How to Make Chocolate Decorations For Cakes

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I’m sharing 3 easy ways to make chocolate decorations for cakes. Prepare these chocolate decorations ahead of time and wow your guests with these simple yet show-stopping cake decorations, perfect for bakers of all levels.

Decorating is the best part of making cakes, obviously. Seeing your ideas come to life is the most satisfying feeling in the cake world.

But what happens when you lack creativity or you’re making a cake last minute?

I’m sharing some of my go-to chocolate decorations for cakes, for when I just need something quick to throw on a cake. I have many other cake decorating ideas that I hope to share with you at a later time, so stay tuned!

If you’re a mama that just needs to pull off a quick cake for your kid’s birthday or you simply want to start practicing those cake decorating skills, then I got you covered!

A few things to note

When making quick chocolate decorations for your cakes, I recommend using a compound chocolate. Using a compound chocolate means that you can forego tempering the chocolate.

What is tempering? Tempering is a technique used in order to stabilize the chocolate for a smooth and glossy finish. It allows the chocolate to stay solid longer at room temperature, giving a nice snap and will easily melt in your mouth.

Compound chocolate, sometimes referred to as coating chocolate, is formulated to melt at high temperatures and doesn’t contain cocoa butter. You can use any brand of candy melts or melting chocolate.

Now, if I’m being honest I use any chocolate I can get my hands on whether real or compound. I have never tempered my chocolate and the results are still beautiful for what I am trying to accomplish. Maybe I will one day though.

If I need something quick and cheap, I use this Walmart brand. If I know the decorations may possibly be eaten, then I use these Ghirardelli melting wafers. I sometimes get Guittard, which does contain cocoa butter.

If you want to temper your chocolate to get a nice finish and better taste, feel free to do so! Here is a great blog post by the Sugar Geek Show, that shows you an easy way to temper real chocolate.

Supplies You’ll Need For Your Chocolate Decorations

• Chocolate
• Cupcake Pan and Liners
• Silicone Molds
• Styrofoam Balls
• Toothpicks
• Parchment Paper
• Oil Based Food Coloring

How to Make Chocolate Decorations

01 Chocolate Molds

This is probably the simplest out of all 3 of the chocolate decorations. All you need are some silicone molds that you can purchase from Amazon or baking supply stores. Some of my favorite online suppliers are Lavender’s Bake Shop, The Flour Girl, and LissieLou.

Be sure to check your local area to find a supplier near you or you can even check out Etsy and Amazon for tons of baking tools.

My favorite molds to use are these geo hearts and mini candy bars. You can get really creative here and find a mold for almost anything to match your theme. But these are perfect for most cakes and to always have on hand.

How to use silicone molds with chocolate:

1. Melt the chocolate until it’s a nice, runny consistency. You don’t want it too thick.
2. If you would like, you can color the chocolate to your desired colors.
3. Pour the chocolate in the silicone molds and scrape the excess back into the bowl of chocolate, using a knife or offset spatula.
4. Let the molds set at room temperature or place in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes.
5. Once set, remove the chocolate decorations from the mold and store in an air tight container.

Pro Tip: Clean your silicone molds with vinegar to remove any oils.

02 Chocolate Spheres

Chocolate spheres are my favorite way to add customization and visual interest to any cake.

There are two methods to creating chocolate spheres. You can make it all edible, using a chocolate sphere mold, but that takes too much time for me. So I go for the quick and fool proof way.

For these you will need styrofoam balls, toothpicks and another piece of styrofoam for drying.

How to make chocolate spheres:

1. Melt the chocolate in a small and deep enough bowl.
2. Color the chocolate, if you desire.
3. Poke a toothpick into the center of the styrofoam ball.
4. Holding the toothpick, dip the ball into the bowl of chocolate until it coats the entire ball.
5. Lift the ball out of the bowl and gently tap your wrist to let some of the excess chocolate drip off.
6. Stick the ball into a styrofoam base to dry.
7. Once dry, place in an air tight container lined with parchment or you can leave at room temperature.

03 Chocolate Cups

Chocolate cups are a cute way to add a “candy” design on a cake. I like to make these when making my “Sugar Rush” cakes. It’s my way of creating that cupcake look without having to make actual mini cupcakes.

All you need for these are cupcake liners and pans. Feel free to play with the size, I normally like to use the mini cupcake liners. You can also fill the centers of these chocolate cups with peanut butter, caramel, fruit sauce, etc. Just have fun with it!

How to make chocolate cups:

1. Melt the chocolate until its a nice runny consistency.
2. Color the chocolate, if you desire.
3. Line your cupcake tin with liners and pour in your chocolate.
4. If you want to add a filling, pour in chocolate halfway first, then add filling and then top with more chocolate.
5. Place cupcake tin in the refrigerator until chocolate sets.
6. Once set, remove tin from fridge and carefully pull away the liner from the chocolate.
7. Store chocolate cups in an air tight container at room temperature.

Bonus: Chocolate Drip

Just another quick idea if you love the look of chocolate drips on cake. My hack is a chocolate water drip.

How to make a chocolate drip:

1. Melt the chocolate until its a nice flowy consistency.
2. Using hot water, add a few teaspoons at a time until it becomes runny.
3. Test the drip consistency in bowl or on back of cake. Continue to add water until desired consistency.

Note: Don’t be alarmed, the chocolate may seize. Keep adding hot water until it becomes runny again.

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these simple chocolate decorations for cake! Keep these techniques in your back pocket and use them when you want to add a little fun and interest to any cake.

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A few pro tips:

• Customize your chocolate decorations even more by using edible glitter, luster dust or gold leaf.
• Get creative: add sprinkles, cookie crumbles, or different colors of chocolate to make a marbled effect.
• If you plan on coloring your chocolate, opt for an oil-based food coloring. If you use water based food coloring, it won’t mix properly and may cause the chocolate to seize. My favorite is by Colour Mill.
• If you’re having a hard time getting the right consistency of chocolate, you can add a little bit of coconut oil to help thin it out a bit. I like to use these.

Video Tutorial: Chocolate Decorations for Cakes

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store my chocolate decorations?

I recommend storing your chocolate in an air tight container at room temperature. Wherever you choose to store, make sure it is in a cool, dry area away from direct sunlight and humidity.

I do not recommend storing finished chocolate in the fridge. The moisture from the fridge will lead to sugar bloom, which draws out the sugar and leaves behind white sugar crystals on the surface (discoloration) or it may cause the chocolate to “sweat”.

How long will they last?

Your chocolate decorations will last up to 1 week at room temperature in an air tight container, if stored properly.

How do I secure these decorations to the cake?

To store chocolate decorations for cakes, you can either use buttercream or melted chocolate to secure the decorations onto your cake.

For the chocolate spheres, you can stick them directly into the cake with the toothpicks, since toothpicks are already food safe.

What type of chocolate should I use?

The choice is up to you. You can use any brand and any type from sweet to semi sweet, to milk or dark chocolate. The good thing about these decorations are that they are just to add details to your cake and may or may not be eaten. So just get what works best for your budget and cake design.

If you try any of these techniques, make sure to tag me in your creations on Instagram @itsavemartin !

xoxo, ave

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