Wrapping a cake with a wide chocolate strip

by: karen

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A wide chocolate strip wrapped around a cake is dramatic to look at and provides a contrasting crunch. To make it, you'll need to buy clear sheets of plastic called "acetate" at an art supply store or baking supply store. Melting the chocolate and then beating it as it cools tempers it, making it flexible enough to wrap around the cake in its solid state. To wrap a 9 by 1 1/ 2-inch cake, you'll need one 30-inch-long strip of 3-inch-wide acetate and 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Fill, frost, and refrigerate the cake. Spread the acetate strip on your work surface, weighting it down at the edges to keep it flat. The acetate must be perfectly clean and dry. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, and remove the bowl to an ice bath (a larger bowl of ice water). As it cools, stir it vigorously with a rubber spatula. Don’t let even a drop of water get into the chocolate or it will seize. When the chocolate has cooled to about body temperature (touch it with the back of your finger - it should feel neither hot nor cold), spread it in a thin layer over the acetate sheet. Allow the chocolate to cool on the work surface until it loses its sheen, about 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and place it on the work surface. Gently lift the chocolate-covered acetate strip off the work surface and wrap the acetate around the cake, with the layer of chocolate on the inside. Let cool for 15 minutes, then gently peel away the sheet of acetate. Decorate the top of the cake by covering it with raspberries.