***What is modeling chocolate or candy clay???***

modeling chocolate/chocolate clay/chocolate plastique are all the same thing: melted chocolate mixed with corn syrup which is then allowed to harden. then it is kneaded into a workable consistency that is similar to fondant and can be use for many of the same things as fondant is.

candy clay is the same thing but with candy melts and corn syrup instead of chocolate.

they are both super easy to make and if you can use fondant, you can most likely handle it with ease. semi-sweet chocolate is going to be the easiest to make and use the first time because of its lower fat content (relative to white or milk chocolate).

i love making flowers and ribbons with it but you can do so much more. it tastes great and people really do enjoy eating it.

diane

I love when you can make your own product and choose your own ingredients. Does anyone know how much corn syrup to how many oz of chocolate (semi-sweet) that makes the clay? I have never used modeling chocolate but chocolate sounds tastier than fondant...

if you use the wilton candy melts, the recipe is right on the back of the bag

i use Toba Garretts chocolate plastic which i love and has never failed me:

1 pound semi-sweet (dark) chocolate
5 fluid ounces (7.5 oz or 210 grams by weight) of light corn syrup...this is about 2/3 cup

1. Chop chocolate finely and place in a bowl over simmering water. Stir to melt chocolate evenly. When three-quarters melted, remove from heat. Continue stirring until all the pieces are melted.
2. Use a rubber spatula to stir in the corn syrup. Continue to stir until the chocolate starts to leave the sides of the bowl (about 60 seconds for dark chocolate, 20 to 30 seconds for white or milk chocolate).
3. Scrape chocolate mixture onto plastic wrap and spread out to about 1/2 inch thick. Place another piece of plastic wrap directly on top. Refrigerate or let rest in a cool place for 24 hours.
4. Once aged, cut into smaller pieces. Microwave the pieces for just a few seconds to take off the hard edge. Knead thoroughly with the heels of your hands until the chocolate has elasticity and a shiny coat. Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Keeps for several weeks without refrigeration provided it is placed in a cool, dry area.

For white or milk chocolate, use 1 oz less than you would for dark chocolate. Thus, use 4 fl. oz corn syrup or 6 oz/168 grams by weight for 1 lb. white or milk chocolate.

here are some more tips, most learned the hard way

....most recipes you find are going to have just about the same relative porportions of chocolate to syrup. i usually cut this recipe in half. there are also some good recipes on CC.

....milk choc/white choc (and candy clay i find) all have more fat, so you will want to adjust the recipe a bit as she mentions. you may also need to blot fat...el yucko. start with the semi-sweet, lol.

....a lot of recipes don't have the aging and i think this is important.

....easier if you let it come to room temp instead of microwaving before kneading because it is very easy to overheat and then you have to rip off a new piece and start over again because if it overheats it will get greasy, grainy, and floppy. don't throw the too warm stuff away. just tuck it back in fridge for later use.

...just knead until glossy. then STOP.

...i put the chocolate decorations right on top of my smbc and they stay very pliable (and tasty). my 5 year old peels them right off and eats them if i don't run interference...

....roses left out to dry will get hard...not hard like gumpaste, but hard enough to keep their shape.

....i have used petal dust on white choc flowers successfully.

ok, that's all i can think of for now .

oops, one more thing (sorry, i did not mean to write a novel).
here is a link to a website where the decorator/chef uses modeling chocolate for just about everything, including covering the entire cake).

http://www.dessertworks.net/weddinghome2.html

diane

I never had luck using chocolate chips. It turns crumbly.

Since it is the consistency of fondant, can it be tinted/dyed and used to cover cakes?

Cupcakeco - if you use semi-sweet chocolate, it is dark brown so it's pretty difficult to add any color. I just finished up a 5-day class with Chef Toba and we were able to apply luster dust to the chocolate which gave it a beautiful finish.

Wow this thread is amazing! Drakegore thank you so much for that information! I have been looking for something to make chocolate brown flowers out of for some cupcakes I am making and was going to try MMF, but this sounds so much easier and yummy

I can't wait to try it.. infact I bet I have all of the ingredients already!!

Can you use the colored candy melts to make the candy clay as well? I'm excited to try this.

hi rylanty! i use the garden variety nestle chocolate chips (i am sort of embarrased to admit, lol). i have never gotten crumbly clay. hmmm. are you aging it? i age a minimum of 12 hours and if i can, i do 24.

lee15 - i am so jealous...toba garrett is my cake (and cookie) hero. her books are the best and i can only imagine how great it would be to have a 5 day class with her.

i have used gold luster dust on chocolate clay and i recently used the PME pearl spray on some white chocolate flowers that i dusted with pink petal dust and they looked so good (i might be biased, lol).

you can tint white chocolate but you need to use candy colors which are oil-based. the regular wilton and americolor gels will not work. i know you can use the regular gels with flo-coat but i have not tried this yet, so i cannot speak to it. but i love the candy colors and actually love them for my buttercreams and fondant too because the colors come out so vibrant.

another way to get color, is just to make the clay using the already colored candy chips. stores like michaels and acmoore carry a range of colors, but the colors you can get in cake supplie stores are usually more varied and also more vivid.

Cupcakesandbuttercream, I've only done it once and that's it.

Diane, I used those Nestle chocolate chips from Costco. I think it's because I didn't let it settle. I popped it in the fridge until hard and then used it.

I've tried to make this stuff before and followed the directions (I thought) and it still got crumbly. You all have inspired me to try again. I am impatient by nature , so I probably didn't knead it long enough. Thanks Drakegore!