500g White Chocolate (or regular chocolate if you want an all-brown figure).Once it's cooled, you can start sculpting immediately or put it in an air-tight container for later. Pour your warm modeling chocolate onto the lined sheet pan and spread to about 1/4' thick.Your modeling chocolate is ready when it's absolutely silky-smooth and shiny- no air bubbles, no 'curdled' appearance, and no liquid separated out.Begin stirring! And keep stirring! Stir much longer than you think you need to if you don't stir your mixture enough, the fats will separate out during the cooling process and your modeling chocolate will wind up lumpy.Put your melted candy melts back on the double boiler over a low heat and pour in the warm corn syrup.Microwave your corn syrup for a minute and a half so that the syrup gets very warm and very thin.In a double boiler, heat your candy melts until they're mostly melted but a few lumps remain. (The lumps will melt out from the residual heat of the warm melted candy).We know of two different recipes for modeling chocolate- one that uses candy melts, and one that uses real chocolate. If you want to try a different medium, or are looking for a new flavor profile it can often be substituted for sugar paste or fondant when sculpting.

It's like clay you want to eat- firm, yet malleable, capable of holding it's shape or being reworked, and also delicious. Modeling chocolate is a wonderful edible sculpting medium. Add the cream to the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.You need 3.5 - 4 parts white chocolate to 1 part cream: You need 3 parts milk chocolate to 1 part cream: Typically made with chocolate containing around 30% cocoa solids. You need 2 parts dark chocolate to 1 part cream: Typically made with chocolate containing 50%-60% cocoa solids. Instead, you should use the following weight ratios as a guide. However because the final set of the ganache can be influenced by environmental variables and the actual ingredients used, there is not a 'perfect' recipe to follow. It is quick to make as it is only comprised of two vital ingredients - chocolate and cream. It can provide sharp edges and a perfectly smooth finish before covering with fondant. Ganache is commonly used for crumb coating cakes as it easy to spread when warm but hardens in the cold.

Continue whipping until cooled to just warm.

Pour cooked sugar immediately into whipping egg whites.

When cooking sugar reaches soft ball stage, remove from heat.

Slowly add sugar #2 to the whipping egg whites.

Begin whipping egg whites on speed 2 when sugar reaches thread.

It can be stored at room temp or refrigerated. It is incredible smooth and easy to work with, and can provide a cake with a little extra stability as it hardens slightly when chilled. It can be flavored with just about anything from pastes and purees to alcohol.

Scrape well and beat on medium speed for about 20 secondsīuttercream is a delicious and versatile filling to use in cakes.

Alternate additions of dries and milk (begin and end with dries).

Slowly incorporate egg whites, scraping bowl regularly.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Fill lined pans and bake at 325º convection until done, checking at 25 minutes and every few minutes after until cooked through.

Scrape bowl well and beat briefly on low.

Add all dries to the chocolate mixture.

Combine all dry ingredients, including the sugar, in a separate bowl.

Add chocolate mixture and whip until smooth.

Using the whip attachment of your mixer, combine the eggs and sour cream.

Whisk in cocoa powder, let cool for 15 minutes.

Melt butter and Guinness in a sauce pot.

If the cake is too soft, it may collapse on you! Chocolate Stout Cake It is important for the cake to be able to withstand the pressures of carving and hold up to the knife.

If you are unfamiliar with hand carving cakes, you'll want to be sure to start with a delicious, but slightly denser sponge. Below we have listed a few of our basic go to recipes that might come in handy with one of our Sugarworks Academy classes. However, for somebody just getting into the cake world, this can also be overwhelming at times. One of the amazing things about cake sculpting, is that underneath all of the artistry, is a unique combination of flavors and textures completely customizable to any given palette.

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