Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

Hi. I’ve seen Paul use modelling chocolate for the reindeer antlers and the tree on the peppa pig cake.
I’ve never used this ingredient before. Can anyone explain why it’s preferred to sugarpaste in these cases? Does it set harder? Is is fairly cheap to buy? Thanks!

Hello wardshar

Modelling chocolate is a fabulous medium to work with. Commercially made paste isn’t cheap but well worth the price for the excellent results it gives. If you’d like to try working with it you can make your own, you’ll find heaps of useful advice and instructions here http://www.hungryhappenings.com/p/chocolate-making-tips.html
I think Paul used it in the Pepe tutorial just to add another texture and dimension although the paste does set a lot quicker than gum paste or fondant. Perhaps this was the thought behind using it for the deer antlers When making people figures the paste easily blends all seams and creases leaving a smooth finish. Most figures don’t need to be supported as it hardens quickly. Paul has used modelling chocolate in lots of other tutorials eg http://www.cakeflix.com/?s=traditional+Christmas+cake
There are other tutorials where the paste is used for making beautiful roses to adorn wedding cakes. Used in a 50/50 combination with sugar paste it makes a really lovely cake covering. It can be purchased from online cake decorating suppliers, Amazon and ebay. I’m a huge fan of this medium.
Hope this helps.