Chocolate tattoo

Chocolate decorations and great chocolates are easy to make with chocolate tattoos. The chocolate tattoos, peel-off foils for chocolate or transfer foils are nothing more than slightly colored cocoa butter printed in a beautiful pattern on food-safe foil. The only other thing you need for great decorations is some tempered couverture. Applying the tempered couverture makes it easy to print on chocolate. Numerous different motifs can be ordered directly from our online store, so you are guaranteed to find the right one for your creation. This allows you to refine cakes, patisserie and special creations such as éclairs in no time at all.

How do you use the transfer foils or chocolate tattoos?

A chocolate tattoo is usually colored cocoa butter on a film, although other carriers and colorants are rarely used. A major advantage of cocoa butter is that it is also contained in the couverture coated on top. It therefore has no influence on the taste of the end product.
The transfer foil is ready to use immediately and requires no further preparation. If you want to decorate chocolates with the pattern, you can also cut the foil into pieces of the right size to make the best possible use of the surface. You will also need tempered couverture. You can find high-quality couverture in our store, and you can find out how to temper it on our blog. If you are still a little unsure about the tempering process or would like to learn different techniques under professional guidance, we recommend that you attend our tempering course.

Then place the chocolate tattoo on a smooth surface that can also be cut. Make sure that the completely smooth side is facing downwards. At the top, the surface should feel slightly rough and you should be able to feel a difference between the colored center and the transparent edge. This side is where the cocoa butter is to be combined with the couverture.

Then pour some tempered couverture of your choice onto the chocolate tattoo and spread it out thinly using a spatula, angled spatula or metal horn. The pattern should no longer show through the chocolate. Then it is important to find the right moment to cut it to size. The couverture should set slightly and become waxy. If you tap it with your finger, the chocolate no longer sticks directly to your finger, but the imprint is clearly visible and the chocolate is still easy to shape. Then use a tool of your choice. The best way to make even squares for decorating is to use a pastry cutter with several wheels. This professional tool can be easily adjusted to the desired width so that all squares are the same size. A knife and, if necessary, a straight spacer can also be used. Finally, you can also use cookie cutters or a cake ring to create the desired shapes. Use the pastry cutter or knife to make parallel cuts, then cut at right angles for squares or at a slight angle for rhombuses. If you want to cut out small shapes or a fan for cake decoration, you need to work with a little pressure. The edges must be pressed all the way through the couverture layer to guarantee a nice edge.

The finished transfer foil is then placed in the fridge on a very smooth surface. This ensures that the chocolate coating adheres nicely and the tattoo detaches from the foil. The foil can then simply be bent and moved a little, the individual plates should come off easily and break apart where they have been cut or punched. If an edge is not so nice, you can help it along with a hot knife. This can be used to melt away unevenness and cut away larger pieces. The easiest way to heat it up is with a hot-air blower, but you can also simply place the knife briefly in very hot water, dry it off and use it straight away.

Instead of cutting your shapes afterwards, you can also apply the couverture straight away. For simple dots, apply the chocolate using a paper cornet and tap it lightly on the table so that the dots run nicely. Various shapes can also be created using stencil mats. For example, place a clean silicone mat for éclair decorations on the tattoo and spread the couverture into the indentations. The silicone mat can then be removed from the waxy but no longer liquid chocolate. After removing the first batch of chocolate bars, you can place the silicone mat slightly offset and use it again until all the space has been used.

For chocolates, the tattoo foils can be cut into smaller pieces. The pieces are then stuck onto the filled and freshly sealed pieces with the rough side facing down and flattened slightly. Once the chocolate has cooled completely, the tattoo can be peeled off and the chocolate can be shaped.

How do you make the decorative plates particularly colorful and bright?

There is a simple trick for the chocolate flakes to achieve particularly vivid colors. Instead of dark or milk chocolate, simply use white couverture. The light background shines through the thinly applied cocoa butter and gives the food coloring it contains more radiance. Dark chocolate mutes the colors somewhat, but can also look very classy in combination with a light tattoo. So if you want to buy a new transfer foil, first take a look at the selection of transfer foils and think about which type and which colors best suit your project. 

How are transfer film or the finished decorative plates stored and how long do they keep?

The same recommendations as for couverture apply to transfer foil for chocolate as well as to the finished decorating discs. It is best to store them in a dry and cool place. The optimum temperature is 18° C. Chocolate should also be protected from sunlight. This is particularly important for delicate creations such as chocolate flakes or tattoos, as they melt very quickly. An airtight box in a cool, dry cellar or even a wine refrigerator would be the perfect place for your chocolate. The fridge, on the other hand, is unsuitable. It is too cool and very damp there. In addition, chocolate quickly takes on other odors and there are plenty of them in the fridge.

If stored properly, chocolate can be kept for between six months and two years, depending on the type. White chocolate has a shelf life of 0.5 to 1 year, milk chocolate should be enjoyed within 1 to 1.5 years and black chocolate lasts between 1.5 and 2 years. The information on the packaging applies to the chocolate tattoos. You can also use your senses to check the shelf life of the finished chocolate flakes. If the surface shines beautifully, the colors are not tired and the plates do not smell unpleasant, you can use them without hesitation. The transfer foils therefore offer the opportunity to create long-lasting decorations without a great deal of effort, which can simply be taken out when you need them.

For which creations are transfer foils for chocolate suitable?

Transfer foils are ideal for almost all chocolate decorations. You can use intact transfer foils or transfer foils cut into smaller pieces for chocolates. With these, the tattoo is placed directly on the actual underside as soon as it has been sealed with couverture. Cut chocolates can be made by pouring couverture onto the tattoo and placing the chilled chocolate sheet on top. The pieces are then cut to size. Alternatively, the cut chocolates can also be stamped, i.e. dipped in chocolate, dripped off and then placed on the tattoo. You could also stamp them and then place a narrow strip of chocolate tattoo foil across them or cover only half of them with it. With a fine pattern, this creates great chocolates with a colored ribbon.

All patisseries, cakes and tarts can be decorated with the printed decorative plates. They look particularly elegant when placed on top of a dollop of cream or inserted at an angle. Special shapes can be created using silicone molds or stencils. Then you can, for example, insert colored hearts into the dots of cream on your desserts. For eclairs, you can create a great decoration by making dots of whipped cream on the top using a round or star nozzle. These are then gently pressed together with the rounded chocolate flakes, which then adhere perfectly. The decoration can also be completed with dabs of the creams and rolled fondant flowers included. Another particularly practical feature here is that the eclairs are simply filled from the top and cannot leak.

You can also create great effects with printed chocolate drops. Sprinkle small drops over a creamy cupcake topping or place a slightly larger dot on top. Depending on the shape, very different decorations are possible, from chocolate bunnies on Easter cupcakes to elegant fans on birthday cakes.

How can you create your own chocolate tattoo?

You will find a large selection of different motifs in the online store and on site, but if you want personalized chocolate flakes for your cookies, you can achieve this with cocoa butter paints and food-safe PVC film or textured film. The production and processing differ slightly from the finished version. The possible patterns are of course somewhat less intricate than the machine-made versions. Furthermore, the applied cocoa butter is not dried or stored in between, the tattoo is painted and bonded directly with couverture.

Prepare a clean and food-safe foil. Then carefully melt your cocoa butter colors in a water bath or in the microwave. They should not get too hot to retain their beautiful shine. You can find the relevant information directly on the product or on the product page on the internet. The cocoa butter paint is then dabbed, painted or sprayed on with a brush, a food-safe rubber glove or a sponge. This creates detailed painted or colorful mixed patterns. Then pour on the tempered couverture and smooth it out nicely. Then process the whole thing in the same way as the ready-made chocolate tattoo and create your own creative chocolate flakes!