I've been presented with a challenge to cover a carved cake with tempered chocolate. I'm thinking you can't cover the cake first with buttercream since it would just melt and mix into the chocolate?

Anyone done this? Any advice?

Bump.... Anyone?

Well, I do know this: that when you cover a cake with chocolate, it will be hard. You will not be able to cut into it without it breaking all up. Why do they want that?

I know... I explained that to them. At first I thought they wanted a chocolate ganache... but nope. They want a 'crisp' outer shell of chocolate. I imagine it doesn't haven't to be very thick.

They probably want a chocolate glaze on the cake. But that doesn't get hard. You could wrap the cake in a chocolate band. thaat is definitly shell-like. If you don't know how to do the band I can help. It is EZ.

I've covered cakes completely in chocolate (The Bear in the Big Blue House one in my pictures for example), and it is a pain! You will have to do a very thin crumb coat of buttercream (literally to seal in the crumbs), or do a thin coat of melted chocolate - or you will have a nightmare with crumbs in the chocolate! Put the crumb coat in the fridge to chill well before covering with your chocolate. It will break when cut though - there is no avoiding that!

what about a chocolate shell syrup; like what is used on ice cream?
just a thought.

Or Candy melts.

Are you sure they dont want ganache??? it does harden but not to where it breaks down. You can pour in over a cake and let it set up, has the consistancy of a ding dong. and is yummy!

Yep... They want a crisp "candy-like" coating (They said M&M) except made out of chocolate.. I told them it will break etc.. That's what they want.. so who am I to argue? I wish I could just do a ganache.. it would be sooo yummy and much easier!

I should probably mention that this will be a carved cake (car).

OK, I have been thinking and thinking about this since it was first posted. As I said the first time, you could use the band around the cake and make a disc for the top. Now, I just made some mini cakes with molds that I got from Kathy Scott. The largest being 4 inches. You pour melted chocoate into the mold, refrigerate it for a min. or two, do that again. Unmold it, dab som bc at what would be the top of the mold. Into that shell you you place a cake that you have cut out with an appropriate cookie cutter and place that into the shell. Now, if you want you can even tort that little cake and then put the top slice back on. These molds are just candy box molds. So if you need bigger ones you could probably find them. This worked out great for me. My set has the 4, 3, and 2" i think and includes the cutters.

The other way is to make a chocolate mosaic cake. Cover your cake in choc BC. Spread melted choc. on parchment and when the set up cut them into shards and place them around the cake. Doesn't sound great but it is a pretty and innovative decoration. I am still searching though.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-218340.html#218340


same stuff????

what about chocolate like you would use for the candy buckeyes.

If you add a little bit of shortening to the melted chocolate, it wouldn't get as hard as normal. You can cut it without breaking. You can check the right consistency by dropping a little bit of chocolate mix on a plate, put it in the refrigerator for some minutes and then try to cut through.
It is also useful to use a hot knife to cut. Dip the knife in hot water, dry it and then cut the cake. The heat will melt the chocolate.

To avoid crumbs in the chocolate cover the cake with hot jam (apricot). It will soak into the cake a little and hold the crumbs.

Good luck!
Luggi

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll let you know what happens!