There’s a science behind the world of sweets. Ask any chef or confectioner, some of the most delicate culinary work happens in the dessert space. No one knows this better than Daniela Rain, the founder behind Minneapolis artisan chocolate shop Cocoa Flake. From sourcing organic, clean ingredients to perfecting ganache recipes to painting meticulous designs, Rain balances artistry and science to create each of her tasty hand-poured bonbons. Here, the pastry chef takes us inside her delicious world and gives us a closer look at the magic behind Cocoa Flake.
Photography by JM Visuals | Makeup by Ashley Shayia | Hair by Nikky
Was there a moment you knew you wanted to focus on desserts?
When I started culinary school, I didn’t know where I was going to land. At my very first job, the chef gave me the chance to bring some of my dessert creations to the Sunday night menu. It was such a fun experience, and that’s when I decided to specialize in desserts. A few years later, I was working downtown Minneapolis with some great people and I started working with chocolate more.Fast forward to 2020, I found a few molds as I was cleaning out a storage room. I knew they were for chocolate, but I had no idea whatsoever how to use them. That’s when I started researching bonbons, fell in love with the colors and shine, and decided I had to know more.
It wasn’t a “ah-ha” moment, it was more the thirst for a new skill and it became necessary for me to master it. (Spoiler alert: I haven’t mastered it — there’s always room for improvement!) My husband saw how much I was enjoying the whole process and pushed me to pursue this road. The only thing I know for certain is that I’m happy when I’m doing pastry or chocolate. Nothing else gives me the same satisfaction.
Your culinary work is very delicate and time intensive. Do you love the process or are you driven by a passion for chocolate?
At the end of the day, when everything comes out of the mold looking shiny and nothing is wrong, that moment is special. It always makes me happy. What I love are the colors and the shine of the chocolate. There’s a science behind it all, but it still just feels like magic to me.
I also have a passion for eating good chocolate. Does that count?
How do you approach creating a new treat?
It always starts with flavors. I research what’s in season and what pairs well with what. You’d think that because I have been doing this job for so long that all the flavor combinations would be locked in my brain. But the truth is that I’m a bit like Dory [from Finding Nemo] and can forget entire conversations. So every time I do this research, I take notes, consider what would taste good, and ask for suggestions from my husband. Once the flavor is locked in, I’ll think about colors. Sometimes they match the flavor (for example, key lime is green), other times I look at color combinations I haven’t used or I experiment. It happens that ideas don’t turn out as beautiful as I imagined, but that gives me a chance to understand what I’ve done wrong and how I can make it come out better. I’ve done some really intricate designs in the past. Now, I produce at least 3,000 of the same piece, so all I want is efficiency.
Are there any flavors that you’d like to explore in the future?
A lot of ideas are in the works, but I can’t disclose any because I don’t want to spoil the surprise! Also, I’ve already encountered plagiarism, so I’m keeping everything secret until the time is right. While I understand that everything has been done before, I’ve found copies of my work from the color, design and flavor down to the name.
Photography by Minneaperture
Is there anything that’s surprised you throughout your journey in the world of chocolate?
Somehow I thought that because I know pastry, chocolate would come easy. Chocolate is a very linear work, you cannot miss a step. It’s hard to improvise to fix a problem (which is my favorite approach.) So, my surprise was how much a few degrees can impact your whole production! If you’ve ever baked a cake and forgotten to put the sugar in, you know that there’s no way that cake is going to turn out. I didn’t have that figured out when I started chocolate. At one point during my first spring production, nothing was coming out the way that it was supposed to. “But I’m doing all the things right,” I thought while sitting on the floor, defeated after a long day at work. I had to throw everything away from that batch. Previously, I had been producing in the cold of winter with perfect temperature and perfect humidity. Once those conditions changed, nothing was working the way it used to. I had to take a step back, get in touch with a professional and figure out what mistakes I was making, and it turns out there were more than a few. Once I corrected them, production went smoothly again.
If you could eat just three bonbon flavors for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Salted caramel, raspberry dark chocolate cookie and hazelnut praline.
What’s on the horizon for Cocoa Flake?
I’m just trying to make it through the holidays! I answered a questionnaire recently that asked where I see myself in 3 to 5 to 10 years. My answer was mostly, “I don’t know.” Life has thrown me a lot of curve balls, and I’ve had to adapt and overcome every time. Where I would like to be is here, making chocolate. How the future is going to pan out, I have no control over and I’ve learned not to make plans for more than a few months ahead at the time.
Cocoa Flake’s online ordering is now open for the holiday season, secure your sweets while you can!
