Patent ID: 7820218

Claim:
A method of forming an edible piece comprising the steps of: a) providing a first continuous belt moving on a first belt path and having at least one cutout through the entire thickness of the belt, which forms a through hole, and a second continuous belt moving with the first continuous belt, wherein a portion of the second continuous belt is positioned below the through hole in the first continuous belt at a first position on the first belt path so as to create a cavity having walls defined by the cutout through hole and a bottom formed by the second continuous belt; b) adding a fluid edible mass to the cavity at the first position on the first belt path to form an edible blank; c) transporting the cavity and the edible blank to a second position on the first belt path; d) cooling to set the edible blank to a semisolid state; e) separating the first continuous belt from the second continuous belt at the second position on the first belt path; and f) releasing the edible blank from the first or second continuous belt.