Add the chocolate to a large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, mixing each time until smooth.
Add the warm corn syrup and mix until it forms a dough. Take care to not overmix otherwise the mixture will split. You want to mix just until it’s come together.
Place the modelling chocolate on top of a large piece of plastic wrap and place another piece of plastic wrap on top. Flatten out with your hands and set aside to set at room temperature for 2 hours.
Once set, unwrap and knead like dough until the mixture becomes stretchy like a pizza dough. If you find your modelling chocolate is crumbly and won’t form into a dough, simply wet your hands and knead the dough a couple times. Wet your hands and continue kneading. Continue doing that until it becomes smooth and stretchy,
Take away 1/3 of the modelling chocolate and add pink food gel. Kneed the food gel into the modelling chocolate until evenly coloured. To create the heart, watch the video. It’s really simple and keep in mind, any imperfections are ok because hearts have fold and smooth bumps. Place on a piece of baking paper and chill in the fridge to set.
To make the hand, simply flatten out another third of the modelling chocolate and use a sharp knife to very carefully trace around your own hand. Then use your fingers to smoothen out the fingers and the rest of the hand. You’re going to use your own hand as inspiration for where to add detail. Things like creases, the shape of your hand etc. You can use a number of tools like a knife to add creases, but you’ll mostly use your own hands to shape the hand. You don’t need to worry about the palm of the hand because it will be hidden by the heart, focus more on the sides and back of the hand.
Use the remaining modelling chocolate to shape a log about the same width of your forearm. Place it under the bottom of the hand and join it by using your hands to join it together. Make sure you go all around the hand. Place on top of cylindrical shape covered in baking paper to add a bend at the back of the hand and arm to make the hand appear more natural. Hold your arm up with something in your hand, there a bench at your wrist, right? Nobody holds their hand completely straight. Finally, use a sharp knife to add fingernail details as shown in the video.
Place the chilled heart on top of the palm of the hand and wrap the fingers around it. Use your hand as a guide for where the bends in the fingers should be and hold something in your hand roughly the same shape and size of the heart to see how your hand looks. Place the hand in the fridge for 2 hours to set completely.
Once set and chilled. Use a sharp knife to trim off the bottom of the arm.
Create three holes in the bottom of the forearm, the same size as the ones you put on top of the hand. Carefully go into the arm about 10cm. I used a skewer to do this. Once you’ve created the holes, take out the cake pop sticks from the cake and very carefully and slowly insert them into the holes you just created in the arm.
Place the bottom of the arm on top of the cake. Line up the three cake pop sticks in the arm with the holes you create on top of the cake and place them in the holes. Use a small spatula to smoothen out the frosting where it meets the bottom of the arm.
Use a food safe brush to apply it to the heart. That will make it shiny.
Mix the remaining corn syrup and pink food gel together. Add it to a piping bag and drip it from the bottom of the heart down the arm. Add a little pool of it on top of the cake below the arm, and then allow a couple drips to go off the cake.
Please note: Take care with this cake. Do not put the hand in or on the cake until an hour before you serve it. I left it on my kitchen bench overnight and the hand snapped off the arm… still holding the heart lol. If it’s a warm day I’d recommend keeping the hand chilled until right before you put it on the cake!