To enhance a dessert, you can either use a chocolate mirror glaze or a velvet-effect spray.
You have several recipes for mirror glaze on the blog, so let’s take a look at the velvet texture technique.
Those who bake frequently are very familiar with what velvet texture is, but those who are new to baking may be hearing about it for the first time.
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What is Chocolate velvet texture?
Velvet spray is a mixture of dark, milk or white chocolate melted with cocoa butter, which is sprayed onto a frozen mousse-based “entremets” cake. The thermal shock occurs when the slightly warm chocolate comes into contact with the frozen entremets, resulting in a pearlescent, velvety effect on the surface. The fine chocolate particles sprayed onto it immediately freeze upon contact with the icy surface.
There are two ways to create a velvet effect :
👉 1. Velvet spray can
You can easily find velvet spray cans on online websites.
Velvet spray is very easy to use, but I find it quite expensive for regular use. Its great advantage is that it is quick to apply. Simply run the can under hot tap water for 1 or 2 minutes to liquefy the chocolate and cocoa butter.
Shake the can well before spraying it on the dessert taken out of the freezer. Keep a distance of 30 cm to ensure that the velvet spray comes out as a fine mist and not in clumps if you’re too close. Cover the area where you’ll be spraying because it’s very messy, similar to painting.
Spray a thin layer, otherwise the velvet effect will crack, and it won’t look very nice. To avoid overloading, use the same color of velvet spray as the entremets. A thin layer will cover it.
Below I’ve used red on white, but I’ve tried to spray as little as possible to cover the dessert. It would have been much better if the entremets had been red or if I’d used a white velvet spray.
👉 2. A spray gun specially dedicated to spraying your pastries.
Some time ago, I finally invested in a paint gun. I hesitated a lot about which spray gun would provide good spraying. After reading many reviews on Amazon and in pastry groups, I finally made a decision. My choice was the Wagner paint gun below.
If you only bake occasionally, velvet spray is more suitable.
I was a little apprehensive about using it, but in the end it’s very easy to use. Before using it on a dessert, I tested it by spraying water to test the spray.
The power of the spray is adjustable and before spraying on a dessert, I recommend you do a small test on the side. I use the medium position and the flow is impeccable. A fine layer of chocolate gently settles on the entremets in fine droplets without creating any clumps.
Spraying on the side before applying to the entremets avoids the possibility of the gun spitting at the start.
It’s easy enough to handle, and the only complaint is that it’s rather noisy.
Its reservoir is quite large, so a smaller container such as a jam jar or glass yoghurt pot can be used for a small quantity of chocolate. Sufficient liquid height is needed to avoid drawing in air at the end of the spraying process.
| The paint gun must be cleaned immediately after use. Fill it with hot water and start spraying to clean the nozzle and the entire duct. The water jet must come out clean, with no trace of chocolate. If you let the chocolate solidify in the nozzle, it will damage the nozzle and your paint gun will no longer work properly. |
The advantage of using a spray gun for velvet texture is that you can create custom colors. You can tint the mixture of white chocolate and cocoa butter with oil-soluble coloring. You can mix several shades to achieve the color you want. For example, here I added a touch of black with red to achieve a vibrant red color.
The proportion of chocolate to cocoa butter varies from one recipe to another. Some use 60% chocolate to 40% cocoa butter, while others use equal parts of each. I use the recipe from the Valrhona school, which uses a 70/30% ratio. With these proportions, the flocking is less likely to crack or peel off according to a chef from the Valrhona school, but after trying all three recipes, I didn’t notice any difference.
Here are the proportions from the Valrhona school, but you can also use a 1:1 ratio (50/50), especially if your chocolate doesn’t have good fluidity.
For purchasing this Wagner paint sprayer, I bought it on Amazon for around $65. You can get a cheaper one if it’s for occasional use.
Preparation steps :
| NB: Find the quantity of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of the article, which you can print. Below are the instructions, also available with visual images. |
Before you start
- prepare all ingredients
- A thermometer (though you can manage without one)
- The spray gun
- An immersion blender like Bamix
- Protect the surface where you’ll be spraying
You can do this work in the bathroom or the dishwasher for a quick cleanup with hot water once you’re finished. Alternatively, you can use a large cardboard box in which you place your entremets on a rotating tray. Choose what works best for you, but be aware that it’s very messy.
The quantity shown in the photos was for two entremets.
1. Melt the white chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler. You can melt them together in the same container.
2. Mix them, then add the fat-soluble coloring.
3. Blend with an immersion blender. Add more coloring depending on the desired color intensity.
4. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into the spray gun reservoir and use immediately at 42°C (107.6°F).
For a small quantity, pour the mixture into a small jar or container and place it in the reservoir.
5. Remove the entremets from the freezer and unmold it onto a cake turntable if possible. Run your hand over it to remove any frost.
6. Test your spray gun on the side before spraying the entremets. This will prevent the initial sputter, which can cause unattractive clumps on the entremets.
7. Spray while holding the gun 30 cm (12 in) from the entremets, turning the cake turntable with your other hand. Make continuous sweeping motions (waves) with the gun from left to right and then right to left.
8. Once the entremets is covered, stop. If you spray a thick layer, the velvet texture will crack. Refer to the tips at the beginning of the article.
9. Transfer to a serving dish and decorate as desired. Let thaw for 6 hours in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature. Slow defrost is better.
You can refreeze an entremets with velvet texture.
Once your entremets is in the refrigerator, immediately clean the spray gun following the tips above. If you have leftover glaze, store it in an airtight container in a dry place until next use. You can reheat it in a water bath or microwave.
I hope this article helps you in choosing a spray gun and in perfectly spraying your entremets for a beautiful presentation.
Chocolate Velvet Texture Recipe (for glazing cake )
INGREDIENTS
- For a 20/22 cm (8-9 inches) Entremets
White or Colored Velvet texture
- 140 g white chocolate (5 oz)
- 60 g cocoa butter (2.1 oz)
- oil-based food coloring
Dark Chocolate Velvet texture
- 140 g dark chocolate (5 oz)
- 60 g cocoa butter (2.1 oz)
Milk Chocolate, Caramel, or Dulcey Velvet texture
- 120 g milk chocolate or Dulcey (4.2 oz)
- 80 g cocoa butter (2.8 oz)
PREPARATION
- Before you start- prepare all ingredients- A thermometer (though you can manage without one)- The spray gun- An immersion blender like Bamix- Protect the surface where you'll be spraying
- You can do this work in the bathroom or the dishwasher for a quick cleanup with hot water once you're finished. Alternatively, you can use a large cardboard box in which you place your entremets on a rotating tray. Choose what works best for you, but be aware that it’s very messy.
- The quantity shown in the photos was for two entremets.
- Melt the white chocolate and cocoa butter in a double boiler. You can melt them together in the same container.
- Mix them, then add the oil-food based coloring.
- Blend with an immersion blender. Add more coloring depending on the desired color intensity.
- Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into the spray gun reservoir and use immediately at 42°C (107.6°F).
- For a small quantity, pour the mixture into a small jar or container and place it in the reservoir.
- Remove the entremets from the freezer and unmold it onto a cake turntable if possible. Run your hand over it to remove any frost.
- Test your spray gun on the side before spraying the entremets. This will prevent the initial sputter, which can cause unattractive clumps on the entremets.
- Spray while holding the gun 30 cm (12 in) from the entremets, turning the cake turntable with your other hand. Make continuous sweeping motions (waves) with the gun from left to right and then right to left.
- Once the entremets is covered, stop. If you spray a thick layer, the velvet texture will crack. Refer to the tips at the beginning of the article.
- Transfer to a serving dish and decorate as desired. Let thaw for 6 hours in the refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature. Slow defrost is better.
- You can refreeze an entremets with velvet texture.
- Once your entremets is in the refrigerator, immediately clean the spray gun following the tips above. If you have leftover glaze, store it in an airtight container in a dry place until next use. You can reheat it in a water bath or microwave.
- I hope this article helps you in choosing a spray gun and in perfectly spraying your entremets for a beautiful presentation.
Thank you for visiting my blog and your comments.
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