Peter Greweling, Culinary Institute of America

Applying Dry Luster Color

Appears in

Chocolates and Confections

By Peter Greweling and Culinary Institute of America

Published 2007

About

Dry colors approved for use in food may be dusted lightly into a mold before filling the mold with chocolate, or they may be mixed with cocoa butter and brushed in. When applied dry, these colors create an entirely different effect from the one created by liquid colors.

Dry luster color, when lightly dusted into an empty mold, adds a brilliant edible hue to the top of finished chocolates.

Shell-Molded Chocolate Defects

Defect	Cause	Remedy
Poor Shine	Mold not well polished	Polish mold well after washing
	Mold in poor condition	Use mold with smooth, clean interior
	Chocolate over- or undertempered	Use optimally tempered chocolate
	Chocolate applied while too cool	Apply chocolate at maximum working temperature
	Brushed-in chocolate overcrystallized	Stop brushing chocolate before it crystallizes
Difficulty Releasing	Chocolate over- or undertempered	Use optimally tempered chocolate
	Chocolate not fully set	Allow chocolate to set longer
	Chocolate not cooled enough	Chill chocolate more to allow it to contract
	Shell too thin	Leave chocolate in longer before inverting mold to drain away excess
Bubbles on Surface	Chocolate overtempered	Use optimally tempered chocolate
	Molds too cold	Warm molds to 25° to 30°C/77° to 86°F before filling
	Chocolate too viscous	Use chocolate with higher cocoa butter content
	Mold not vibrated sufficiently	Vibrate mold well to remove air bubbles
Dull Spots on Surface	Mold not warmed before use	Warm mold to 25° to 30°C/77° to 86°F before filling
	Mold not polished well	Polish mold well after washing
Bloomed Chocolate	Undertempered chocolate used	Use optimally tempered chocolate
		Do not refrigerate too long
	Excessive humidity	Work in low-humidity environment
	Latent heat of crystallization not released	Chill molds as they crystallize
Oozing Center	Overfilled mold	Fill mold only to within 2 to 3 mm/1/16 to ⅛ in of the top
	Shell too thin	Allow filled molds to sit longer before removing excess chocolate
	Inadequate adhesion of cap	Warm the mold slightly before capping
Flaking Surface	Brushed-in chocolate overcrystallized	Stop brushing chocolate before it crystallizes
	Mold not well polished	Polish mold well after washing
Cracked Shell	Refrigerated too long	Remove from refrigerator sooner
	Shell too thin	Leave chocolate in longer before inverting mold to drain away excess