[kthull]

This was the first time I used acetate for a painted chocolate decoration that I will be putting on top of a sheet cake. When I took it out of the refrigerator, the acetate sheet was a little curled, just enough to make my flat sheet of chocolate no longer flat. Is this normal? I got the acetate sheets from an art supply store.

 

[w.debord]

Yes that always happens (it's nothing you did wrong). What you have to do everytime to correct its tendency to curl is: place a sheet of something (wax paper, acetate or parchement) that's smooth over the top of your not set chocolate, then place another object on top, to weight it down so it can't curl. The best weight is another pan the same size as the one your using.


After a it's chilled, just peel off the paper. Using acetate will give you the shinest surface, the other choices will remain dull. But that remains as the back of your item.
HTH

 

[pastryart]

the reason for the curling is that when chocolate is crystalised (tempered) it shrinks, so the acetate curls while the chocolate shrinks. Thats why properly tempered chocolate removes from molds easily