Making Foolproof Modeling Chocolate With Two Ingredients

Fondant and gum paste have been the go-to decorations for wedding and other formal-type cakes. Although it has been around for decades, some say fondant doesn't taste very nice. Enter modeling chocolate that, well, tastes like chocolate. You can mold it, shape it, roll it, cut it, and everything you can do with fondant. It's like Play-Doh you can eat.

Modeling chocolate differs from fondant in that fondant retains a soft texture while modeling chocolate stiffens considerably and must be slightly warmed with the hands to become soft enough to mold and work into shapes.

If you use white chocolate like we are going to use in this recipe, you can even color and flavor it. Coloring modeling chocolate is best done with powdered or paste colors. You can even decorate it with edible food markers, drawing designs on the shapes.

There are quite a few candy clay-like materials that are fun to work with on cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and as stand-alone decorations.

• Fondant: Fondant is a ready-made, colored, fine-textured compound (although you can make your own) that you can buy at cake decorating supply stores and some craft stores like Michael's. It is made from sugar, water, gelatin, and food-grade glycerine. It is soft and will stay soft while it is completely covered. It is easy to work with, but some complain that the flavor is unappealing. Anything you make with fondant will set at room temperature. It can be molded, rolled, shaped, and imprinted with texture mats and has been the go-to medium for cake decorators for a long time because of its smooth texture. It can be rolled to cover a cake, for example, but it cannot be rolled too thinly and still maintain its integrity when you try to move it.

• Marshmallow Fondant: Marshmallow fondant is a newer creation, used mostly by the home decorator. It is made from melted marshmallow and icing/confectioners sugar. It is easy to make at home and can be flavored and colored. As a stand-alone modeling product, it has a pleasant, sweet flavor and can be used for everything where you can use regular fondant. It too has a smooth texture. It cannot be rolled too thinly, unlike gum paste that will harden quite quickly with air exposure.

• Gum Paste: Gum paste is made of egg whites, confectioner's sugar, and shortening. You can now buy ready-made gum paste. It is a pliable compound that is best suited for making decorations for baked goods. It hardens, so decorations made from it are quite durable, but again, eating decorations made from gum paste is quite unappealing. It is not suitable for covering a cake, as it makes quite a mess when you try to cut it to serve. The gum paste shatters and crumbles.

• Modeling Chocolate: Modeling chocolate is made from some form of prepared chocolate and corn syrup. It stiffens at room temperature, but once kneaded, it becomes soft and pliable. It is a bit difficult to work with in very warm weather but it can be refrigerated to keep it workable. It is great for covering cakes, making decorations, and everything you would use fondant for. In fact, for some shapes, it is much more versatile than fondant, which can be too soft. The dough tastes as good as the chocolate you use to make it.

• Marzipan: Marzipan is made with ground almonds and egg whites. Although it is traditionally used to top fruit cakes and make cute little figures, it can have a grainy texture. Marzipan can tend to fracture if you are trying to cover a large cake and can be troublesome to use. You cannot roll it too thin or make finely detailed decorations unless you are indenting the marzipan with a modeling tool.

The below candies are quite versatile for making decorations to top cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and other baked goods. They all soften to the warmth of your hands but can be bit sticky. Using fine dustings of cornstarch helps with the molding process, and they can all be used to make finely detailed decorations that will firm up at room temperature, holding their shape well.

• Starburst Candies
• Tootsie Rolls
• Salt Water Taffy
• Kraft Caramels

• Use a rubber spatula when you are mixing the ingredients together. Scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl is much easier than using a wooden spoon.
• Don't overmix the modeling chocolate after it starts to thicken.
• Let the modeling chocolate rest for about an hour by dividing it in half, flattening it into a pancake and sealing it well with plastic wrap.
• After it has rested, it needs to be kneaded until it is smooth and pliable.
• If you notice little bits of hard chocolate in your modeling chocolate microwave it for about 10 seconds and knead it again. The bits should be all gone.

Microwave again for 30 seconds at half power and stir. Repeat the 30 second pulses until the chocolate is almost melted. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will turn into a rock.

Microwave Chocolate Melting Instructions

• Microwave at full power for one minute, then stir.
• Microwave again at full power for one minute, then stir again.
• Microwave at half power for 30 seconds, then stir.
• Microwave at half power for 15 seconds, then stir.

If the chocolate still seems to have lumpy bits in it, microwave for another 15 seconds at half power, then stir.

Lay two sheets of plastic wrap side by side with the middle slightly overlapping. Lay half of the modeling chocolate on the plastic wrap, flattening the chocolate to about half an inch thick. Seal well with the plastic wrap. Repeat with the second half.

Let the pancakes of modeling chocolate rest for at least an hour, then open one of the pancakes and break it in half. Knead each half until it is smooth. If you notice it is grainy or has minute chunks of chocolate in the dough, microwave it in a small bowl for about 10 seconds, then knead again. When it is smooth, rewrap it well and let it rest overnight. Repeat with the other pieces of modeling chocolate.