In this cake video, I'll show you a couple of methods for creating gorgeous yet surprisingly simple chocolate flowers for your cakes!

Working with Candy Coating

For today's "chocolate flowers" we are using candy coating. Candy coating (also known as compound chocolate, almond bark, candy melts, etc.) is one of our favorite mediums for cake decorating.

We find that it is easier to work with than a true chocolate as it does not need to be tempered and has a higher melting point. Simple warm in the microwave, create your decoration, chill, and it can be used immediately.

**If tinting your candy coating, make sure that you use an oil based candy coloring gel rather than the coloring gels used when tinting buttercream or fondant. Colors that are not oil based may thicken the chocolate too much to work with (or cause it to seize).

We've creating some really unique cake designs over the years that feature candy coating- you can find them further down in this post.

Today's Chocolate Flowers

We made a chocolate peony video tutorial several years ago which we still love, but today's technique is simpler and faster, and the results are every bit as beautiful!

These beautiful pink flowers are such an impressive way to top off cakes for all sorts of occasions, and the colors can easily be changed to match the color scheme.

We think that these chocolate flowers most resemble peonies, although if they were white rather than pink, they would look like magnolias as well! I hope that you have fun with this technique- the flowers are so much fun to make and the options are endless.

How to Make Chocolate Flowers for Cakes

Our favorite method for making chocolate flower petals is to use eggs- we were inspired by a YouTube video by Yeners Way which we loved. In our cake video we also demonstrate how to create chocolate petals using a silicone mold. Here's how we did it!

1. Wrap the eggs or Grease the Molds: First, wrap eggs with plastic wrap or grease outside of small round silicone mold(s). I wrapped the cold eggs tightly in plastic wrap.
2. Melt the Candy Coating: Next, melt candy coating in the microwave. We like to start with 30 seconds, stir, and repeat in smaller time increments until chocolate is almost completely melted. Then, stir until smooth and completely melted. (Melting it this way helps to prevent burning).
3. Tinting the Chocolate: Swirl chocolate with pink candy coloring gel (Make sure to use candy coloring gel which is oil based). You could also use pre-colored candy coating if you'd like.
4. Creating the Petals: Dip eggs or molds into the chocolate and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until firm. Unwrap the eggs and remove chocolate petals. Remove from silicone molds also.
5. Chill Chocolate Petals: When ready to assemble flowers, chill the petals in the freezer for 5 minutes if needed to firm them up.
6. Assemble Flower: Apply freshly melted candy coating to the bottom of a well (formed by placing foil over a mug and small bowl). Arrange the petals to create flowers, adding more candy coating as needed for "glue".

Using Eggs for forming Chocolate Petals for Cakes

As I mentioned above, when I was searching for ideas on chocolate flowers, I came across a great video by Yeners Way that demonstrated using eggs for this process.

I've always just piped or brushed my chocolate onto parchment in the past, or used a mold. I love this idea because most people have eggs in their refrigerator.

Plastic Eggs Option: As I demonstrated in the video, you can also use plastic eggs- I put coins inside of mine so that the chocolate petal side wouldn't be top heavy after dipping. It works well also, although I liked how quickly the chocolate set up against the chilled eggs.

The eggs didn't take long for me to wrap in plastic wrap- just about 5 minutes- and the dipping went quickly also before refrigerating. The chocolate was never hot. So, you can definitely return your eggs back to the refrigerator when finished.

Hard Boiled Option: If you're nervous about cracking the eggs by accident you could always hard boil them first but luckily we had no issues- plus they're wrapped in plastic ;0)

Egg Platter: If you happen to have a deviled eggs platter, that may be a good option for placing the plastic-wrapped-eggs after dipping.

Silicone Molds for Chocolate Petals

I used a silicone mold from a set that I already had just to demonstrate a different option as well as to create a smaller flower. The wells that I used were just under 2 inches wide.

I've used these molds many times for creating chocolate spheres/balloons, etc. (If you don't have a set like this, you don't need it in order to create the smaller flower- just dip less of the egg in the chocolate for smaller petals-- or you could even use plastic spoons as a mold instead!)

How to you Decorate a Cake with Chocolate Flowers?

Chill Chocolate Flowers

Once your flowers are assembled, and you are ready to decorate the cake, it's a good idea to chill the flowers for 10 minutes in the refrigerator, or 5 minutes in the freezer.

The chocolate flowers and petals are much less fragile when chilled, so that you can easily handle them without worry.

Chocolate Leaves

*You can create simple chocolate leaves by piping medium sized dots of tinted green candy coating onto a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. (Use a piping bag with the tip snipped away).

Then, spread the chocolate dots into leaf shapes using a small offset spatula and chill.

Chill the Cake

Also, before adding the flowers, it's a good idea to chill your cake tier to firm up the buttercream. That way, if you need to change the placement of the flowers, you won't have to worry about messing up the frosting.

Add Buttercream Texture with Pastry Brush

The fine lines of texture on our buttercream tier were created by using a silicone pastry brush. I frosted my cake with a fairly smooth finish first, and then went right back in with the pastry brush.

I held the brush lightly against the frosting as I rotated the cake on a turntable. When frosting builds up on the brush, wipe it off as needed to keep your design nice and neat.

We love textured buttercream designs, and this is just one of many options! Whether you go with a smooth design, textured or piped design, or something else, the flowers will be gorgeous on any cake- they are the star of the show! ;0)

We hope that you enjoy the video!

A Few More Chocolate Decorations to Try..

Chocolate Peony Tutorial- Free Video Tutorial

Painted Buttercream Cake with Chocolate Spheres- Free Video Tutorial

Sweet Balloons Cake- Free Video Tutorial

Springtime Flowers in Chocolate- Free Video Tutorial