use the buttercream to attach a second layer of smaller petals on top of the first layer. Repeat with more layers of petals as desired. Make your flower as full and fluffy as you like!
Attach Sixlets to the center of your completed flower using a small dab of melted chocolate or candy melts.
Use the rest of your sixlets to dress up the sides of your cake. Arrange them in rows or in a pretty Swiss dot pattern.
Use this technique to make a mini chocolate flower to top a freshly iced cupcake or as part of a beautiful chocolate flower arrangement. You can learn how to make tulips and more complex flowers in my online Chocolate Flowers Class. Spring blooms come in all sorts of color combinations and sizes, so feel free to mix up the shades and get creative with your flowers!
Courtesy: The Cake Blog
