Fancy chocolate collars seen on cakes & gateauxs

[bacon]

You know what I mean the hard/semi hard high chocolate strips around the circumference of the cakes.

How do you do this - do you best temper the chocolate first and mix with a little oil/glucose or is there another way.

I have plenty of books but can find nothing on this, have also googled but no one gives this away. Should imagine its pretty straight forward.

ANyone?

I have seen it in a book but not tried it myself yet. (not at home so can't remember which book). In the instructions it says to cut a piece of parchment type paper so it is long enough to go round the circumference of the cake. Then you melt chocolate and use a spoon/knife/brush to coat the parchment in melted choc all the way along the length as deep as your cake then wrap it around the cake. Leave the parchment in place - I think they tied it round the cake with string to hold it on. Then chill the cake to set the chocolate. Once fully set carefully peel off the paper.

Hope that explains it well enough understand.

Yep, but sure they must have to add an ingredient otherwise it would be brittle and snap off?? Perhaps not?

You can get amazing chocolate transfers from Squires kitchen but I may ask them to see the best way.

I've done this lots of times. Yu don't need to add anything to the chocolate. It actually works best using bendy plastic rather than paper, but paper will do. You don't need to tie it on, it will just stick by itself. Plus, leave it for 10 minutes or so BEFORE putting round the cake to allow the chocolate to set a little, otherwise you could end up with thick choc at the bottom and v thin at the top.