Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi,

If I use my granite worktops to spread my chocolate on to, will it scratch the surface and would I be better with a separate marble block? Also is there a reason why when I try to make the cigarillos the chocolate “flakes” and doesn’t roll properly? –

Lyn

Hi Lyn

I’ve tempered chocolate on my granite worktops and haven’t experienced scratching. However I do us a marble slab for making cigarillos or any other decorations which need rolling up with a scraper. Marble slabs are not very expensive, I think I bought mine in one of the supermarkets for about £15.00. If you’re based in UK they can also be purchased in Dunelm Mills, Matalan , Wilcos and the Range.
The flaking is probably due to the chocolate getting too dry before you start rolling up. A good way of judging the right consistency for rolling is when the chocolate has lost it’s gloss and is just touch dry. It takes several attempts to get the hang of holding the scraper at the correct angle, so don’t despair! At least the chocolate can be re-tempered , it’s not wasted.
In my blog here http://www.cakeflix.com/how-to-ganache-cakes-without-gnashing-your-teeth
you can see the cigarillo on my chocolate cake. If you scroll down to the comments you can see my reply to member Gina on how the decorations on my cake were achieved.

Thanks, now purchased a separate slab of marble so will have another go.