Does anyone have tips for effectively sealing a molded chocolate piece when being filled with semi-liquid jelly?After making the top shell of a chocolate mold, and after filling it with a semi-liquid jelly, the liquid part of the jell will float through a liquid layer of chocolate piped onto the top of the jelly filling. This perforates what will become the bottom of the shell when it is de-molded. If my explanation is clear, does anyone have a trick to properly seal the jelly into the mold? The problem is not the thinness of the chocolate layers but that the watery part of the jelly is lighter than the liquid chocolate covering it and therefore floats through the final chocolate layer to perforate its surface.
updated by @frank-schmidt: 05/07/15 19:24:58

That's difficult... With the caveat that I haven't done this myself, you could try this: chill the backless filled bonbons and spray a thin layer of cocoa butter. This will "pre-seal" the chocolate so that you can then seal them in the normal way once the mold has returned to room-temperature.

Thanks John,I tried this in a way upon recommendation by Gloria Rogers at Baker's Rack in Old Lenexa, Ks near Kansas City.Problem: The jelly is not fluid such that it settles flat in the mold. ie, it is lumpy. Hence the cocoa butter pools in low places and is therefore thick enough that one can taste it. This interferes with both the mouth feel but more importantly the flavor carrythrough of the jelly which has specific varietal wine flavor notes. Hum.....Still searching. There will be an answer, I've just not found it yet.Thanks again for your input.Frank

This is why I recommended that the tray be well chilled before spraying the cocoa butter - it will instantly harden when it hits the filling - so no pooling or sinking. However, if the filling is too high, then you'll be out of luck.With fillings that are too stiff, you can sometimes lay plastic film across the top of the mold and gently flatten each bonbon; afterwards, you can gently peel back the film for sealing.

OK a per Clay's request I'll try to help...first NEVER try to accelerate the process by chilling your molds, all you'll do is, make it colder! you filling needs to "crust in order for the chocolate to stick to it without creating condensation. how liquid is your filling? if it is very thin the only way is to make your shell thicker. if it is semi-liquid then, make sure that you recipe contains glucose in order to create a "crust", allow your filling to fully set also (overnight is always good).you should not encounter a problem this way.don't hesitate to reply if you have more questions or problems.Merry ChristmasJF

Thank you guys for such quick and thoughtful feed back on my jelly problems. It is wonderful to have found this Chocolate Life site where there is such serious interest and helpfulness ; this is a rather knotty and perplexing issue for me.You see, Im not just asking how to make a solid jell or crusted filling inside a chocolate confection. My perspective is that of a commercial grape grower and hobbyist winemaker. The issue really is wine flavor carry- through. The flavor notes of the grape variety in question will get locked up in a solid jell. The jelly, if set, I mean well set, will not release those flavors that identify the wine to my customer, the winemaker who bought my grapes; it is his wine after all which I wish him to taste and recognize in the chocolate piece. The chocolate is a container.Now that you perhaps have a better understanding of my objectives, Ill respond to the questions posed. As to the thickness of my jelly: it is not a runny soup. It certainly is lumpy. If set so hard that it could be picked up off a plate with a fork then the object of my effort is lost as per above reasons. Jells like those that are of fruit puree and encrusted with sugar just will not do.Yes, Jean-Francois, my jelly does have glucose and I have worked with several recipes of sugar concentration in combination with pectin to minimize the amount of sugar so as not to alter the wine flavor notes excessively. Lowering sugar prevents set altogether.Creating a crust and allowing the jelly to fully set (if that means set hard) may not get me closer to the flavor preservation I am after. But I will continue to experiment with recipes.The seal is the deal. Im trying to have a semi-liquid jelly ; not so runny that a customer squirts wine on his shirt when biting into the chocolate but liquid enough that it does taste like a specific wine when eaten. To seal that in without leakage is the issue. Will it stay sealed, even then? Will the jelly dissolve the chocolate in time? That is yet to be determined. Im trying to solve the first problem first.without creating condensation I dont know to what this refers. Is condensation a result of chilling the mold or is it a problem of some other sort? It looks as though this sentence suggests that an objective is for the chocolate to stick to the filling but I am not sure why this would be a goal. At least not in my case.Tonight Ill start conching a new batch of Papua New Guinea beans which I roasted last evening and then begin again with molding and filling. Will report if I find success with the jelly seal.Thanks again,And Merry Christmas to you allFrank

it is a little difficult to really understand what type of filling you are talking about but just to clarify...i know that glucose avoids crystals; what i meant was to let the filling dry longer to have a skin (if you prefer that term from a crust).

Rob,I continue working on this conundrum. The sprinkling of gelatin has helped a lot!Already I've been able to thin the molded shells and thus increase the jelly, or fruit piece which has been brandied so that the size of interior flavor is huge. I need to know more about the concentrations of components which you discuss. Please e_mail me if you wish to discuss this: fhsdds@tri-lakes.net . I'd like to pursue it.ThanksFrank (Mr. WineCandy)