Chocolate Melting After Putting In Moulds

by Stacey
(Adelaide)

Why is my chocolate melting after putting in moulds?

I went out and bought moulds. I also bought cooking chocolate. I went home and melted the chocolate and then put it in the moulds.


When I took the chocolate out of the moulds, it started to melt straight away.


What am I doing wrong? Please help me.


~Stacey

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Hi Stacey,

Well, there could be a number of reasons why your chocolate is melting again right after you take it out of the chocolate moulds.


First of all, it could be the temperature in the room. Chocolate melts quite easily, as I'm sure you already know. I don't know about Adelaide, but I'm up in Queensland and chocolate left at room temperature at the moment is definitely going to be starting to melt in this heat.


If you have an air conditioned home or the weather's not too hot and you can rule out the question of the room temperature, let's look at the other options.


How about the temperature you are using to melt the chocolate? Are you over heating the chocolate? You didn't mention what method you used to melt your chocolate before filling your moulds. Whether you are using a double boiler or the microwave, you have to be really careful not to get the chocolate too hot.


Another option to consider is the type of chocolate you are using. Different chocolate has different amounts of cocoa butter (sometimes no cocoa butter at all because it has been substituted with vegetable oil, etc.). This all affects how well the chocolate will set.


Your best option to be sure your chocolate is going to set properly is to temper the chocolate. Tempering chocolate is a bit time consuming, but you will get a much better finish that is crisper and more stable in the end.


Another tip for you to keep in mind is that when you handle the chocolate after you take it out of the mold, you are quite likely to cause it to melt because of your body temperature. If you have a pair of cotton gloves, use them when handling the moulded chocolates to eliminate this problem.


Finally, if you just can't be bothered tempering the chocolate, the only other solution I can think of for you is to get some food grade paraffin wax and add a little bit to the chocolate when melting it to help it set up better. A teaspoon per pound should do the trick.


Hope it works out for you and eliminates the problem of chocolate melting after putting in moulds!


Blessings,
Angie