Chocolate Plastic Roses
I’m posting the recipe and step-by-step instructions for making the chocolate plastic roses. Maybe someone will find this information useful. I really do like the chocolate plastic as the cake decor. It is easy to work with, looks great, holds its shape, and it is way tastier than fondant. Of course, you can make different things from the plastic, just use your imagination.
Makes enough to make about 4-6 large flowers
Ingredients:
- 8 oz white (or milk) chocolate, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) light corn syrup
Important note: The milk chocolate can be substituted for the white. But if you wish to make the flowers from the dark (bittersweet or semisweet) chocolate, use a different proportion: for every pound of the dark chocolate, take 2/3 cup of the light corn syrup. Preparation is the same.
Preparation:
Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a wide skillet. Turn the burner off (if your stove is electric, remove the skillet from the burner) and wait for 30 seconds. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl of chocolate in the hot water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
Off the heat; add the corn syrup and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the chocolate mixture onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a thin disk, about 6 mm thick. Fold the plastic wrap over the chocolate and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or up to several weeks (check the expiration date on your chocolate). It is preferable to let the chocolate plastic rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Take the chocolate plastic out of the refrigerator. Leave it on a counter for 30 minutes to soften slightly. Knead the plastic with your hands to make it smooth and pliable before you start (it might appear grainy at first, but the kneading will change it).
Shape a small piece of the chocolate plastic into a cone - it will be a flower base. Then form another piece into a small ball (about ½-inch in diameter) rolling it in the palms of your hands. Pat the ball, between two plastic bags (like Ziploc), or between two layers of plastic wrap, into a thin petal. Refrigerate the petal, still between the plastic wrap, for a minute (to firm the chocolate plastic and make it easier to handle). While one petal is chilling, form another one for the continuous process. Take the chilled petal out of the fridge. Carefully peel the plastic wrap and attach the petal to the cone base. Wearing thin, surgical-type gloves helps significantly. Attach another petal to the base overlapping the petals slightly. Make the closed bud first, then start attaching the open petals around. Curve the petal edges gently outward using a toothpick. Repeat the shaping, chilling, and overlapping the petals until you get the desired size and shape of the flower.
Refrigerate the finished chocolate rose until firm, cover loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until needed.
You probably won’t use all plastic at once (it makes a lot). If you have some leftovers, invite the kids into the kitchen. They love this edible chocolate play-dough.
[...] Half of the recipe Chocolate Plastic Roses [...]
Thanks for giving the directions! This is absolutely beautiful! Do you know if there is a way to use colored “candy melts” for colored versions - or I guess if there is a way to make a colored version.
Holly, I’ve never made bright colored decorations myself. I used rather a combination of three natural chocolate colors. I’m not sure about colored chocolate melts, but adding a few drops of oil-based food coloring to the white chocolate plastic can certainly work.
you know have some chocolate plastique sitting in my kitchen right now…i made it a while back and didn’t even think to use it for this cake!
HI… im a student in wallingford and im doing a profolio on chocolate and we have to find a blog. This really intrests me because i think its a great idea. I always watch the cooking shows and the fondue that they put on cakes never looks like it would taste good. But this actually looks like i would want to eat it .
I could just hug you for posting how to do these roses!! Awesome.. :)
Thanks!!
Thank you so much for posting this. Your rose is so beautiful, I can’t wait to try it.
Rachel, you are right, these taste way better than the fondant. Although people usually prefer to look at them rather than eat them. Nobody wants to “ruin” it.
Laurie, Debyi, you are very welcome!
Hi Vera,
This is my first comment, but I became a reader of your blog early this month. This chocolate rose is stunning! I was so glad to find this post because I’ve been waiting for somebody to show me how to make one like this! I printed out this page and tried to make one too.
Vera, would you mind me linking your blog to mine?
Hi Noa,
I’m really glad you found this post useful. I don’t mind at all linking to my blog.
Thanks very much. Will try to make this. The rose is wonderful.
Does anyone know how long you can keep white chocolate plastique for after you have made it? I am covering my wedding cake with it (in 5 weeks) and want to make it as soon as possible…
thanks very much
Ellen, you can keep it in a fridge for a long time. Check the expiration date on your chocolate to be safe, and keep the plastic as long as your chocolate is OK.
Thanks so much for your reply Vera - very helpful
Ellen, you are very welcome. And good luck with the wedding cake! Congratulations (if it’s your wedding)!
Thanks alot for the tutorial .This is magnificent. I love your blog. Is it possible to use a substitute for corn syrup since its not available where i live. wish to try this tutorial.Thanks
Natalie, thank you very much. I emailed you.
You are a star! thankyou so much for posting these and esp the pictures too! There are other sites which tell you how to make it but pictures are the aid of the whole process, good on you! i shall feedback once i finish it for my boyfriend’s birthday cake!
cheers!
Anne, thank you very much, you are too kind! I’ll be so glad if you let me know how it turns out. Good luck!
Heya…These roses look yummy! I would love to try them but I can’t find corn syrup anywhere here in India … :-(
Do you think I could substitute it with anything? On the net I found a corn syrup substitute (1 1/4th cup sugar + 1/3rd cup water) … Will this work …?
Hope to make these roses soon! :)
Thanks.
Praniti, I don’t think your recipe will work as a substitution. But Thip on her wonderful blog posted a different recipe including glucose. Go and check http://thai4real.blogspot.com/2008/04/modeling-couverture.html
Thank you so much for posting this! I can’t wait to try it1
Hanna
You are a genius. I have been looking for a step by step instructions on how to make chocolate roses since forever, and here you are with your wonderful blog and your simple steps! I will definitely try this for the Christmas cakes… thank you again!
Hi,
I bought a bottle of light corn syrup to try out this recipe.
I just want to confirm with you that I should remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the hot water and set aside, then add in light corn syrup and stir?
I will be waiting for your reply, thank you.
Regards,
Queen butter
Queen butter, you’ve got it absolutely right. Good luck!
Hi,
Wow, your reply is fast, I think I’m bless with good luck, hee hee! Thanks again.
Hi Vera!
Your roses are the nicest I’ve seen–just gorgeous!
Do you know how far in advance of using the roses they can be made?
Thanks for your help.
Sharron
Sharron, thank you! They can be made well in advance. I would say - a couple of weeks in advance, maybe even longer if you keep them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The fridge is a good dehydrator, so, if you don’t store the plastic decor properly, it will become brittle and break easily.
these are stunning!! thank you so much for the step-by-step instructions and beautiful photos! :)
Wow, the rose you made is amazing and really beautiful. Just wondering whether the shaping of the rose is difficult? I’ve already bought the ingredients for it and hoping to complete before valentines day. I’m a total newbie at making chocolates. It’s kinda my first time.
Rayner, thank you! The shaping is not difficult at all; I find it rather soothing :) Good luck!
I see. Haha. I’ve put the chocolate in the fridge a few hours ago. Is it alright to put it in the freezer for a faster process?
Rayner, I wouldn’t do it. Be patient :)
Thanks for all your help! =) It’s been about 8 hours already. I’m going to take it out and start on sculpting the rose now.
[...] the marzipan rose is not much different from the molding it from the chocolate plastic. Let the formed rose dry [...]
Hello, firstly thank you for this! also, I live in the UK where corn syrup is quite hard to come across and I thought it might be useful to let you know that you can use the same quantity of glucose syrup and it works perfectly.
Hope that’ll help!
Glow, thank you for your tip!
Hi, I have been asked to do some wedding favors (white chocolate roses) and I wanted to do something a little different so my question is: Is this edible..does it taste good like a white chocolate piece of candy would taste? I really like the way the roses came out. Please help running out of time..
Mara, sure they are edible. They will taste like the chocolate you use. The texture is different from pure chocolate though; it’s somewhat chewy. So, I would recommend to eat such rose petal by petal and not to bite into the whole flower.
Your rose is stunning!!! I hope mine looks as beautiful as yours =)
Amazing, was searching all day for this. Just a quick question, I am confused about the measurements for using dark chocolate, can you break it down in ounces?
Thanks again, absolutely amazing.
Ken, thank you very much!
Nevene, thank you very much! 16 oz (1 lb) of dark chocolate will require 2/3 cup of corn syrup; 8 oz will need 1/3 cup of corn syrup respectively.
hello Vera,
I am speechless……gorgeous work
Arlette, thank you very much! You are too kind :)
Hi i love your rose, i am in the process of making 7kg of white chocolate plastique for a wedding cake next week! This is the first time i have used it and i love it. My recipe is slightly different so i thought i would share it, i am in essex, england.
1.75 kg white chocolate
4oz cocoa butter ( order online)
14oz glucose syrup
10fl oz stock syrup ( recipe 9fl oz water,5oz castorsugar 3oz glucose syrup, put in pan bring to boil,take off heat and cool)
melt choc over pan of water
melt cocoa butter in microwave on medium heat
(do seperately as they have different melting temps)
when both melted mix together and stir till combined.
mix stock syrup and glucose together, warm slightly so all ingredients similar temp.
pour chocolate over glucose mix and stir with wooden spoon till smooth.
put in large ziplock freezer bag and allow to set at room temp. for 24 hrs.
this can be chilled in fridge, but take out 30 mins prior to use!
Thanks for sharing your rose, i have to make them too and yours is a great step by step..viva la chocolate!!!!
should’ve said this will yield 2.5 kg when done
Kerry, thank you very much for sharing the recipe! And good luck with your project! I can easily imagine how beautiful and delicious this cake will be.
Wow, your work is amazing! It’s incredible that those flowers are edible but I’m not sure if I would be able to. They’re so pretty!
I was wondering, is there anyway I can substitue the light corn syrup with honey?
This is absolutely amazing!!! This looks like a real rose, if I didn’t know I’d probably think that it was a really pretty rose lol. I’m amazed at how people can make these beautiful decorations and put it on their beautiful cakes. Thank you :D
MJ, sorry I missed your comment. No, you can’t use honey instead. But you can use liquid glucose.
Hyria, thank you!
Question….what is the best way to “attach” the roses to buttercream icing? I would like to cascade the roses down the side of a wedding cake. Can I use wire the way it is used for gumpaste roses?
Denise, yes, you can use wire.
Hey Vera,
I just love your website…I cant believe that your not a professional!!!The pics you post are sooo beautiful..I feel like i have no words to appreciate you :D….
I am also obsessed with baking…as you said even i bake when am sad and happy….:)
Can you give me a substitute for corn syrup…I checked out many shops in my hometown and they dont sell corn syrup…:((
Meettu, thank you! You can use liquid glucose instead.
Vera,
One more question..
I just have a microwave oven at home and am planning to buy a new oven.
Which oven would be best for all baking purposes??(including breads)
Conventional or Convectional???
Thank U
Meettu, I’m not a big expert in this. A convectional one bakes faster and more even, but you’ll have to adjust recipes accordingly, reducing oven temperature and baking time. If you are an experienced baker, you will get used to it soon enough. If you rely on baking books instructions (and most of them are written for conventional ovens), then maybe it’s better go with the conventional one. Hope it helps.
Thanks a lot Vera!!!
I think i will go with a conventional oven…:)
[...] time to start making the roses that will decorate it. I found a site that made it sound very easy [www.bakingobsession.com] and with my recent experience making rose buds from fondant, I thought I was set - I even have [...]
Just stumbled on your lovely website. Beautiful work and very informative — thanks for sharing. I’m planning a birthday cake and am not a big fan of fondant. I’d like to experiment with coloring white chocolate plastic and using it for decorative cutouts to decorate cakes iced in buttercream. Any experience with that or thoughts on how you think that would work?
Collette, thank you. I successfully color the white chocolate plastic with Wilton gel colors available everywhere. Just knead a tiny amount of color into the plastic.
Beautiful rose! I have been playing with chocolate plastic and will need to try this! (but it really *does* look too pretty to eat!)
Do you use a particular brand of white chocolate? I used a bag of Nestle white choc chips, and even though I was careful not to let any water get into the melting chocolate, it seemed to seize (get dry and crumbly) before it finished melting. I added a bit of melted butter which helped a bit. I’ve read that different brands of chocolate have different levels of fat which may make the melting process “better”…. but was wondering, is there a brand you use/recommend? Thanks!
Pam, thank you! I usually use Belgian Callebaut or Lindt Excellence. I never use chocolate chips for this or any other baking purpose. I prefer to chop a good quality chocolate bar instead. Hope it helps.
Dear Vera
You are an absolute life-saver.
I have spent the last couple of years looking for a recipe which actualy works, and your’s did the trick beautifully. I have bookmarked your page, and will definitely be checking in regularly.
AndriesF, I’m glad it worked for you! Thank you for the feedback.
Is it possible to add other ingriedient instead of corn syrup? I can’t found where to buy it in Lithuania :(
Indre, you can use liquid glucose instead.
Hi
Thank you for your demonstration. Your roses are beautiful. Do you need to keep the cake refridgerated once made & decorated with the chocolate roses? I am doing a cake next week which will be presented after a meal at a restaurant and I am worried that the chocolate roses may start to wilt & melt while the cake is sitting at room temperature. Can you advise?
Many thanks
Jo, you are very welcome. If there’s an air-conditioned room and no direct sun light, I wouldn’t be worried; several hours at room temperature are not a problem.
Thank you so much Vera. This is really appreciated. May I ask just one last question … once the roses are made, how do you store them - in the fridge? Thank you again. With kind regards, Jo
Jo, you are welcome! Yes, I do store them in the fridge.
great pics cant wait to make some thanks for your blog . what is light corn syrup & where can i buy it because when i look it up on the computer it shows golden syrup i also have the recipe that kerry posted back in april using cocoa butter & wondered what the difference between the two recipes were also when rolling out do i dust the work surface with icing sugar to stop from sticking thankyou
Annie, thank you. The light corn syrup is usually on the shelf next to the golden syrup in most North American supermarkets. You can substitute it with liquid glucose. Or, you can use the golden syrup instead; you won’t get white color though. There’s no need to dust the working surface; you will flatten the chocolate plastic between plastic which is non-stick.
Hi Vera,
Thank you for posting these instructions - so helpful. I’ve just made two batches of the plastic. One with dark chocolate following your recipe. It seemed quite soft… I wrapped it up and it’s in the fridge. I guess it will set overnight. The white chocolate batch by contrast seems really thick. Fingers crossed they both work out ad that I have the patience to produce such beautiful roses as you.
I absolutely LOVE this blog. I just tried this recipe with agave syrup instead of corn syrup and was pleasantly surprised with the results…it seems no different, at least with white chocolate.
Love this blog,but how can I make plain plastic and then colour it.,how do you attach roses to a chocolate covered cake please.
Your roses are beautiful,I am making chocolate Roses but want red ones too.
I noticed there was no recipe for homemade_Corn Syrup, here is one:-
2 Cups sugar
3 Cups water
1/4 Tsp Cream of Tarter
Pinch salt
Place all ingredients into saucepan on medium heat till it boils,
Turn down heat to simmer,then put lid on pan and simmer for 3 Minutes Stir Often.
To test if ready drop a few drops of corn syrup into glass of cold water, if it drops to bottom of water it is ready, Cool.
Then add chosen food colouring (remember to add drop by drop) and stir, alternatively add colouring to your Plastic mix. (you can split the Syrup into seperate containers for other colours). Then store at room temperature if using in 2 days, otherwise, put in sealed container, Jar,ect and keep in cool conditions.
To use, measure 1 Part corn Syrup to 2 parts Butter
2 parts Salt.
Multiply for larger amounts.
Have Fun
Vampy, thank you for your words and the recipe. I am sure someone will find it useful.
I color the already made plastic with concentrated paste food colors just by kneading it into the plastic.
If you need to attach them just to the top of the cake, use melted chocolate. If you want to put them on the sides, you can form the roses on the wire, the same way you do gumpaste flowers.
Why can’t we use honey?