Jack's Birthday Cake

As you may have caught on, I am a big fan of Buddy Valastro's.  I love watching him on TLC, whether it's on Cake Boss, The Next Great Baker, or most recently Kitchen Boss; although I have no interest in cooking for pleasure anytime in the near future (maybe when my kids are a little older and appreciate more than chicken nuggets, hot dogs and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese).   

I really love his sculpted figures and 3-D cakes, and oftentimes, he talks about his use of modeling chocolate as a medium to create his amazing works of art.

Personally, I have been wanting to give modeling chocolate (also known as candy clay or chocolate clay) a try for quite some time.  I love learning new techniques.  So with Jack's 6th birthday coming up, it was the perfect occasion to give modeling chocolate a try.

After contemplating a theme for Jack's cake, I decided on Dreamworks' recently released kids' movie, Kung Fu Panda 2, and got busy sculpting the main character, Po.

Working with modeling chocolate was a dream!  It didn't dry out on me whatsoever while I was sculpting.  I was even able to leave it uncovered while I worked on my piece.  In the past, when I've used gumpaste to make my figures, I've had to work very fast before the pieces began to dry out and crack.  I've also used a 50/50 mix of gumpaste and fondant.  I've found the 50/50 mix to be easier to sculpt with than straight gumpaste; however, the pieces can take hours or even days to dry, and that can be a problem when you're working on a last minute cake order! 

To attach Po's limbs, I merely had to press them into his body.  For heavier pieces, I used a dab of water, and for Po's head, I used a little bit of melted chocolate as glue.  My finished Po stood straight up on his own without the need for wires.  When I was ready, I simply attached Po to the cake plate with melted chocolate, and he survived the 30 minute drive to Jack's birthday party compltely intact and undamaged!

In the future, I will probably opt for using Rice Krispie Treats (RKT) to sculpt the bigger parts of my figures - in this case, Po's head and belly, which I would then cover in modeling chocolate.  Doing so would result in a much lighter figure, and would require less chocolate, which is a more expensive ingredient than RKT.

Happily, Jack loved his birthday cake, and Po survived undamaged even after being poked and picked at by several curious children!  Modeling chocolate definitely doesn't replace gumpaste or fondant, but it is a great option for sculpting figures, especially for kids, because it tastes . . . well . . . like chocolate! 

*Modeling Chocolate Recipe

1/3 c. light corn syrup (such as Karo)
14 oz. dark or white chocolate

Heat chocolate over double boiler, stirring constantly until completely melted.  Immediately add light corn syrup to melted chocolate, stirring until a dough is formed.  (The dough will begin to separate from the sides of the pot.) 

Turn dough onto sheet of wax paper.  Blot any residual oils with paper towel.  Wrap dough tightly in clear plastic wrap and either store unrefrigerated overnight, or refrigerate 2-3 hours before using.

*Tips

1.  If you do not have a double boiler, you can create your own by placing a glass or metal bowl sized to fit over a pot containing a few inches of simmering water.

2.  You can use any variety of chocolate, from chocolate melts (chocolate flavored wafers that require no tempering) to high quality chocolate that must be tempered.

3.  If desired, you may color the modeling chocolate by adding gel or powdered food colors to the cooled dough.

4.  Finished dough will be hard.  This is normal.  Break off a workable amount of the dough and begin to knead for pliability.  If the dough is too hard to knead, microwave it on high for 5 seconds at a time until it is just soft enough to knead.  If you mistakenly overheat the dough, you can pop it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes, or simply let it rest at room temp until it firms back up.