“”Why I can never get my chocolate curls right right for my Black Forest Cake?  They either collapse or crack? I melt cooking chocolate in a double boiler, put it out onto a glass tray and scrape it with a knife. The chocolate doesn’t set, even after an hour. I try leaving it in the fridge for while, but it stays soft.”

Melting chocolate for cooking or for decoration requires much care and patience. Use good quality cooking or dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate which has a higher fat content and tends to burn more easily.

When melting chocolate either for spreading, piping or making chocolate curls, the golden rule to remember is never to overheat the chocolate. It should never be melted over direct heat. Break the chocolate into small pieces into a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a pan of hot water. The base of the bowl should not touch the hot water. Leave chocolate to stand, stirring occasionally, until it turns soft and smooth.

To make curls, spread melted and chocolate over a cold smooth surface, such as ceramic tile, granite or marbel. Leave until cold and set, but do not chill. Holding a large sharp knife flat against the chocolate, scrape gently over the surface to form curls. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle.

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