How To: Decorate a cake by shaping artistic chocolate pieces

Chef Francois Payard shows some innovative cake decorating tips in this video. He says that all you need to make a beautiful cake topping is just a little chocolate, some practice and a lot of imagination. A cold slab of marble,approximately an inch thick and which is kept in the fridge for 3-4 hours, is required for shaping the decorations. Chocolate should be melted and it should be hot, not boiling. A large spoonful of chocolate should be poured on the marble and spread nicely and evenly. Quickly it should be picked and shaped into a folded pattern. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes and then top it on the cake with a sprinkling of cocoa powder. Chocolate fans for decorating the sides of the cake are made by applying chocolate thinly to a baking sheet and refrigerating to make it solid. The fans are carved out using a flay knife. The fans can also be combined together with each other to give beautiful chocolate flowers. Another simple design is to spread some chocolate on the marble, cut into strips and roll. These ideas are sure to transform your cake.