Edible Cake Art Images: Application Procedures

Cake decorating has come a long way. There are now a lot of edible cake art images sold in the market that will add a personal touch to any decoration you choose. If you decide to use edible cake art images, be sure to follow the directions on how to put it on the cake, ease of application is important to lessen mistakes when decorating the cake. The following tips will help you in applying edible cake art.

1. Clean, dry hands are essential for any cake decoration. Before touching the image, wash your hands with soap and water and dry them completely.

2. Frozen cakes need to be thawed first before any decoration can be applied. Moisture is important in any cake decoration, especially with edible cake art images. Moisture allows blending of the edible image with the icing.

3. If you are working with a dry cake, a light mist of water sprayed unto the icing will instantly add moisture. You may also brush on light syrup or add a thin layer of icing before applying the image. These techniques will help the image stick to the cake. On the other hand, if the cake is already moist, there is no need to add moisture. Extra moisture will only make the colors run.

4. When applying the image, be sure where exactly you want to place it, because once it is applied, it can never be removed. Hold the image carefully facing up and place it on the cake. Tap it gently with your fingertips starting from the center towards the edges.

5. Sometimes, edible images become moist or hard to remove from the backing. To avoid damaging the image, put it in a freezer for a couple of minutes to allow it to peel easily.

6. In instances when the image bubbles after application, just tap the image gently. Never rub the surface of the image to prevent damage. The edible image is made up of food coloring, so avoid exposing it to ultraviolet light to prevent fading.

In handling and storage of the edible cake art image, the following tips should be kept in mind:

1. Every edible image comes with a silver bag in which it should be stored in a cool, dry place. Reseal this bag after removing an image.

2. Once the image has been removed from the bag; it needs to be used immediately.

3. Edible cake art images are freezer, shelf, and refrigerator friendly so you do not need to worry about storing it once you have finished decorating.

Applying the image to other products is also possible with edible cake art images. The following procedures will help you apply the images with ease to products like royal icing and butter cream icing.

1. If you want to apply an edible image to a cake with ice cream as frosting, make sure that you do not apply water. Let the ice cream melt first before applying the image if you intend to directly apply it. Soft served ice cream will work better with edible images if application is done while the ice cream is still soft.

2. Butter cream icing tends to form a crust about an hour after application of the edible image, so if you plan to use edible images with this product, spray the icing with a fine mist of water before application. Remember to apply the edible image immediately after icing.

3. Adding an edible image to frozen cakes will only create cracks in the cake, so be sure you thaw the cake first before icing and applying the image. Let it thaw and uncovered in a refrigerator to avoid sweating and fading of icing colors.

4. Royal icing needs to be added with a good mist of water before any edible image application can be done.

5. Non-dairy whipped topping does not need any extra moisture. To maintain the quality of the decorated cake, store it in the refrigerator.

6. When using rolled fondant or sugar paste, brush water where you plan to put the image. Make sure it does not go beyond the borders of where the image should be, since water on fondant or sugar paste will leave a mark. Apply enough water to make the image stick. Gently tap down the edges after you have applied the image with a moist paint brush.

7. When placing an image over poured white chocolate or any poured icing, apply the edible image while the icing is still wet. Do this on a flat surface to avoid sliding of the image.

To summarize the application procedure of edible cake art images, three easy steps are involved:

1. Remove the edible cake art image from the sheet or backing by placing it on the edge of a table facing up. Roll the sheet over the table edge and carefully peel it off.

2. Reseal the silver bag if there are other images inside it.

Apply the edible image to the cake.