Chocolate Plastic and Chocolate Rose

I wanted a chocolate rose to decorate a cake, and found this recipe that seemed easy to follow. It worked really well. It was striking when placed on the red cake.

Ingredients

White chocolate - 1/2 lb

Light corn syrup - 1/4 cup

food coloring (optional)
This recipe can also be made with milk or dark chocolate. The procedure for milk chocolate is the same, but if you are using dark chocolate, increase the amount of corn syrup to 1/3 cup.

Steps

1. Melt the chocolate completely over a double boiler.
2. Add light corn syrup in melted chocolate and stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined.

3. Spoon the chocolate onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, and wrap it securely. Allow the chocolate to cool and solidify at room temperature, for at least 6 hours or overnight.

4. Soften the hardened chocolate by kneading it with glove-covered hands, or microwave it in short 10-second intervals until it becomes soft enough to work with. Continue to knead until it is smooth and pliable. Do not worry if your chocolate plastic has lumps--these can be worked out through the kneading process. Dust your hands with powdered sugar if the chocolate begins to stick. At this point, you can divide it and knead different food coloring into the chocolate, if desired. Be sure to change your gloves between batches to avoid muddying the colors.
5. Dust your work surface with a thin layer of powdered sugar if needed. Roll out the chocolate plastic to work on.
6. Now you’re ready to decorate with your chocolate plastic! You can cut out shapes or letters with cookie cutters or a knife, or form the chocolate plastic into ribbons and bows, or use large sheets of plastic to wrap entire cakes. You can check out this photo tutorial on how to make chocolate roses.

7. Gather remaining scraps of chocolate plastic and wrap tightly. Store in a cool cupboard and use within 2-3 weeks. To re-use, repeat the softening instructions in step 4.