10 Simple and Delicious Ways to Decorate with Melted Chocolate

Co-authored by Hannah Madden Reviewed by Craig Watson

Last Updated: February 2, 2024 References

Impressing your friends and family is easy with a little bit of melted chocolate. You can add decorations to your cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and muffins to make them look like they came straight from a bakery! No matter what dessert you’ve whipped up, you can use these melted chocolate decorations for a bit of added flair.

1

Drizzle melted chocolate for an easy decoration.

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Set your cookies, cake, or muffins on a wire rack. Dip a fork into your bowl of melted chocolate, then quickly move it back and forth over your desserts to create small zig-zagging lines.^{[1]
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- Let the chocolate harden up for about 15 minutes before you dig into your desserts.
- If you want more control over your drizzle, use a piping bag instead of a fork or a spoon.

2

Pipe garnishes and fun designs.

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Create unique decorations with a piping bag. Fill up your piping bag with melted chocolate, then cut the tip off. Roll out a sheet of wax paper and pipe hearts, zig zags, or triangles that are about 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5.1 cm) big. Put your garnishes in the fridge for 10 minutes, then decorate your desserts.^{[2]
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- If you’re making a birthday cake, try spelling out the birthday boy or girl’s name.
- For a classy, sophisticated decoration, stick to abstract shapes and lines.

3

Make chocolate teardrops with the back of a spoon.

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Spread out a sheet of wax paper and grab your melted chocolate. Use a piping bag to add quarter-sized dots onto your wax paper, leaving about 1 in (2.5 cm) in between them. Push the back of a spoon into the drop of chocolate, then quickly swipe upward to create a teardrop shape. Freeze your decorations for about 1 hour until they’re hard.^{[3]
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- These are fun decorations to add to vanilla ice cream or a cupcake.

4

Cut shapes out of layers of chocolate.

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Pour your melted chocolate into a shallow baking pan. Freeze the chocolate for about 1 hour until it’s frozen solid, then use a knife to cut out hearts, stars, or triangles. Stick each shape on top of your desserts for a fun and tasty decoration.^{[4]
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- Make a marble design out of chocolate by pouring a base layer of melted white chocolate into your pan. Drip milk or dark chocolate in clumps on top, then use a toothpick to swirl them around before freezing.

5

Add edible leaves to your desserts with chocolate.

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Pick out 5 to 6 small herb leaves, like thyme or basil. Spread the leaves out on a baking sheet, then pour melted chocolate on top of each one. Freeze the leaves for about 1 hour, then peel the leaves off the back of the chocolate.^{[5]
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- You’ll see the imprint of the veins on the back of the chocolate when you peel the leaves off.
- To make your chocolate taste good, try using mint leaves.

6

Create a chocolate honeycomb design with bubble wrap.

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Spread a sheet of bubble wrap out on a flat surface. Pour a thin layer of melted chocolate onto the bubble wrap, then freeze it for about 1 hour. Peel the bubble wrap off the chocolate, then break your honeycomb into small pieces.^{[6]
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- This is a perfect decoration for desserts made with honey, like honeycomb cupcakes or cookies.

7

Make chocolate curls for a classy decoration.

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Spread your chocolate out in a thin layer on the back of a cookie sheet. Use a knife or a spatula to get it as thin as possible, then put the cookie sheet in the freezer for 2 to 3 minutes. Afterwards, grab a metal spatula and gently scrape the chocolate from one side to the other, creating small curls as you go.^{[7]
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- Once you have your curls, put them on a plate and throw them back in the freezer so they can harden up. If you don’t want to use them right away, keep them in a plastic bag in the freezer.

8

Dip shortbread cookies into chocolate for extra flavor.

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Make your favorite shortbread cookies, then let them cool. Pour your melted chocolate into a small bowl, then dip each cookie into the chocolate halfway. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and let the chocolate set for about 1 hour before digging in.^{[8]
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- If you don’t want to eat your cookies right away, keep them at room temperature in an airtight container.
- For a little extra crunch and flavor in your cookies, sprinkle on some chopped pistachios while the chocolate is still warm.

9

Make a chocolate drip cake for a chocolate lover.

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Whip up your favorite chocolate cake recipe and add a layer of white frosting. Pour your melted chocolate in a bowl, then gently pour the whole bowl onto the center of the cake. Let the drips run down the side, then chill the cake for 30 minutes to let the chocolate set.^{[9]
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- Melted chocolate may be a little too thin to stick to the top of the cake. If that’s the case, mix in 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of corn syrup before you pour your drizzle.
- You can use this on any cake that you’d like!

10

Wrap your cake in chocolate for a fancy decoration.

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Cut out a sheet of wax paper that spans the circumference of your cake. Spread the wax sheet out on a flat surface, then pour your melted chocolate into a piping bag. Drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the wax paper, leaning your lines slightly to the left. Go back over the drizzle a second time, leaning your lines to the right to create a zig zag pattern. Freeze the chocolate for 30 minutes, then wrap it around the outside of your cake.^{[10]
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- Try not to freeze your chocolate for much longer than 30 minutes when you’re making a wrap cake. If the chocolate gets too hard, it could crack as you move it around your cake.

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Tips

Keep your chocolate garnishes in the fridge or freezer as long as you can to make sure it doesn’t melt on top of your dessert.

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