A Reader Writes, “What is the decorative method used by Joseph Schmidt’s Mosaics or Sterling Truffle Bar’s truffle bars? It’s looks ‘painted’ with opaque, rich colors or translucent layers of color. I wanted to know what the art is created with and the techniques involved.” There are many different ways to decorate chocolates but the technique you’ve inquired about is generically referred to as “transfers."...

Almost everyone who makes enrobed products uses this technique for at least one of their pieces. Companies well known for the intricacy of their designs include MarieBelle (New York) and Richart (Paris). For transfers, the design is printed in reverse using cocoa butter colored with edible dyes on clear acetate sheets. The transfer is placed on the piece of chocolate while it is still warm and sticks, transferring the design (hence the name of the technique). Most chocolatiers use standard designs (there are catalogs full of them) but it’s quite easy to have intricate custom multi-color transfers made.

A variation on this technique is to hand paint or spray paint the tinted cocoa butter on the inside of a mold before being filled to create the shell. When the piece if removed from the mold the design, which can be very painterly, comes with the piece. Norman Love of Norman Love Confections (formerly Ganache Chocolates) is a leading practitioner of this technique.

Previous Questions and Answers:

1. Thanks. I was referring to the technique of hand-painted chocolates. The opaque and well-defined designs of Sterling's truffle bars intrigues me because the colors are opaque, whereas Norman Love's technique is transparent swashes of color over white chocolate. Is it simply the thickness of the layer of colored cocoa butter? Or is it actually white chocolate colored with intense food-grade coloring?
   Posted by  on  07/15  at  04:34 PM
2. Colored cocoa butter tends to be translucent, colored white chocolate tends to be opaque. Different effects are achieved through the dilution of the white chocolate with cocoa butter, the types of colors used, the method of application, and whether or not the design is being applied to white, milk, or dark chocolate.
   Posted by  on  07/16  at  09:50 AM
3. I live in Manhattan. Where can I buy chocolate in bulk so that I can melt it and make my own creations? :: Kia: Your best bet is cooking and baking supply stores or on-line. I don't know of any particular locations that are very good. On-line you will have many more choices. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  10/08  at  11:17 AM
4. How do you make a flourless chocolate cake? Is it complicated? :: Kia; There are hundreds of recipes to choose from. Try searching Epicurous to start. They range from farily simple to very complex ... but it really all depends on your current skill level. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  10/08  at  11:22 AM
5. Several Manhattan chocolatiers sell couverture out of their stores, but unfortunately these tend to be very expensive. Gourmet food stores such as Zabar's, Grace's Marketplace, Fairway, and the like are going to be your best bet I think. Dairyland is a big foodservice distributor in the Bronx (http://www.chefswarehouse.com) and you can order stuff through them or maybe through a friend in the restaurant business. Otherwise, I'd look into online sources; you'll get far better selection and prices won't be too different if you order from out of state and don't have to pay sales tax.
   Posted by  on  10/08  at  12:17 PM
6. There are dozens of recipe sites around the Internet that have flourless chocolate cake recipes. In general, these are no more difficult than a conventional cake though you may want to compare a couple of different recipes and pick one that fits your style and level of experience. Here's a search I did at Yahoo! for flourless+chocolate+cake; there are lots of options: http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&fr=sfp&p=flourless+chocolate+cake
   Posted by  on  10/08  at  12:20 PM
7. I am trying to make liqueur cups but have a problem with the topping as the client prefers chocolate on top and not buttercream or mousse - any suggestions? :: Michelle; I don't know anyone who does this as a simple cup, but more like a filled shell molded piece. You make the shell, fill the shell with the center, and then put a bottom on it ... not a top. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  01/04  at  12:01 PM
8. I am interested in creating my own transfer sheets for the chocolates I make. I have heard that it is possible to silk screen or print the cooca butter. Can you please provide more details on how it works and suggest suppliers for the necessary supplies? Thanks. :: Janice; I have never made any transfer sheets but its a pretty conventional silk screen process using colored cocoa butter and acetate sheets. The colored cocoa butter can be bought from many places online as can the acetate sheets. Here's a link for the acetate sheets: http://www.pastrychef.com/Catalog/acetate_sheets_1597110.htm. They also sell colored cocoa butter but they don't sell pre-printed transfer sheets. The basic technique is normal screen printing using food-safe products. There's precious little information available by the companies doing this for people wanting to do it at home on their own. One thing you could try if you're not interested in absolute repeatability is to hand-paint designs. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  06/10  at  12:27 PM
9. How do you silk screen chocolate and what is the best chocolate to use? :: Stia; You don't ssilkscreen directly on to the chocolate, you silkscreen onto an acetate sheet and then apply the acetate sheet to the chocolate after it has been enrobed. When the chocolate sets you remove the acetate and the design stays on the chocolate. :: Clay
   Posted by  on  07/17  at  07:09 PM
10. Hello, You mention the transfers for chooolate in your opening paragraph. I am looking for these transfers or the various books or catalogs that you refer to. Could you please forward the information to me so I might find some of these sources. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Faith Freeman :: Faith; Search for "transfer sheets chocolate" on Yahoo! or Google to find many sources. :: Clay
    Posted by  on  11/28  at  01:49 PM
11. Hello, Im looking for someone who sells cocoa butter transfer sheets with designs already on them in Philadelphia or surroundings areas that are responsible. :: Rosalyn; As with Faith's request above, search for "transfer sheets chocolate" on Yahoo! or Google to find many sources. Most of them will be mailorder ... I personally don't know of any retail locations in the Philadelphia area for these. :: Clay
    Posted by  on  01/17  at  01:17 PM
12. I would like to know if there is a way to make my own transfer sheets. Not painted molds but ones that I can transfer logos etc. off the acetate or plastic sheet. Thanks
    Posted by  on  02/03  at  03:00 PM
13. Transfer Sheets already available contact Glarus Gourmet, Hayward, Ca.
    Posted by  on  04/13  at  04:35 PM
14. I am looking for transfer sheets but can't seem to find a place to buy them in the boston, mass area. Does anyone know of somewhere that I might be able to find them at? thanks so much. Amanda, I don't know of any retail locations to buy transfer sheets or have them custom made. Here are some online sources to try: http://www.gadouachocolatedesigns.com/chocolatiers_and_pastry_chefs.html and http://americanchocolatedesigns.com/
    Posted by  on  05/18  at  08:14 AM
15. pls offer domestic method and recipe for ice cream chcolate coating- that will give a thin quote over icream cone dipping. thank and god bless you lali :: Lali, There is a commercial version of this product in the US called Magic Shell. I started looking for recipes to create something like it and this is what I found.

    
    6 ounces (170gr) chocolate chips
    2 ounces (55gr) butter or margarine
    1/4c (60ml) corn oil
    
    Melt chips and butter together (microwave on low or in double bolier). 
    When melted, add oil and blend.
    

    This is not my recipe and I have never tried it, so I can't predict how it will work for you in (I assume) Sri Lanka. As always, the better ingredients you use the better this will taste thought I am not sure that that's the point of a recipe like this. :: Clay
    Posted by  on  05/24  at  11:09 AM
16. I'm looking to get into the chocolate silk screening business. What resources or advice can you provide for someone with not a great deal of capital? Thanks

    
    :: Gary:
    
    Unfortunately, not much. What you could to is to contact the folks at
    Chef Rubber. They make dyes and colored cocoa butters for pastry
    and chocolate applications and they might have some pointers for you.
    
    http://www.chefrubber.com/Shopping/shopdisplaycategories.asp
    
    :: Clay
    

    Posted by  on  07/08  at  11:57 PM
17. I heard that we can use offset printing machine to make transfer sheet for chocolate . could you please provide me with some suppliers informations regarding this project.thanks in advance.

    I would like to, but I know nothing about this.
    :: Clay
    

    Posted by  on  11/22  at  09:15 AM
18. I would like to get info about offset printing equipment to make transfer sheets for chocolate. Can you provide me with information or leads for machine manufacturers. Urgent

    I would like to, but I know nothing about this.
    :: Clay
    

    Posted by  on  12/10  at  11:45 PM