When I discovered cake decorating, one of the first books I fell in love with was The Whimsical Bakehouse – Fun-to-Make Cakes That Taste as Good as They Look  by Liv Hansen and Kaye Hansen. One of the techniques covered in the book is how to make chocolate transfers. These edible decorations can be made weeks in advance. They can be made large for an impressive cake topper or small for a fun cupcake topper. The fluidity of the chocolate lends itself to fine-line designs that can be hard to replicate in other ways.

You should know these basic tips before working with chocolate:

• Do not get any water in the chocolate because it will make it seize.
• Because of the water issue, you cannot use gel food colors in chocolate. Instead, you must use candy colors, which are oil-based.
• Follow the directions to heat your chocolate in the microwave in short intervals. It burns easily.
• You must print a “mirror image” of your design. This is especially important if there is wording on your design.
• You may store chocolate transfers for up to a month in a cool place. Use an airtight container.

This is what I used:

Large flat cookie sheet

Images printed to desired size

Tape

Parchment paper

Candy melts- I use this brand because it is nut-free. Other brands would work as well.

Candy colors

Fine tip squeeze bottle (parchment cones are also recommended and can be found at the same link)

Step 1:

Arrange the images by spacing them out on your cookie sheet. This will allow you to rotate it and work on one at a time without bumping into the others.

Step 2:

Tape down your images to your cookie sheet and lay the parchment paper over them. You may also tape the edges of your parchment paper to keep it steady at this point.

Step 3:

Choose a color scheme. I had four squeeze bottles so I decided on black, pink, blue and white.

Step 4:

Melt your candy melts then add the candy colors. For the black outline color, I needed a lot so I am pouring it in this photo. For the pale blue and pink, I carefully added a small amount with the tip of a toothpick. (Tip: You can make this step faster if you buy pre-colored candy melts.)

Step 5:

Stir well.

This silicone bowl is flexible so I used it to pour the chocolate directly into my sqeeze bottles.  (Tip: The less you fill the bottles, the lighter and easier they are to control. I learned this in the process.)

Step 6:

Pipe your outlines in black or your desired color.

Step 7:

Add your first accent color. I was using a free-form approach to paint in my accent colors. You can be as structured or as loose as you want with your colors.

Step 8:

Add any additional accent colors. Remember that you have to work in reverse order from the front of the image to the background because it will be flipped over in the end.

Step 9:

Add a thick background of white. Be sure that the white chocolate slightly overlaps your original black outline at the edges. This will make the decoration strong when it is flipped over.

Step 10:

Allow your transfers to cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.  Touch the backs gently to ensure they are hard. At this point, you can remove any tape from the edge of your parchment paper. I carefully cut my parchment into four squares so I was able to flip each design over into my hand and peel the parchment from the back slowly.

This is what it looks like when you flip over your transfer. This is why you printed a “mirror image.”

Optional: You can add ”relief piping” or fondant accents to the finished side of your transfers for added interest. I cut out some tiny flowers from fondant, then gently shaped them on a foam mat by using a ball tool and a stick tool.

I attached them to my birdhouse with dots of melted chocolate.

The finished transfers could be added to the top or sides of a cake. They could also be used as cupcake toppers. I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Happy Caking!

Renée