White
chocolate is a great choice for making chocolate decorations because it is easier to handle than dark or milk
chocolates. It is mostly cocoa butter with milk solids and sugar. It doesn't have cocoa solids, and does not have the
same problems with "blooming" as milk and dark chocolates. Blooming is when cocoa butter appears on the
surface of chocolate, contrasting with the cocoa solids and giving the chocolate a whitish appearance. While I have
seen a few mentions that white chocolate must be tempered, a technique used to stabilize other chocolates, I have never
done so and have never had problems with it.
For the snowflake cake, you can make the whole vanilla cake or decorate the icing
of another kind of cake. To make the snowflakes, simply chop white chocolate and seal it into a plastic bag. Place the
bag in a bowl of hot, but not boiling, water, until it melts. Cut off one of the corners of the bag and pipe snowflakes
onto a piece of parchment paper. The snowflakes can set up at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When they are
set, gently press them into smooth, white icing for a beautifully wintry look. The cake will have a slight crunch from
the snowflakes, followed by a melting creaminess as the chocolate warms in your mouth.
[Photo by Nicole Weston]
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