Making hollow figures and Easter eggs
Two halves joined, or one shell spun. Both need thicker walls than seem necessary, because a thin hollow shell cannot be unmoulded intact.
A hollow figure is made either by casting two half-moulds and joining them, or — industrially — by spinning a filled mould so the chocolate coats the walls as it sets.
The two-part method is what works at home. Cast each half, build the wall in two coats rather than one, chill briefly to force contraction, unmould, then join by warming the rims on a hot tray and pressing the halves together.
The recurring failure is wall thickness. A single coat looks adequate in the mould and cracks on unmoulding, because a hollow shell has no internal support. Two coats is not a refinement; it is the difference between a figure and a bag of pieces.
- What it is for
- To produce a hollow moulded figure that survives unmoulding and joining.
- Working temperature
- 29–32°C — Working temperature for the casting. The joining tray should be warm to the touch rather than hot — enough to melt a rim in a second or two.
- Works with
- Hollow chocolate figure, Couverture, Milk couverture
- Does not work with
- Chocolate chips and eating bars will not release cleanly and are too viscous to coat a mould evenly. This is couverture work.
Method
1. Polish both mould halves with dry cotton wool. The gloss is a cast of the surface and a smeared mould gives a matt figure.
2. Fill, invert to pour out the excess, scrape the rim level and let it set. Then apply a second coat the same way.
Where people go wrong: Stopping at one coat. A single-coat shell cracks as it is unmoulded, every time.
3. Cool at 15–18°C until the halves have visibly contracted, then unmould.
Where people go wrong: Prising with a knife when a half sticks. It will break and the mould will scratch permanently.
4. Warm a flat tray, touch each rim against it briefly to melt it, and press the halves together. Hold for a moment and set aside.
Where people go wrong: Piping chocolate along the seam instead, which shows as a ridge and is much harder to make neat.
When it goes wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Shell cracked while unmoulding | Walls too thin. | Two coats, and let the contraction complete before attempting to unmould. |
| Visible seam | Uneven rim melt, or the halves were pressed at an angle. | Melt the rim evenly on a flat warm surface and press square. A little residue can be scraped once set. |
| Halves will not release | Out of temper, so the chocolate has not contracted. | Chill for ten minutes to force contraction. If it still sticks, remelt and re-temper. |
What this will not work with
Chocolate chips and eating bars will not release cleanly and are too viscous to coat a mould evenly. This is couverture work.
Related
Works with
- Hollow chocolate figureTwo halves joined, or one shell spun. Both need thicker walls than seem necessary, because a thin hollow shell cannot be unmoulded intact.
- CouvertureTwo halves joined, or one shell spun. Both need thicker walls than seem necessary, because a thin hollow shell cannot be unmoulded intact.
- Milk couvertureTwo halves joined, or one shell spun. Both need thicker walls than seem necessary, because a thin hollow shell cannot be unmoulded intact.
Covered in
- Humidity and chocolateMoulded work, where condensation on a cold mould shows most.
- Easter chocolateMaking one yourself, and the two places it fails.
History and culture
- Easter chocolateHow to make one, and the two places it usually fails.
Sources
- ChocolateHQ editorial synthesis — ChocolateHQ(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)
- The Science of Chocolate — Royal Society of Chemistry(citation identity confirmed; passage not re-read)