How to Make Chocolate Brush Strokes

  • 01 of 05

    Melt the Chocolate or Candy Coating

    Melted Chocolate Coating
    Elizabeth LaBau

    Chocolate brush strokes are an easy chocolate decoration that adds a beautiful touch to cakes, tarts, and cupcakes!  You can make as many or as few as you'd like, but as a rough guide, plan on getting about a dozen from 4 oz. of chocolate.

     Because of the delicate nature of these decorations, they should be made with either tempered chocolate or chocolate candy coating. Both of these options produce decorations that are smooth and shiny, and stable at room temperature. Simply melting chocolate or chocolate chips might produce decorations that are soft or sticky at room temperature.Here's what you need to get started: 

    • Tempered chocolate or chocolate candy coating
    • Clean, dry pastry brush

    If you want to use real chocolate, temper it following these instructions. If you want to use chocolate candy coating, place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well after every 30 seconds to avoid overheating.

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  • 02 of 05

    Paint the Chocolate Using a Pastry Brush

    How to Make Chocolate Brush Strokes
    Elizabeth LaBau

    Cover a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

    Dip a clean, dry pastry brush in the melted chocolate or coating. Brush a stripe of chocolate about 2 to 3 inches long on the baking sheet. As you get toward the end, the chocolate will get spotty and you'll see an uneven edge along the top—that is great! That's what makes it look like a brush stroke! If the chocolate layer looks thin or translucent, dip the brush back in the chocolate and go over the original brush stroke a second time to make it thicker.

    Repeat until all of your chocolate is used up, or you have as many decorations as you need. They are a little delicate, so it's a good idea to make a few extras in case of breakage.

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  • 03 of 05

    Let the Chocolate Brush Strokes Dry

    How to Make Chocolate Brush Strokes
    Elizabeth LaBau

    Refrigerate the tray for about 10 minutes, to set the decorations. Once set, carefully lift them from the tray by sliding a spatula under them, then gently lifting them up with your fingers. 

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  • 04 of 05

    Place the Brush Strokes on Your Cake

    How to Make Chocolate Brush Strokes
    Elizabeth LaBau

    Chocolate Brush Strokes can be used to decorate cakes, tarts, or cupcakes. We love to rest them up against truffles on top of the cake, but they're also lovely when perched on top of frosting or whipped cream rosettes. You can also try tiling them around the sides of the cake so that the sides are completely covered.

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  • 05 of 05

    Your Chocolate Brush Strokes Are Now Finished

    Chocolate Brush Strokes
    Elizabeth LaBau

    Your brush strokes are now finished! If you don't want to use them to decorate right away, they can be stored in a cool location in an airtight container for several weeks. Avoid stacking them on top of each other―place layers of parchment or waxed paper between them. Enjoy!