Advice re; Icing & Tracing onto edible paper!

[GinaG3]

Sorry Admin, move this if you wish but think I'll get my answer in this section.

Anyway, hello ladies. Been a while, opps.

I have a question or a few I hope someone can answer. I'm on birthday baking duty (as per..) the cake and baking is fine I can do all that no problem, but I'm fretting about icing. Usually I decorate my cakes with buttercreams etc no matter how smooth it is I always manage it but this cake is not going to go well with buttercream. I need to use roll out icing for a ultra smooth finish and look. I also need to trace a design onto rice paper. I have it all thought out in my head, but wanted someone to answer me these questions please.

Right.

1) Where can I get black ready to roll icing (and white, but that should be easy) locally or online with quick delivery? And how much will I need to cover a 7/9 inch sandwich cake? I would make myself but I think I'm going to need my time for the tracing!

2) Can I trace an image onto rice paper using a food colouring pen, in black - without it running? And please how easy will this be for someone thats never done this before?

I think thats all, but it may not be. Oh the joys of self teaching, I'm sure I'll be fine, I always am but its the tracing more than anything. I can just imagine a big run of black food colouring everywhere. I'm a perfectionist to say the least, so I cannot be having anything other than perfect, of course.

If you read this, thanks.

[buggie]

Not decorated cakes myself (am sure my time will come though!), but remember my mum doing lots of fancy cakes. Unsure about the ready roll icing (?sainsburys - ??will have advice on the pack about volume required), but am sure she use to pipe fiddly bits onto grease-proof paper and then (once dried/hardened) flip them off with palate knife. Hope that helps!

[charlottep]

there's a cake shop in Penge (20 mins from ED) called cake expectations and they have ready to roll icing in loads of different colours. the ladies that run it are very helpful and give loads of advice too.

Supermarkets tend to do only the white ready to roll.

I've also used this online business http://www.cakedecoratingstore.co.uk/, they do next day delivery and are reliable.

Good luck

[womanofdulwich]

you buy the white icing, and you put drops of black colouring - or rather it is a paste you add-in it- then you kind of massage them in- a drop at a time until it is absorbed in.i think i may have some if you need some desperately ( just checked its a few years past its date!)

i have not tried a food colouring pen but you can use a paintbrush - thin -and a bottle of food colouring

[supergolden88]

If you want to create an image in buttercream and then trasfer on to the cake you can do it by creating a drawing/template. Placing clingfilm on top. Creating the image using buttercream on the cling film which you then chill and everntually transfer onto the cake. If you want I can send you a PDF of a similar project - I haven't done this myself just happened to redesign a cake decorating book recently. Not so sure it's the effect you are after.

[ryedalema]

I do loads of cakes - it's fab me time for me...

I buy all my stuff off Amazon. I just did a Batman cake that used a load of black icing - just put 'black sugar paste' into Amazon and you'll get plenty of option. I'd buy two blocks - they aren't very expensive and it's a nightmare if you run out.

Not quite sure what you are doing with the rice paper so can't advise. I always just draw on cardboard and cut around them.

Rolling out is simple - use icing sugar to eliminate 'stick'. It'll brush off fine afterwards - even with black.

If you want I can go into loads more detail...it's not difficult though - but the tricks in preparing the cake and buttercreaming it before you put the icing on.

Good luck xx

[helena handbasket]

Morrison's used to have black roll icing. Can't remember what other colours they had.

Sorry no idea how to help with the tracing.

[amyw]

i second the penge shop, and they will advise you on quantities etc. my sister and i made a big red bus one year and it was time consuming but very worth it!

also go to a bookshop and have a browse of the kids cakes books to see how they do stuff you can get lots of good ideas that way.