Carousel
Chocolate Making Project

By Bob Sherman

This fun project is a bit more challenging to make, but produces a beautiful three dimensional piece suitable for table centerpieces or other times when a large display is desirable. They make great gifts for carousel lovers as well.

Most of the items you may need can be ordered directly from this page for your convenience.

PLEASE NOTE!! - Although chocolate making is relatively safe for the entire family to participate, adult supervision is required.

Chocolate
I prefer to use chocolate wafers designed for home molding chocolate. My preferred brand is Merckens which works well with all chocolate molding projects and tastes great.

Melting Chocolate
There are several large pieces to be molded in this project so the most efficient way is to use a double boiler or electric fondue pot.

1. Place chocolate in the pot.
2. Heat until creamy.
3. Check to make sure the temperature is no higher than 160 degrees F. before pouring. Pouring chocolate molds hotter than this will destroy the mold.

A microwave may also be used but care must be taken not to overheat the chocolate.

1. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Heat for 30 seconds.
3. Remove and stir.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is creamy.
5. Check to make sure the temperature is no higher than 160 degrees F. before pouring. Pouring chocolate molds hotter than this will destroy the mold. Do not place the thermometer in the microwave!

1. The top and bottom molds will not sit flat. Position these on suitable sized / shaped items to support them in a level position.	2. The animal molds will sit flat enough without support.
3. Pour or spoon chocolate into the mold cavities. Tap them hard several times to release any trapped air bubbles and level the surface.	4. Spoon chocolate into the animal mold of your choice. When placing the sticks, twirl them so the chocolate covers them better. You will need to make 5 animals.
5. Once the molds have cooled and the pieces are removed spoon some chocolate onto one half of the center column.	6. Align the 2 halves of the column and press them together. Wipe off any chocolate that may squeeze out as neatly as possible. Allow to harden before continuing.
7. Spoon a dollop of chocolate onto the center of the base.	8. Position the center column. Wipe off any chocolate that may squeeze out as neatly as possible.
9. Dip the bottom of the animal sticks in chocolate and position in the holes on the base. Do these one at a time as you will need to hold them vertically while the chocolate hardens.	10. Once all 5 animals are in place and the chocolate has set, spoon a dollop of chocolate atop the center column.
11. Place the top in place. This has to be aligned visually as close to centered as possible. Allow the assembly to harden.	12. Fold a towel several times to create a cushion. Cover it with a sheet of wax paper. Supporting the assembly top and bottom, turn it upside down and set it on this cushion.
13. Place a small dollop of chocolate around each stick to lock the tops in place. Allow to harden fully.	14. The finished carousel.

Chocolate Making Supplies And Materials

The following chocolate making supplies and other materials were used to make this project. Clicking on the item name will bring you to that item's page with a full description and ordering information. Note that only one type of animal mold is needed to complete this project and you can choose from horses, bunnies, or wild animals.

Support Free Projects
You can help ensure the continued availabilty and production of free chocolate projects by telling your friends about them. The more popular they are the more we can produce so tell your friends, mention them on message boards, link to them from your web site, etc... More information is available here.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common chocolate molding practices as of the time of this writing - December 2005. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This articles is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

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