How to make a Chocolate Collar

Making a chocolate collar for a cake is much easier than you’d think, its an impressive way to finish a spectacular cake.  You can use your favourite chocolate white, milk or dark the method is exactly the same.  So let’s get cracking!

For a collar for an 8″ cake you will need 250g of chocolate, melted and cooled slightly so it’s a fairly thick consistency and ideally you want it in a jug.

Cut yourself a long piece of baking paper, long enough to just overlap by 1-2cm if it wrapped around the outside of your frosted cake.

Fold it in half so that the piece is now double with the fold at the bottom.  Make sure you have enough room to work with it, decamp to the dining room table if needs be!

Measure how tall you want your collar to be – the height of the frosted cake plus 1cm.

Measure up from the fold along the length of your baking paper and mark a long line at the right height.    Trim off the paper just over the line. Turn the baking paper over so that the line is underneath and the fold is at the bottom.  This stops any pencil/pen etc coming into contact with the chocolate.

Get a palette knife to hand and set your frosted cake onto it’s serving plate.  Now it’s time to go!

Pour a line of chocolate down the centre of the paper, reserve a little in the jug for now.  You want to spread it gently and neatly up to the line you have marked for your height and completely down to the base of the paper and right the way to either end.

Pour on a little more chocolate in the places that need it and spread.

Aim for an even coating across the paper.

Now watch the chocolate carefully.  Depending on how hot your room is will greatly change the amount of time it will take to go off.  You’re looking for the chocolate to begin to set.  You need to be able to pick up the paper at either end, without the chocolate sliding off but before it reaches the fully set stage at which point it would crack.  I know that sounds very general but it’s much easier than it seems.

If you pick it up and chocolate runs from the paper, it’s not ready, set it down and wait a little longer.  This is just right, still flexible but firm enough to stay on the paper.

When it is good to go pick it up at either end, place the middle at the back of the cake, setting the bottom edge down against the serving plate.

Wrap the ends around to meet together at the front.  Press one end against the frosting and gently peel away the paper from the outside, just enough to stick the other end down against it.

Bob it into the fridge for 30 minutes to set off completely.

Take it out of the fridge and carefully peel away the paper.

Ta Dah!  One chocolate collar done.

Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire

Meet me down the aisles of The Pink Whisk Shop – for all sorts of cake decorating and baking delights!