Other figures, such as fish etc., may also be produced in chocolate, by means of the moulding press, when it is furnished with stamped moulds, corresponding to the forms required.
2. Chocolate eggs.
These are generally made hollow, unless they are very small, by pressing chocolate in two halves of an egg-shaped mould and then uniting the two parts. Another method patented by Th. Berger of Hamburg[118] seems less practical. A mould is made of soft sheet caoutchouc blown out; this is dipped into liquid chocolate and, after the adhering coating has hardened, the air is let out of the mould. The use of caoutchouc moulds would render this method too costly, since the alternation of temperature soon makes the caoutchouc unserviceable.
3. Various figures, fruits, animals, and other small objects.
Double moulds are used for making these objects in chocolate, consisting sometimes of three or four parts; they are made either of sheet iron, tinned, or, for more complicated forms, the moulds are cast in tin, but these latter are not so durable as those of tinned sheet iron with strong iron frames.
The several parts of the moulds, after having soft chocolate mass pressed into them, are put together and excess of material is removed by requisite pressure by the use of a press of the kind made by A. Reiche in Dresden, which will admit of a large number of moulds being placed in it at a time. By the use of such a press the moulds are protected from injury, and the objects moulded have a better appearance, as a result of the uniform as well as strong pressure exerted.
After cooling, the moulded objects are readily detached from the moulds and they only require to be scraped clean, or further ornamented as may be desired. That is done in various ways, for example by painting with coloured cacao butter.
4. Crumb Chocolate.
This term is applied to the small pieces of chocolate of truncated conical shape, with from 4 to 5 smooth surfaces. They are made by a machine specially constructed for the purpose by A. Reiche (No. 1550); it consists of a four-cornered box with a removable bottom. Inside the box there is a false bottom, from 1 to 2 cm above the other bottom, which is fitted with a removable sheet iron plate, in which pentagonal holes are stamped. A knife can be introduced at one corner of the bottom of the box. After sufficient chocolate has been made to penetrate through the pentagonal holes by agitating the box on the table, the knife is rapidly drawn across the bottom and the box raised up. The sheet iron plate is then taken out, and by gently tapping one corner the small pieces of chocolate are shaken out.
5. Small tablets, sticks, fruits or figures filled with cream.