Intro to Modeling Chocolate with Lauren Kitchens

Who knew you could make an entire city out of chocolate? Yes, it’s entirely possible to construct a city out of chocolate! Modeling chocolate that is, and how much more delicious is chocolate than concrete or asphalt?

In Lauren Kitchens's Craftsy Class, Intro to Modeling Chocolate, she shows you how to take the “Windy City” and translate all that inspiration into a towering seven tier creation! Now, before anyone gets intimidated by attempting to create a seven tier cake, let me say that after you take Lauren’s class you won’t ever be reluctant to attempt such a feat. She really has such a wealth of information to share, specifically about breaking down her design process so that it’s as simple as a piece of pie. Whether you make a single tier or a ten tier creation, Lauren will show you the way to achieve your design goal.

Modeling chocolate is such an interesting, delicious medium to use when decorating your cakes, especially once you learn the proper way to make it. Lauren shows you step by step her foolproof method of mixing the chocolate and thoroughly explains what to watch for and how to avoid ruining your final product. The best part of watching her is that she shows you two ways of making it. The right way and the wrong way! Any professional can show you how to do it correctly, but then when you are home doing it yourself and you see something totally wrong it can be baffling. Lauren explains exactly what to watch for as you are making your chocolate. Once it is made, rested and then kneaded, you are on your way to success!

This Craftsy class is going to appeal to those interested in learning the basics of modeling chocolate. Anyone in the cake industry knows that Lauren is famous for her work with modeling chocolate, specifically her sculptural work. You are not going to find her working that type of magic here as the entire project taught in the class is achieved in two dimensional cutouts of chocolate versus three dimensional. As it is a beginner class, that makes sense because working with chocolate involves touching it with warm hands. Heat is the enemy of modeling chocolate! So anyone with super hot hands is going to find working with chocolate a challenge, especially if it’s their first time working with it. However Lauren gives you plenty of tips on how to avoid letting your hot eager hands warm the chocolate too much!

My intro to modeling chocolate project

There are several textural methods you will learn in this class using a variety of tools and techniques. What is specifically encouraging is that Lauren even shows you to make your OWN tools out of polymer clay. How neat is that? Of course, everything is food safe and she shows you the safety seal to look for on those types of products to ensure that it’s certified non-toxic. There are so many ways she can etch texture into the chocolate and you will learn how to incorporate the lines to create each design element. Then she shows how to make it all “come alive” with the additional of your choice of accent coloring. She utilizes airbrushing, backfilling, and various ways of applying petal dusts. I really thought it was so cool the way she backfilled the lines of the buildings with buttercream. It’s almost like reverse piping in a way, so anyone who hates or has a hard time with piping details will love this method of accenting! It’s one of my very favorite methods that I learned from this class!

Once you take this class you will be surprised with how much you will learn besides mixing up a batch of melted chocolate and corn syrup. Her passion and artistic approach to cake decorating is infectious and the way she breaks it down into simple components is amazing. You can really see her desire to teach you coming through in all that she does and with the Craftsy platform, you can learn even more in the question answer section. Lauren answers the questions with the same enthusiasm she exhibits in front of the camera! This really makes a difference because if you forget or are unsure of something, you can refer back to any section of the class to refresh your memory. Lauren also ices and stacks her massive creation, so if you have never seen a seven tier cake stacked and supported with dowels, then you are in for a treat. If you are fortunate enough to take Lauren Kitchens's, Intro to Modeling Chocolate class, you will learn so much. It will add a rich dimension to your cake decorating skills and you will be able to use modeling chocolate with an awesome level of confidence!

Does Intro to Modeling Chocolate with Lauren Kitchens sound right for you? Purchase it here for 25% Off! Not ready to purchase? Then we recommend starting with one of Craftsy's free mini cake decorating classes!