Patterns, metallics and prints transferred
directly onto tempered chocolate.
Cake Decorations That Look Impossible
Five surprisingly achievable techniques that deliver serious pastry-chef drama.
WAIT... THAT'S EDIBLE?
It looks like someone draped the cake in fabric.
But the delicate folds are actually made from wafer paper. Once moistened and manipulated, the paper can be transformed into airy, translucent sheets known as edible crinoline, with the delicate look of tulle or sheer fabric
The effect looks extraordinarily intricate, but the magic comes largely from the material itself: shape it, let it dry, then arrange the finished pieces around the cake.
No sewing required.
THIS CAME FROM A FRYING PAN?
It looks painstaking. The batter actually does the work.
A thin mixture of water, oil and a little starch or flour hits a hot pan and immediately begins bubbling. As the water evaporates, it leaves behind an intricate, lacy network of crisp tuile.
No piping. No mold. No carefully cutting hundreds of tiny holes.
The pan creates the pattern all by itself.
These flowers look hand-finished. They aren't.
Pavoni's Floralia mold creates exceptionally thin, delicate flowers in three different botanical designs. At just 2.5 mm deep, the shallow impressions produce crisp petals and fine detail without the painstaking work of shaping each flower by hand.
Spread a thin layer of tuile batter across the mold, scrape away the excess and bake. The mold creates the intricate shapes; once released, the flowers are ready to arrange on cakes, pastries and plated desserts.
Spread. Scrape. Bake. Suddenly: flowers.
SEE THE MOLD →
THE FEATHERWEIGHT FINISH.
It looks impossibly fragile. That's rather the point.
Silikomart's Piuma mat creates extraordinarily fine feathers with a slender central stem surrounded by delicate, open barbs. At barely 2 mm thick, the finished decorations have an airy quality that looks painstakingly made by hand.
Spread the tuile batter thinly across the shallow impressions, scrape away the excess and bake. Once crisp, the feathers can be tucked into frosting, leaned against a pastry or layered into a dramatic composition.
All that detail comes from a layer barely thicker than paper.
SEE THE MOLD →
WAIT... THAT'S SUGAR?
They look like gemstones. They're actually melted sugar.
Isomalt can be heated until completely clear, tinted with color and poured into a silicone gem mold. Once cool, the pieces release as transparent, faceted jewels that catch the light remarkably like cut glass.
The mold does the intricate work, creating the facets and different gemstone shapes without carving or sculpting each piece by hand. Cluster a few on a cake and even the simplest finish suddenly looks extraordinary.
The trick isn't cutting the jewels. It's pouring them.
Isomalt reaches extremely high temperatures when melted and can cause serious burns. Handle it with appropriate heat protection and care.
THE TOOL
Marvelous Molds Gem Drops Mold
A collection of faceted gem shapes lets you create an assortment of isomalt jewels rather than repeating the same stone over and over.
Why we like it: The variety makes the finished decoration look collected rather than molded.