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.
September 13, 2012 at 6:17 pm
I tried this with Lindt Swiss classic white chocolate and mixture was extremely oily and didn’t really firm up. Is the Lindt excellence different than what I used? Thanks for your help. Great tutorial and pics !
May 21, 2012 at 10:38 pm
hey!
i found corn syrup at an asian store, i asked the lady if she had a smaller bottle and gave me this other brand but in the ingredients it says oligo sacharide from sugar cane…it looks exactly like corn syrup and the lady said it was the same.
will it work out the same?
May 21, 2012 at 1:53 am
im going to make these roses to sell for a yr 12 fundraiser and im waondering that if i leave the chocolate plastic to set at room temperature will i be able to leave the roses outside as long as i place them in airtight containers
May 16, 2012 at 6:42 pm
can these b airbrushed to add a shine will it affect the look or consistency of the roses.
April 18, 2012 at 10:33 am
Panda, it’s very easy to overheat the white chocolate, be careful when melting; also don’t overmix the mixture after adding the glucose, you don’t want it to become oily, mix only until it comes together and clears the sides of the bowl.
If the plastic seems too firm to knead after refrigeration, try to heat it in a MW for a few seconds (don’t let it melt, just soften it), then knead.
April 18, 2012 at 9:26 am
Hi Vera,
I’m really struggling here! I’ve now made up plastic on 2 occasions – once with glucose as I live in the UK and couldn’t find corn syrup, and the second time I sourced some and made all three (first time I just made white). Both times the chocolate has basically become a crumbly mess… With the exception of the dark which was GREAT. What can I do? I tried kneading it but it just stayed as a crumbly mess… Eventually managed to make some flowers but was excessively stressful! Any ideas? I buy good quality chocolate in bars of 100g. Need to make another cake on Sat morning so any help advice would be very very gratefully received! xxx
March 23, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Thanks a lot Vera :) I love your work! All the best!
March 23, 2012 at 9:21 am
Mehwish, your roses are lovely! When the weather is too hot, I just stop often and pop everything in the fridge for a moment and then continue. Dipping the hands in ice-cold water (sounds pretty awful, though :) also helps.
March 23, 2012 at 8:12 am
corn flour* i mean
you can see my flowers here
http://me-sugarlane.blogspot.com/
March 23, 2012 at 8:07 am
So after keeping the chocolate i the fridge for 2 days i took it out and kneaded it. It became a lot better! I realized the problem was that cause here in karachi, Pakistan its very hot…so the moment i tried to mould it it would start getting too soft :/ so i used corn flower to kee my hands dry and it worked :D
March 22, 2012 at 8:05 pm
Thanks Vera :) I think il try to remake it!
March 17, 2012 at 5:22 pm
Mehwish,thanks. The plastic is usually quite firm after refrigeration and needs a good kneading to become pliable. I haven’t completely understood your problem. If you can’t work with plastic because it’s firm and crumbly, knead it well (it’s easier to do in small portions rather than trying to knead the whole batch at once). Believe me, kneading changes the plastic dramatically.
From the other hand, if your plastic seems too soft after refrigeration (by the way, it’s better to leave the plastic in the fridge overnight), there’s a good chance that the quantities of the ingredients were messed up and there’s no cure for that.
Elajr, you don’t need anything to attach the petals, the plastic sticks to itself well with just a little help of the warm hands. If it does seem that you need something to help the petals stick (when the room temperature is really cool or your hands are cold – blessing for a perfect pie crust), use a paint brush dipped in water to adhere the petals.
March 17, 2012 at 11:31 am
Hello Vera, I’ve read all the comments on making the plastic rose, but I didn’t read anything on how to attach each petal to form a rose. Do you use anything to attach it or to keep it together to form a rose? Thanks.
March 17, 2012 at 6:15 am
hey,
Amazing website :)
I have a question – I made the plastic, put it in the refrigrator for a couple of hours, took it out its become soft – now that I am trying to mold it its coming apart as in it doesnt seem to have the right consistency. Do u think i messed up the quantities? will adding more corn syrup help?
please advise :) thanks :)
February 13, 2012 at 4:04 am
thanks vera to solve my problem.
February 12, 2012 at 3:58 pm
Sorry, I didn’t answer all your questions in timely manner. I’ll do it now in order they were posted.
Katelyn, buttercream would be the most susceptible to hot weather.
Chocolate plastic doesn’t exactly melt, it wilts. If the room has an air conditioning it will do just fine, but it wouldn’t be my choice for an outside summer wedding. And yes, the fondant is the most stable of these three.
Fatima, yes I think it should work.
Taro, if you are speaking of already made roses, your container will do fine. They can dry out over time and become brittle, so you will just have to handle them with care. If the whether is cool, you don’t even have to refrigerate the roses after you made them. Put the roses in a cardboard box and keep until needed.
If you were asking about modeling chocolate itself, I wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap, then put it in a Ziploc bag and store either at room temperature (if it’s cool) or in the fridge.
Gem, don’t add the color to melted chocolate, it can seize, unless you are planning to use cocoa butter-based colors. I recommend to knead the color in after you made the plastic; it also makes it easier to control the intensity of the color. You can use any chocolate bar, but usually the chocolate bought in bulk section is cheaper. I don’t know where you are, there’s Callebaut chocolate available in Canada and USA which is quite nice and not over-expensive. Don’t use chocolate chips though.
Kanwal Khan, no, for 8 oz of dark chocolate you will need to take 1/3 cup of corn syrup.
February 12, 2012 at 11:57 am
hi vera,
i have dark chocolate if i take 8 oz of that then corn syrup will be 2/3 cup ?please vera reply soon i am waiting..
February 12, 2012 at 11:55 am
vera i have dark chocolate if i take 8 oz of that then corn syrup will be 2/3 cup ?
reply soon please…
February 9, 2012 at 10:14 am
this recipe is the most detail as what i find so far…. it is great for some people who new for chocolate pastic..thx
February 8, 2012 at 8:57 pm
Hi Vera,
Thanks for sharing your wonderful work and recipe.It really look beautiful, I hope I can try this and get the same success as you did.
I only have 2 questions: can I add a light food color to the melted white choc? I am about to work on birthday cupcakes sometime next week, and there is a color theme required as the bday girl’s fave is Tangled( Rapunzel) and, can I use any chocolate bar bought from the supermarket, or need to be a baking choc bar?
Thanks!
Gem
February 7, 2012 at 12:15 am
Hi,
Do i have to put the plastic chocolate in an air tight container? Would a take away box be fine, becuase i don’t have any air tight container? And if take away box isn’t fine then what other boxes can i put the chocolate in.
Thanks
February 2, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Hi,
I can’t find corn syrup (or glucose)where I live.Do you think I can use invert sugar insted?
January 30, 2012 at 8:40 am
Does the chocolate plastic melt faster than the fondant or buttercream icing?
January 21, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Rach, I would say – a couple of weeks, 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. Don’t expose them to direct sunlight to prevent the color fading.
Aliya, it should work. I use light corn syrup, it’s sold in every grocery store here.
January 16, 2012 at 9:00 am
oohhh i am loving these….just a quick question…which glucose have u said the one available in pharmacies ?? as i am unable to find light corn syrup in dubai :(
January 14, 2012 at 3:20 pm
how long can i keep these lovely roses for and will the length of time ruin their texture or colour thanksxx
November 5, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Elizabeth, I’m so glad they turned out well. Thank you for your feedback.
Jason, it depends on the temperature in the room. If it’s an extremely hot summer and no air-conditioning in the room, they might wilt a bit. I usually use Lindt Excellence.
Ross, yes you could. It can darken the color slightly.
November 3, 2011 at 4:17 pm
I was just wondering if you could use golden syrup as a substitute
October 6, 2011 at 11:43 am
Hi Vera,
Your rose looks really nice, if you don’t mind I have a few questions…..Does the chocolate melt at room temperature? And what kind of chocolate did you use to make the rose? Thank you.
October 5, 2011 at 2:50 pm
I live in the UK and used liquid glucose and wiltons White chocolate melts very successfully. I covered a three tier cake and then made 100 rose that trailed down the cake. It looked very impressive thanks for you recipe and helpful tips. Tried to upload a photo but unable to do so. Thanks again.
September 4, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Thanks for giving your ideas.
August 10, 2011 at 7:02 am
Also can you make ruffle/fan like decorations? with this mixture/dough?
August 10, 2011 at 6:58 am
How do the petals stick to the flower? I’ve never tried but want to soon!
Thanks!
August 4, 2011 at 6:24 pm
great roses just loved them
August 4, 2011 at 6:14 pm
hi Vera & everyone
the roses are wonderful thanks for the recipe
I found light corn syrup at a health food shop
they also sell dark hope this is helpfull.
regards jean
July 25, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Doris, sorry I couldn’t reply earlier. I always use a real thing. There’s no need to temper.
Yeshi, I refrigerate each petal briefly to firm it up a little. It prevents them sticking one to another. I flatten and thin the edges between plastic. Then, as I’ve just said, I chill the petal. The key is not to chill for too long, it has to be pliable, but not sticky. I guess, you have to experiment until you get this filling of right texture. Once you get it, the process becomes really simple.
Delbert Mcallen, thanks. Sure, you can.
huda jassim, thank you. Sorry, I couldn’t reply earlier. If the color of your chocolate is dark brown and if it doesn’t have a distinct milk-chocolate taste, then I would treat it as dark chocolate. The ratio is stated in the brackets below the ingredients listed.
July 17, 2011 at 4:16 pm
hey!!! ummmm… u know wat…??? UR ROSES ROCKKKKKKK!!!! SERIOUSLY M IN LOVE WID THEM… I WONDER HOW WUD I LET PPL EAT THEM WHEN I’D MAKE MINE:p any way… i hve a question… i had bought a choclate it does say anything abt being milk dark bitter etc… its just mentioned baking choclate… and its from hershey’s vanhouten… wat wud b the measurement of ingridients when using dis choclate… plz reply sooooooooooon its my fiance’s bday on 25 this month!!! plz help me out!!! thankssssssss a millionssssssss!!!!
July 15, 2011 at 10:04 am
Hey that was cool, Can I take part of your post to my blog, i will post the original source of course.
July 11, 2011 at 9:43 am
Hi,
I have same problem which yeshi have please reply soon.
July 9, 2011 at 4:04 am
Hi,
I love your blog, its absolutely beautiful.
I have made milk chocolate clay. However, when I started making the rose and putting layers of petals, the petals started drooping and sticking to each other. The result did look like a flower. But, the flower you have shown has all petals open and not sticking to each other which is why it looks so realistic. So, I have two questions: 1) How do I stop petals from sticking to each other. 2) How do I make the edge of petals as thin as you have without breaking. Eagerly awaiting your reply. Thanks.
June 4, 2011 at 11:46 am
Hi. Are you using real white chocolate in your recipe? Is it OK to do so? I’ve heard that people use Wilton candy melts. But I want to tell my sister how to make this and she’s in South America. She’ll have more access to white chocolate than to candy melts. Will the white chocolate or dark chocolate have to be tempered before adding the corn syrup? Or should I tell her to just follow your recipe?
Thank you!
May 29, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Rebecca, you can either knead it or microwave it for a few seconds to soften it a bit. Hope it helps.
May 29, 2011 at 5:04 am
Hi I made the chocolate plastic as per the recipe (with liquid glucose instead) however having taken it out of the fridge ( it was in overnight) the plastic has gone very crumbly and a little stiff. If I continue kneading will this right itself? If not do you have any suggestions?
May 26, 2011 at 9:48 am
Sarah, thank you.
The petals usually come shiny if you press them between plastic and don’t handle them much attaching to a core. But they sure can be glazed after. There’s a great product available from Albert Uster Imports – edible lacquer spray. There are other confectioners’ glaze products available from sugarcraft stores that you can brush over the roses. I think I saw it in Globalsugarcraft.com. Or, just try brushing them lightly with melted (but not warm) shortening.
May 25, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Hi Vera!
Your roses are beautiful! Thanks a lot for sharing! I have a question though, I have already dried my roses but they don’t have the shine I was hoping they would, is there any glaze I can make and apply with a paint brush to the rose? Something other than luster dust as I want is glazed not shiny!
Thanks a lot!
May 19, 2011 at 12:44 pm
Saleha, if your chocolate plastic didn’t turn out right, then I guess it’s not fine. You really have to be precise here, it does matter.
May 19, 2011 at 11:29 am
I used a bar of milk chocolate ( which says it can b used for cake decorations)
I guess I took about 150ml corn syrup.. Is that fine?
May 19, 2011 at 7:59 am
Saleha, what kind of chocolate did you use? It has to be good quality chocolate, not chocolate chips. Also, you have to measure your ingredients carefully. Half cup is 120 ml. How big is your “big” cup?
May 19, 2011 at 7:42 am
I just made my chocolate plastic, but it turned out veer rough and greasy ( the oil started separating ) what did I do wrong? Did I mix it too much? Or is it bcos I used half ( big) cup of corn syrup for alb milk chocolate? What can I do to save it? :(
Plz reply
May 14, 2011 at 5:35 am
Casey, the chocolate mixture goes through an unattractive separated stage as you start mixing, but should come together and become smooth and shiny. So, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong.
Ellie, the golden syrup is the same thing. It can slightly affect the color of your roses since the golden syrup is darker, but it shouldn’t be a problem.