Modeling Chocolate Flags

In honor of upcoming 4th of July in the U.S., here is a tutorial that demonstrates how to apply an intricate modeling chocolate technique to the making of patriotic American flags for draping over the chocolate banisters of a ferry boat cake.

This involves precision and careful handling of modeling chocolate. For more information on how this cake was made, check out my ferry boat cake tutorial.

Ingredients and Equipment Needed

red, white, and blue modeling chocolate
rolled modeling chocolate equipment
round cutters 5/8”, 7/8”, 1 1/8”, 1 3/8”, 1 5/8” (or equivalently spaced apart)

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Working atop parchment paper, roll the red, white, and blue modeling chocolate out into sheets of 1/16” thickness. Make an extra sheet of white modeling chocolate because it will be needed towards the end of the process. Allow the sheets to rest for at least one hour in a cool place until they are easier to handle.

2. Cut red circles with the 1 5/8 round cutter. Cut smaller circles out of the centers using a 1 3/8” cutter. Set the removed red circles aside.

3. Cut white circles using the 1 3/8” cutter. Place them directly inside the larger red rings. Cut the centers out of the white circles using a 1 1/8” round cutter. Set the removed white circles aside.

4. Cut blue circles using the 1 1/8” round cutter. Lay them inside the flags that are now beginning to form. Cut the centers out of the blue circles using a 7/8” round cutter.

5. Cut a 7/8″ circle out of the extra white circles remaining. Lay them inside the flags.

I follow these recipes and instructions
Cake Decorating with Modeling Chocolate

6. Remove the centers of the white circles with a 5/8” cutter.

7. Cut 5/8” circles out of the red circles remaining. Lay them in the center of the flag, completing the design.

8. Using the remaining white rolled modeling chocolate, cut 1 3/8” circles and lay them on the tops of the formed flags. Press them gently to adhere.

9. Gently roll out the flags between two pieces of parchment paper using a small rolling pin (be careful not to roll repeatedly in the same direction or they will go pear-shaped), thinning them and blending all the colored rings together to appear as one. Allow the modeling chocolate some time to set in a cool place, ideally next to an air conditioning unit before attempting to handle them.

10. Peel back the top layer of parchment paper and dust the flags with corn starch (a.k.a. corn flour) to make them easier to handle.

9. Trim any unwanted bits off the edges of the flags using a large round cutter then use a knife to cut each flag in half. Drape each flag over the boat’s ‘banisters’ and secure them using piped chocolate.