Bubble Wrap Chocolate Decorations for Cupcakes

                  assorted bubble wrap chocolate cupcake toppers

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POP!  POP!  POP! Is this you with a piece of bubble wrap? Stop your "popping" and start making bubble wrap chocolate decorations for your cupcakes. These super easy chocolate toppers are fun to make and I'm sure you have a secret stash of bubble wrap tucked away somewhere right?  

All you need is a piece of clean bubble wrap and melted tempered chocolate.

Place your bubble wrap bubble side up on a baking mat or tray.

Spread your melted chocolate over the bubble wrap.

Allow the chocolate to set and peel off the bubble wrap & voilà you have bubble wrap chocolate. Your piece of bubble wrap can be used over & over again.

Want curved pieces? Then lay the bubble wrap with the wet chocolate side upwards over a rolling pin or small bowl, allow chocolate to set and peel away bubble wrap.

Want coloured chocolate? The see "colouring chocolate". 

You can also cut your chocolate into shapes or shards; peel away bubble wrap from the chocolate when it is at the "just set" stage and before the chocolate is fully hardened. Use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the chocolate bubble pieces into shape. Or just break pieces off for abstract shapes.

Make holes in your bubble chocolate by using a heated skewer or tip of a small knife to melt out the middle part of the chocolate bubbles. If you create very thin bubble sheets of chocolate you can pop out the centres with a piping tip etc without having to use heat.

Bubble wrap chocolate has a variety of applications, all the way from making "coral" for sea scenes or bee hives to the most elegant cupcake decorations. 

So why are you still reading this? Go on, hunt for that piece of bubble wrap and give chocolate bubble wrap a try. 

Happy Baking :) 

You might also be interested in;

3D Twirly Swirly Chocolate Decorations  

Or make a goldfish...

and more chocolate with two ingredient Chocolate Soil 

Twirly Swirly Chocolate Decorations

                      dark chocolate swirls and twirls decorations

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*Updated ... note at bottom about using water instead of vodka

I love these chocolate twirly swirly decorations that are easy to make with the help of a glass of chilled vodka. You can make abstract shapes like I did today, make straight squiggle shapes, thick or thin shapes, intertwine different coloured chocolates or even piped flowers/designs. Here's how....

Ingredients

1 tall glass or tall narrow container of vodka

melted tempered chocolate of choice

piping bag fitted with a small round tip

Method

Pop your glass of vodka or water in the freezer to chill, you want to be nice and icy cold.

Fill your piping bag with melted chocolate. Remove cold vodka from the freezer. Holding your piping bag 2cm (bit less than an inch) from the surface of the vodka, apply firm even pressure and pipe directly into the vodka letting the chocolate fall naturally.

       piped chocolate in chilled vodka

Chocolate will set instantly set on hitting the cold vodka, remove decorations as they are piped to a baking rack to dry. Moving your piping bag as you're piping will create different shapes. Once dry they are ready to use on your cupcakes or plated desserts.

Try using multiple piping bags at once with a swirling motion to have intertwined shapes. White and dark chocolate look great together.

Using light pressure with your piping bag will result in "floating shapes", carefully pipe flower shapes and designs remove to baking rack to dry after you have completed each shape.

*Note "Water"   My preferred method is using vodka because alcohol evaporates quickly and you don't get water marks.  However, you can use iced water if you are using the pieces immediately. There is a high risk of water marking/blooming on standing. You can compensate for water marking by spraying or dusting with food colours or dusting with cocoa powder. As an alternative chocolate be piped directly into a tray of sifted cocoa powder for a 3D effect. 

Frozen vodka: if you have ever frozen vodka you would have noticed it doesn't 'turn into ice' what you do get is a slight thickening, this is the perfect condition for the chocolate swirls to form. The vodka used has to be the highest alcohol content, lower alcohol brands of vodka will become icy.

Happy Baking :)

You might also be interested in;

           Rainbow Chocolate

try easy Bubble Wrap Chocolate decorations 

or perhaps a fondant gold fish tutorial 

Dan's "just hell" Cookies

Dan's "just hell" mudslide cookies

I had to laugh when I overheard Daniel talking to his Mum on the phone giving her suggestions about what would be a good recipe to try out in her brand new mixer. It went like this "NO! not the mudslide cookies Mum, they taste amazing but it's like hell making them, just hell!!"

I don't know about the "hell" part, but Daniel sure makes a decadent cookie with his adaptation of Martha Stewart's Mudslide cookies ;) They're not inexpensive to make due to all the chocolate, but they do make fabulous gifts packaged in cello bags, boxes or tins, also ideal for church/bake sales/fetes.. large enough to sell singularly too.

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

2/3 cup plain flour  (all-purpose flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

170g (6 ounces) 70% or bitter chocolate, coarsely chopped

450g (1 pound) dark eating chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract/essence

450g (1 pound) cadbury dairy milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

*extra chocolate (optional) Daniel adds any extra chocolate he finds in the house... up to another 450g (1 pound)... makes an extra 1/2 dozen to a dozen cookies all up.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C (400 degrees F). Line baking sheets with non stick mats or silicone baking paper; set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a heatproof bowl, or in the top of a double boiler, set over a pot of simmering water, melt together unsweetened and semisweet chocolates and butter; set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add cooled, melted chocolate mixture, and combine on low speed.

Add flour mixture, and continue to beat on low speed until almost combined, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from mixer; stir in milk chocolate & extra chocolate if using by hand.

Using a standard sized ice-cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake until set, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheets.

Alternatives; replace some of the chopped chocolate that is added to the dough with nuts. Or do what Dan does and look around for what you can add... maybe crushed peppermint candy, maybe raisins.... probably not a good idea to add the different things in one batch of cookies ;)

recipe adaptation, baking and photography; Daniel Paxton-Zahra

Valentines Truffle Pops

Valentines Truffle Pop tops a chocolate & raspberry crème fraiche cupcake

The beauty of this truffle recipe is it's versatility, if you don't like raspberry liqueur, feel free to change it to coffee or orange or perhaps rum. Use vanilla, coffee, green tea, ginger or flavouring oils instead of alcohol. If you are using truffles as cupcake toppers adjust the flavours of your cupcakes accordingly.

Try milk or white chocolate instead of dark, a mix of milk and dark chocolate is my favourite.

Simply toss them in *cocoa, or roll in melted chocolate and then in *crushed toasted nuts, crushed hard candy, sprinkles, coconut, grated chocolate, sanding sugar or dip them in chocolate for a smooth coating.

These truffles have a whipped light texture and keep well when refrigerated for up to two weeks. Today I'm using them on lollipop sticks to make cupcake toppers. 

Valentines Truffle Pops

Ingredients

Makes 24

150ml cream (5 fluid oz)

125g dark eating chocolate (4.4oz) grated (use a food processor if desired)

125g milk eating chocolate (4.4oz) grated

3 tsp Raspberry liqueur (optional)

24 lollipop sticks

24 heart shapes, either make yourself from fondant or buy pre-made. 

24 iced, frosted or glazed cupcakes

plus of 375g (13oz) tempered dark chocolate if planning to chocolate coat the truffles

Method

Place the both the grated milk & dark chocolate into the bowl of your stand mixer. In a medium saucepan bring the cream to the boil. Remove from heat, let cool for a minute or two and then tip in grated chocolate.

Beat on medium high speed for 5 minutes, stop the mixer and the let the chocolate mixture become cool. Add the raspberry liqueur if using and beat a further 5 minutes. The mixture will become lighter in colour and texture. 

Refrigerate the mix for 15 minutes or until chocolate is firm enough to handle. 

Line a baking sheet with baking paper & with clean hands roll 2 tsp's of mixture into a ball, place on baking tray and repeat.

               Rolled truffles before coating

Chill for 5 minutes.

Have your cupcakes ready.

Remove truffle mixture from the refrigerator, insert the lollipop sticks, then dip each truffle one by one into the tempered dark chocolate, place each completed truffle pop into position on the cupcakes. When the pops are set, attach heart decorations with a dab of melted chocolate.

*You will need 75g-2.6oz of dutch process cocoa or crushed nuts to coat 25 truffles

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Love heart Sprinkles

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Chocolate Ganache & Truffles