Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Chocolate wings are piped decorations that give a cake height and movement without any extra flavour to fight with what is underneath. They are made from a single ingredient, a compound chocolate paste that melts smoothly, sets hard at room temperature and keeps its shine without tempering, so the work is all in the piping and the shaping.
Piped onto acetate or baking paper in long feathered strokes and left to set over a curve, the wings come away crisp, glossy and thin enough to snap cleanly. They are useful on mousse cakes, celebration cakes and plated desserts, and because they are quick to pipe it pays to make more than you need and keep the spares in a box for the next cake.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 10
Number of Units: 45
Unit Size: chocolate wing, about 10 g each
|
|
|
WEIGHT
(grams)
|
ALTERNATIVE METRIC
|
INGREDIENT
|
IMAGE
|
CONDITION
|
|
A
|
450 |
15.8 ounces
|
Calypso Chocolate Paste
Calypso is a dark, chocolate flavoured baking paste used by bakeries to deepen the colour and flavour of chocolate cakes and sponges. At home the same weight of melted dark compound chocolate, or a little extra cocoa powder loosened with warm water, will do the same job.
|
|
melted |
|
|
450
|
|
|
|
|
Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
|
STEP
|
ACTION
|
DETAIL
|
CONDITION
|
|
1 |
Prepare |
Cut sheets of acetate or baking paper to fit your trays and have a rolling pin, a length of pipe or a few upturned tins ready as curving forms. Draw or picture the wing shape you want so every piece comes out the same size. |
Everything laid out and within reach before the chocolate is melted |
|
2 |
Melt |
Melt A (Calypso chocolate paste) gently over a pan of hot water or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each one. |
Smooth and fluid at about 40°C (104°F); never let water or steam touch the chocolate |
|
3 |
Cool |
Stir the melted paste off the heat until it cools to working temperature. As a compound paste it does not need tempering, only to be slightly thickened so it holds a piped line. |
About 30°C (86°F), still fluid but no longer runny |
|
4 |
Pipe |
Fill a paper cornet or a small piping bag with the chocolate, snip a fine tip and pipe the wings onto the acetate: a long curved spine first, then feathered strokes running off it, joining them at the base so the wing holds together. |
Lines joined at every crossing, otherwise the wing will break when lifted |
|
5 |
Shape |
While the chocolate is still soft, lift the sheet and lay it over the rolling pin or between the tins so the wings set with a curve. |
Moved within a minute of piping, before the chocolate begins to firm |
|
6 |
Set |
Leave the wings in a cool, dry place, or a few minutes in the fridge if the room is warm, then peel them off the acetate with clean, dry hands. |
Hard, glossy and releasing from the sheet without sticking |
|
7 |
Store |
Layer the finished wings between sheets of paper in an airtight box and keep them somewhere cool and dry away from strong smells. |
No condensation on the chocolate; keeps for several weeks |
Important Notes
The full batch makes about 45 wings at roughly 10 g each. Work in a cool room: above about 24°C (75°F) the chocolate will not set firm and the wings stay soft. Do not refrigerate for long, as condensation dulls the surface and makes the chocolate sticky. Pipe more wings than you need, since a few always break when lifting, and keep the trimmings and offcuts to melt again. Left-over melted paste can be poured onto paper, set and re-melted another day with no loss of quality.
Tools & Arrangements
Heatproof bowl and a pan for a bain-marie or a microwave, spatula, digital thermometer, paper cornets or a small piping bag with a fine tip, acetate sheets or baking paper, flat trays, a rolling pin or lengths of pipe for curving, airtight storage box.
