Chocolate Decoration for Cakes and Pies

Ingredients

• 250 g dark couverture

Instructions

1. 1.

   Chop the couverture, melt it, and temper: Melt about half of the chopped couverture over a hot water bath. Remove from the bath, add the remaining chopped couverture, and stir in. Let the mixture sit for several minutes, stirring occasionally; the couverture should cool to become thick again. Place the bowl back on the warm water bath and temper the couverture until it reaches 32 °C.

2. 2.

   1. Spread about half of the couverture 5 mm thick onto a sheet of foil (keep the remaining couverture at working temperature, e.g., in the water bath) and let it set to semi‑firm. Then use the cutter to cut out the base plate for the chocolate topping and allow it to fully harden.

3. 3.

   2. Stir the remaining warm couverture well and put some into a mini paper squeeze bottle. Cut the tip of the bottle with scissors so that only a tiny hole remains.

4. 4.

   3. Place the paper template under a foil sheet and use the squeeze bottle to trace the outer outlines of the heart vines and fill the hearts with a grid pattern. Let the couverture set. Make a total of eight heart vines (four with the heart on the right side and four with the heart on the left).

5. 5.

   4. Stir the remaining warm couverture again, put some into a second mini paper squeeze bottle, cut the tip to create a slightly larger hole, and fill the vines with couverture. Let the couverture fully set.

6. 6.

   5. Carefully peel the foil from the chocolate vines using a palette so that the ornaments do not break.

7. 7.

   6. Assemble the cake topping: Mount the vines upright and in a circular pattern onto the base chocolate surface by “gluing” them with warmed couverture. Immediately harden each glue point with ice spray for stability.