• Melt the chocolate gently over a double boiler (here, milk chocolate).
• Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water, which must stay at a simmer, not a boil.
• Stir occasionally with a spatula.
• Heat the milk chocolate to 44-45°C (111-113°F) Remove the bowl from the heat once the chocolate reaches around 41°C (106°F) , as the temperature will continue to rise slightly off the heat.
• If needed, briefly return it to the double boiler to bring it up to 44-45°C.
• ⚠️ Do not exceed 45°C (113°F) for milk, white, or colored chocolate, and 55°C (131°F) for dark chocolate.
• Refer to the tempering curves shown above for more precision.
• Cool the chocolate down to 27-28°C (80-82°F).
• Transfer the bowl to a cold water bath to speed up the cooling process. Once it reaches around 33°C (91°F), begin stirring regularly (this is called "stirring to promote crystallization") until it drops to 27–28°C.
• Reheat to the working temperature: 29-30°C (84-86°F).
• Place the bowl back over a lukewarm water bath, or use a hair dryer to gently warm it to the ideal working temperature.
• ⚠️ Do not exceed 30°C (86°F), or you’ll have to restart the tempering process from scratch.
• To test whether the chocolate is properly tempered, dip a teaspoon into it and place it on your work surface. The chocolate should begin to set within 3 minutes, becoming firm and matte without any whitish streaks.
• The chocolate is now ready to use. Maintain the working temperature 29 - 30 °C (84-86°F) by regularly placing the bowl over a warm double boiler
• Make sure the water doesn’t exceed 34 °C (93 °F), or you risk overheating and breaking the temper.

Chocolate Decorations

• Chocolate cake collar or ribbon
• Pour a little tempered chocolate onto a strip of acetate (collar), cut to match the circumference of your cake ring (add about 2 cm to help close the strip easily).
• Spread the chocolate evenly using an offset spatula. Aim for a thin but not too thin layer, if it’s too thin, the ribbon may break when handled. Use a back-and-forth motion and remove any excess chocolate.
• If the layer seems too thin after spreading, simply add a bit more chocolate and gently smooth it out again.
• Lift the strip using the tip of a knife, then carefully run it between your thumb and index finger to wipe the edges and remove any excess chocolate.
• Place the strip on a clean surface, then slide it slightly to ensure the sides are clean and to prevent smudging. Gently slip the blade of a knife underneath to keep it from sticking to the surface.
• Scrape the table to collect any remaining liquid chocolate and keep it in a warm double boiler to maintain its working temperature.
• As soon as the chocolate starts to turn matte and no longer leaves marks when touched, place a second strip of acetate of the same size on top. Wrap everything around your cake ring, slightly overlapping the ends of the strips, and secure them with a piece of tape.
• Place the cake ring with the chocolate collar (strip of acetate) on a tray and let it set for several hours, ideally overnight. You can also prepare it several days in advance if needed.
• The next day, gently remove the acetate strip, then take off the cake ring and the inner acetate collar. Carefully wrap the chocolate band around your dessert, slightly expanding it if needed.
• If needed, you can trim the ends using a heated knife.
• For a more creative design, you can punch holes into the chocolate collar. To do this, heat a frying pan, place piping tips of your chosen size in it, then gently press them into the chocolate to make clean cut-outs.
• Make sure to wipe the piping tip clean between each use.