Chocolate modeling paste and making butterflies

Cupcake decorated with Chocolate modeling paste butterflies and Italian Meringue Buttercream

I thought I would show you one of my favourite decorating mediums Chocolate modeling paste.

It tastes just like chocolate but is pliable and easily molded into shapes, in fact sometimes it is called chocolate plastic, (but that just doesn't sound very enticing does it).

It's great, you can make ribbons, roses and like above cute little butterflies. It can be used to cover whole cakes. It's delicious and best of all it's easy to make.

Chocolate Modeling paste recipe

Take 454 g (1 pound) of dark chocolate and 1 cup (240ml) of glucose or corn syrup. Melt the chocolate gently in short bursts in the microwave, warm up the syrup and mix together, not too much or it will start to separate and get oily.

Yup - that's it, too easy.

I halved the recipe and it worked out fine, you can also use milk or white chocolate (just use 680g or 1.5 pounds to 240ml/1 cup syrup ratio for white choc). Leave it to set and it should look like this and be very pliable.

Here are some pics of how I made the butterflies. I feel a bit embarrassed showing you, because it's soo easy.

The butterfly cutters I used are PME butterfly plunger cutters (you can easily find them via google or ebay). If you have trouble finding them email me I'll send you where I got mine from.

See how they plunge in and out.

So roll out the chocolate modeling paste to the thickness you require. Only use small batches as it dries out quickly. One press down will cut out the shape,  then without lifting the cutter up plunge down the middle to indent the pattern on the cut shape. See embarrassingly easy.

If you want butterflies with flat wings just leave them to set on parchment paper. If you want folded wings, once they are cut out  pop them onto some parchment paper folded into a V and then onto cardboard also folded to a V.

Mmmmm - fly into my mouth little butterflies. This gorgeous dress and hair clip are from Tea Princess, available from LaToriana.  If you have little girls you have to check out the latest winter range.

LaToriana also carries the gorgeous Robert Gordon cupcake papers shown in the pic above. Or if your in the US you can get them from Bake it Pretty