Velvet spray: how to give your dessert a velvety finish
Velvet spray: how to give your dessert a velvety finish
The velvet effect for bûches, cakes and desserts, explained step by step
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What you will learn
- What a velvet spray is and how the velvety effect is created
- How to prepare the spray, the dessert and your kitchen properly
- Which mistakes to avoid and what helps when the spray won't work
Hello fellow foodies,
have you ever wondered how pastry chefs give their desserts that beautiful, matt velvet look? The secret is a velvet spray! A few sprays and your bûche or cake looks as if it came from a pastry shop.
So that it works first time for you too, we have gathered all our tips here: what a velvet spray is, how the effect is created, how to prepare it properly and which mistakes are better avoided.
01What is a velvet spray?
Chocolate and cocoa butter in a spray can, for a matt, velvety finish.
Chocolate from a can
A velvet spray is a mixture of chocolate and coloured cocoa butter in a spray can. It gives cakes, bûches and frozen desserts a matt, finely textured surface that looks like velvet. Velvet sprays come in many colours, from white through red and gold to brown.
Combining colours
The beauty of velvet sprays: you can combine several colours to create gradients. Gold and red for a Christmas bûche, white and blue for a birthday cake in the style of the Ice Queen, your imagination is the only limit.
A 250 ml Silikomart can is enough for about 4 bûches or 4 desserts measuring 18 cm in diameter. The 100 ml cans from Decora and FunCakes are enough for 1 to 2 bûches or desserts of this size.
02How is the velvet effect created?
A small temperature shock makes all the difference.
Cold meets cocoa butter
The velvet effect is created by a temperature shock: the warm, liquid cocoa butter hits the ice-cold surface of the dessert and instantly solidifies into fine granules. This creates the matt, velvety texture. That is why it only works on frozen desserts, mousses or sponges.
03How to proceed
Prepare, protect, spray, thaw.
Warm up the spray
Place the Velvet spray in a Measuring cup filled with warm water at 25 to 35 °C for 10 minutes. Tap water is perfectly fine. This liquefies the contents so the spray comes out evenly. Never use boiling water, as the can could explode!
Protect your kitchen
The fine cocoa butter mist gets everywhere and is hard to wipe away. So place a Turntable with baking paper inside a tall cardboard box and set your frozen dessert on it.
Spraying
Shake the can vigorously and spray from a distance of 15 to 20 cm while slowly turning the Turntable. This gives a fine, even layer. Spraying too close creates a thick, blotchy coating.
Let it thaw
Place the sprayed dessert in a cardboard box and let it thaw in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours. Afterwards, clean the nozzle with very hot water so it does not clog.
Spray an ice cream dessert at least 4 hours before serving, place it in a tightly sealed box and return it to the freezer. Take it out 15 minutes before eating.
04Common mistakes
How to avoid nasty surprises.
From a short distance the layer becomes thick and uneven, and the spray does not cover the whole dessert. Always keep a distance of 15 to 20 cm.
If the dessert is not frozen through, no velvet effect forms. Spraying only works straight from the freezer.
Without vigorous shaking, the chocolate and cocoa butter do not mix properly. The colour becomes uneven and the texture blotchy.
The spray does not come out
Place the can in warm water at 25 to 35 °C for another 10 minutes, shake it vigorously and clear the nozzle with hot water.
Remedy
05Good to know
Answers to your most frequently asked questions.
Can I spray a thawed dessert?
No. The velvet effect only forms on a frozen surface, so always spray straight from the freezer.
Can I refreeze the dessert after spraying?
Yes, that is no problem. This way you can also finish desserts a few days in advance.
How should I store velvet sprays?
Away from heat, flames and direct sunlight, and never above 50 °C. The cans contain propellant gas and are highly flammable.
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Comments
Question de Susana
By: Susana T. On 2025-03-06Bonjour,
On peut utiliser le spray velours sur un gâteau en buttercream?
Je doit réaliser un gâteau en noir mais je ne voulais pas mettre du colorant, si c'est possible le utiliser je doit congeler le gâteau?
Merci infiniment.
Replied by: Karin On 2025-03-06
Question de Lucile
By: Lucile F. On 2024-11-07Bonjour,
Merci pour l'explication et la vidéo. Petite question, est-ce pareil pour les sprays métalliques ?
Replied by: Karin On 2024-11-08