Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Modelling chocolate is chocolate turned into a soft, pliable paste that behaves like marzipan or fondant but tastes of chocolate. This version is built on a ready-made dark chocolate paste, softened with glucose and a little sugar syrup, which gives a smooth dough that rolls thin without cracking and holds a shape once it has rested.
I use it for covering cakes, for cut-out ribbons and bows, for chocolate roses and for any modelled figure that needs to keep a crisp edge. It firms up as it cools and softens again with the warmth of your hands, so you can work a piece at a time and put the rest away wrapped until you need it.
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: 1720
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of about 1.7 kg modelling paste
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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1200 |
2.6 pounds
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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.
dark
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softened |
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B
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400 |
14.1 ounces
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Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup, also known as confectioner's glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolysis of starch. Glucose is a sugar. Maize (corn) is commonly used as the source of the starch in the US, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from potatoes and wheat, and less often from barley, rice and cassava.
Glucose syrup containing over 90% glucose is used in industrial fermentation, but syrups used in confectionery contain varying amounts of glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade, and can typically contain 10% to 43% glucose. Glucose syrup is used in foods to sweeten, soften texture and add volume. By converting some of the glucose in corn syrup into fructose (using an enzymatic process), a sweeter product, high fructose corn syrup can be produced.
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slightly warmed |
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C
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60 |
2.1 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
for the syrup
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D
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60 |
2 fluid_ounces
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Water
for the syrup
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1720
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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
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Have a clean bench, a plastic scraper and cling film ready, and bring A (dark chocolate paste) to a comfortable room temperature so it is not rock hard. |
Paste firm but giving slightly under the thumb |
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2 |
Boil |
Bring C and D (caster sugar and water) to the boil in a small pan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then take it off the heat. |
Clear syrup with no sugar grains left on the side of the pan |
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3 |
Warm |
Warm B (glucose syrup) gently over hot water or for a few seconds in the microwave, then stir the hot sugar syrup into it. |
Runny and pourable, hand hot, not boiling |
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4 |
Mix |
Break A (dark chocolate paste) into pieces in a mixing bowl and work it with a paddle on low speed while pouring in the warm glucose and syrup mixture in a steady stream. |
The mixture comes together as one smooth mass and pulls away from the side of the bowl |
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5 |
Knead |
Tip the paste onto the bench and knead it briefly by hand, folding it over on itself. |
Smooth, even and shiny, with no streaks of syrup; stop as soon as it is uniform, as overworking makes it oily |
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6 |
Rest |
Wrap the paste tightly in cling film, flatten it into a slab and leave it at room temperature to firm up. |
At least 4 hours, better overnight; firm, plastic and no longer sticky |
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7 |
Use |
Knead a piece at a time until it is pliable, then roll it out with a little cornflour or icing sugar for covering and cut-outs, or shape it by hand for roses and figures. |
Soft and workable, holding a clean edge without cracking |
Important Notes
This batch makes about 1.7 kg of dark modelling chocolate, enough to cover a couple of home-sized cakes or to model a large number of decorations. Wrapped airtight it keeps for several weeks at cool room temperature; do not refrigerate, as condensation will make it sticky. If the paste is too soft to model, leave it longer to rest or chill it for a few minutes only; if it has gone hard, knead a piece in your hands or warm it very briefly to bring it back. Should it feel oily from overworking, wrap it and rest it again before using.
Tools & Arrangements
Small saucepan, heatproof bowl, mixer with paddle attachment (or a sturdy spoon and strong hands), plastic scraper, cling film, rolling pin and a smooth work surface.
