Recently I made a cake that was covered in white chocolate ganache and topped with golden white chocolate leaves. As I mentioned in that post, I got the idea from Martha Stewart’s website. These leaves are actually quite easy but produce stunning results.

They can be made using white, milk, or dark chocolate. I chose white chocolate simply because I thought it would go better with my cake, however if I’m making a chocolate mousse cake or something in the future, I definitely want to try out this technique using milk or dark chocolate.

Chocolate Leaves

You will need:

• 150g white chocolate, chopped
• ~25 fresh mint leaves, washed and dried
• 1 new (and clean!) paint brush
• 1 baking sheet covered with baking parchment
• 2 wooden skewers

You will need 150g of white chocolate and a bunch of fresh mint. You can also use other edible leaves such as rose, lemon or bay leaves.

Instructions:

Melt the white chocolate in the microwave or over a heat proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
Paint the back of each mint leaf with the white chocolate. You want to paint the backs so that you get the gorgeous pattern of veins imprinted onto your chocolate leaf. Be careful not to go over the edges as this will make it harder to pull the leaves off.

Drape the leaf, chocolate side up, over the wooden skewer placed on the baking sheet covered with baking parchment.

Once all the leaves are covered, place in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes. I had a bit of left over chocolate, so I added another layer of chocolate to a few of the leaves to make them a bit sturdier.

After the chocolate has set, remove the mint leaves by gently peeling them away, starting at the base of the leaves. Make more than you need, just in case a few of them break during this process.

Edible Gold Paint

You will need:

• edible gold dust (available online or at most cake shops)
• 1 tsp of vodka/other clear alcohol
• 1 small new (clean!) paint brush
• small bowl

Instructions:

Mix together about 1 tsp of  the gold dust with the vodka in a small bowl.
Brush the top of each leaf with the gold paint and leave to dry.

Once dry, the leaves can be used to decorate cakes or cupcakes as desired.