Painting White Chocolate Seashells

Decorating By jardot22 Updated 6 Jul 2009 , 2:22am by gscout73

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jardot22 Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 2:55pm
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Does anyone have any tips or info on how to make colorful seashells out of white chocolate? I have chocolate molds that I plan on using, but would like to give them a colorful look for a beach wedding theme. What would you recommend using? Luster dust, candy colors, gel colors? Nothing really vibrant, but more like muted pastel colored shells. Thanks so much!

38 replies
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PinkZiab Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 3:32pm
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I like to use colored dusts (petal or luster dusts, depending on the look you are going for) and I brush the color right into the molds before pouring in the chocolate. It looks really great and if you feel it needs a little more you can just brush a bit more on after you unmold.

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jardot22 Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:30pm
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Tara, do you mix liquid in with the dusts before you paint the molds, or do you just use the dust dry?

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PinkZiab Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:44pm
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I just dry dust the molds.

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jardot22 Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:45pm
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Ok awesome - thanks for your input! I'm definitely going to try that.

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kayjess Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:48pm
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I have also used a small (child size) paintbrush, and painted dry luster dust onto the white chocolate shells after they have hardened... I think there is a picture of them in my photos... you can of course go as light or dark as you want them.

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icer101 Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:48pm
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i sat in a demo last year. the girl was with jennifer dontz.. she had the choc. shells already molded.. then used her brush and picked up several shades of colors.. that blended with each other and painted her shells. they were gorgeous..i can,t think of her name. so , people do them different way. i really loved her way..hth

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becklynn Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:51pm
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I was in a demo at the last ICES convention on beach themed cakes. One of the demonstrators was Jennifer Dontz (jennifermi on Cake Central). She just dusted the shells after she took them out of the molds with different shades of pearl dust and a little sparkle - WOW they were so pretty! She even piped some coral out of white chocolate onto wax paper and that really looked awesome on the cake! She is very helpful if you need to ask her anything....I think she has a couple of these beach cakes in her photos.
Good luck!

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jeking Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 6:52pm
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Dry dust with luster dust or petal dust if you don't want them shimmery. See my photos for a cake covered with shells.

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idjitmom Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 7:01pm
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I made some pastel shells that sound similar to what you are looking for. I was in a bit of a time crunch so I only used one color per shell. I used (non-toxic) chalk dust from chalk I got at Michaels.
LL

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DianeLM Posted 1 Jun 2009 , 9:14pm
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Quote:
Quote:

i sat in a demo last year. the girl was with jennifer dontz.. she had the choc. shells already molded.. then used her brush and picked up several shades of colors.. that blended with each other and painted her shells. they were gorgeous..i can,t think of her name. so , people do them different way. i really loved her way..hth




It was probably the incredibly talented Denise Talbot. Her shells blow my mind!

I also just mold them in white, then dry dust with various colors of luster dust. The mermaid and the luau giftbox cakes in my photos features shells prepared in this way.

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peg818 Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 1:43pm
post #12 of 39

I dust after they are unmolded. Just a few different colors then pearl after they are colored.

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Anntee Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 3:20pm
post #13 of 39

Wonderful advice everyone, thanks! When you say "white chocolate" does that include candy melts or just the almond bark stuff? tia dunce.gif

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SweetMelissa2007 Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 3:40pm
post #14 of 39

I found when I did my shells that the white candy melts were slightly off-white and very difficult to get the dust to stick to them. I used candy melts that were labeled for wedding decoration that I got at either walmart or michaels and those worked really well. They were white-white and the luster dust stuck really well. I probably wouldn't use the candy melts again!

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DianeLM Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 4:04pm
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That's odd, SweetMelissa. I usually use my off-white candy for shells so I don't waste my white-white candy!

I don't know why your off-white candy didn't cooperate, but FYI to everyone -- make sure to dust your shells when they're at room temp, not straight from the frig. If they're cold, the dust won't stick and the condensation will cause the dust to clump up.

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SweetMelissa2007 Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 4:45pm
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Diane, they were room temp and at first I tried to paint on the dust with vodka and the luster dust-they just beaded up and looked awful! Then I just dry brushed it on and it work much better! I would love to know how some people get there's to look so realistic?! Mine just look like white chocolate seashells with pink, champagne and pearl luster dust on them. You can see a pic of what I'm talking about in my pics.

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DianeLM Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 8:40pm
post #17 of 39

Melissa, that's a beautiful cake! I think your shells look good.

Perhaps you would prefer deeper colors... ? Although I think the subtle shades you used work well, maybe one or two small, deep colored shells would perk up the whole arrangement.

It looks like you may not have brushed all the way to the edge of each shell, which can give it an unfinished look.

If you want to make your shells thin, like real shells, fill up your mold, let the choc set for a minute or two, pour out the excess, then frig. It's kind of messy, so you'll only want to do a few shells at a time, rather than the whole sheet.

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jardot22 Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 8:43pm
post #18 of 39

Diane that's a great tip about getting thin shells! I'm going to have to try that when I give the molds a trial run. And Melissa, that sure was a beautiful cake, and you did a great job on the shells. Thank you all for the great tips - I can't wait to start making those chocolate shells now icon_smile.gif

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DianeLM Posted 2 Jun 2009 , 9:37pm
post #19 of 39

jardot22, just make sure you keep the summer temps in mind when you make thin shells. One step out the door and they just may vaporize before your eyes! icon_wink.gif

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SweetMelissa2007 Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 1:11am
post #20 of 39

Diane, that's exactly what I wanted to do-a couple darker shaded shells. I never even thought of that way to make thinner shells. How do you make the edges look clean. Do you scrape over the edges while it's "wet" or wait until it hardens then clean up the edges?

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adree313 Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 1:44am
post #21 of 39

so, is it possible to use candy colors/gel colors if you want a more vibrant color? (not necessarily for shells, but other chocolate molds?) or is luster dust just the better way to go?
(hope i'm not stealing your thread icon_redface.gif )

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shanna_banana Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 2:17am
post #22 of 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by adree313

so, is it possible to use candy colors/gel colors if you want a more vibrant color? (not necessarily for shells, but other chocolate molds?) or is luster dust just the better way to go?
(hope i'm not stealing your thread icon_redface.gif )




I used a small paintbrush and brushed the color (Wilton paste colors) inside of the mold (sparingly), using different colors and blending them. I poured in the chocolate and when they came out, I blended a little more before brushing with pearl luster dust. Sorry I don't have pictures, but I was surprised at how great they looked. Some of the color remained in the mold and I got one or two more shells out of it, each one getting lighter and lighter. It's fun to just experiment! icon_biggrin.gif

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BakingGirl Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 2:29am
post #23 of 39

My shells on this cake were molded out of white chocolate. As far as I remember I dusted them right out of the fridge without any problem, I used dry luster dusts in various colours. I kept blending until I had the shades I wanted, sort of the same way you would do eyeshadow. (If you are a 1970's disco diva that is.)

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1207178

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adree313 Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 2:45am
post #24 of 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by shanna_banana

Quote:
Originally Posted by adree313

so, is it possible to use candy colors/gel colors if you want a more vibrant color? (not necessarily for shells, but other chocolate molds?) or is luster dust just the better way to go?
(hope i'm not stealing your thread icon_redface.gif )



I used a small paintbrush and brushed the color (Wilton paste colors) inside of the mold (sparingly), using different colors and blending them. I poured in the chocolate and when they came out, I blended a little more before brushing with pearl luster dust. Sorry I don't have pictures, but I was surprised at how great they looked. Some of the color remained in the mold and I got one or two more shells out of it, each one getting lighter and lighter. It's fun to just experiment! icon_biggrin.gif




thanks for the ideas! i guess experimenting is what this is all about icon_smile.gif and having fun, too, of course.

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gscout73 Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 2:45am
post #25 of 39

I made my shells out of thinly rolled fondant pressed into the shell molds, then dusted, painted, and some are both.
LL

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DianeLM Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 3:35am
post #26 of 39
Quote:
Originally Posted by SweetMelissa2007

Diane, that's exactly what I wanted to do-a couple darker shaded shells. I never even thought of that way to make thinner shells. How do you make the edges look clean. Do you scrape over the edges while it's "wet" or wait until it hardens then clean up the edges?




After you pour out the excess choc, use the edge of a spatula to scrape the 'drippings' off the mold before putting back in the frig.

If there are any rough edges once they're unmolded, you can cut them off with an Xacto knife, or buff them out with your finger.

gscout73 - your shells are BEAUTIFUL!!!

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maimai16 Posted 3 Jun 2009 , 5:36am
post #27 of 39

gscout73 your shells are awesome!

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gscout73 Posted 4 Jun 2009 , 1:24am
post #28 of 39

Thank you. I was going for as much realism as possible. My only problem was people thought they were real and would not eat them. lol. silly people. I first tried chocolate but they came out looking like soaps.

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maimai16 Posted 4 Jun 2009 , 1:27am
post #29 of 39

gscout73, how did you make it so realistic? did you let it dry first before removing from molds? hope you dont mind letting me know your secret... icon_smile.gif

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gscout73 Posted 4 Jun 2009 , 1:46am
post #30 of 39

No, not at all.
First I lightly dusted the molds. and dusted each use. I used corn starch. After pressing in the rolled out fondant, let sit for a few mins, tap out, then lightly rest them back in the mold so they can set while keeping the shape. After several hours, I took them out and let them finish setting. Depending on the humidity, you may want to let them rest in the molds a little longer. Once firm, dust or paint, or both.

If you decide to do both, paint first. On some, I alternated painting stripes then dusting stripes and lightly dusted super pearl. On the white ones, I just dusted super pearl.

I bought 8 colors including copper, moss, sand, and a variety of natural tones that would blend together well. I found and bought a variety of shells to use as models. The thin black lines were with food markers. I made over 100 in different shapes and sizes and used candy and soap molds.

I think they worked out well.

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