Instructions
For Icing Sheets
Cakes
Before you start…
What kind of cake/topping should I use?
Do I need to ice the cake before applying the topper?
Can I use fresh cream instead of icing?
Can I use a dark coloured fondant under the image?
How do I store the topper until I am ready to use it?
Can I put the cake in the fridge after I have applied the topper?
What’s next…
How do I apply the topper?
Troubleshooting…
What if my buttercream has dried out?
I accidently tore the topper what can I do?
I can’t remove the topper from the backing plastic, what do I do?
Before you start…
What kind of cake/topping should I use?
You can have any kind of cake – fruit, sponge, chocolate, or your favourite recipe. Bake and decorate your own cake or buy one already iced from a baker or supermarket. Your printed edible photo can be applied to almost any kind of icing such as fondant, sugar paste, royal icing, butter-cream or glace icing.
If you have a very wet icing, ganache, or a covering with a high fat content (such as cream cheese) then again we suggest you make a backing plaque from roll-out fondant or sugar paste.
Do I need to ice the cake before applying the topper?
The icing sheets must be applied to a topping; the sheets are not intended to replace icing they need a surface to bond with.
Can I use fresh cream instead of icing?
For fresh cream don’t place the topper onto the cake until just before serving, or the image may bubble or if left for long periods of time disintegrate into the cream.
Fresh cream is not the best cake topping to use for edible images and should really try to be avoided, the water content is too high. Try using a thin layer of buttercream under the image and just using fresh cream to pipe a border around the edge if you must.
Can I use a dark coloured fondant under the image?
The icing on your cake can be any colour, but as the topper is made from very thin icing so dark colours like chocolate may not always be suitable. Try white chocolate instead or cut out a backing plaque of white fondant to go behind the edible image this should be about the same size and shape as the topper. Place the topper on the plaque and put this on your cake top. Otherwise you should apply it just before serving the cake, before the photo it has time to absorb the moisture or fat.
How do I store the topper until I am ready to use it?
Keep your topper in its Ziploc plastic bag until you are ready to use it in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight.
Can I put the cake in the fridge after I have applied the topper?
Cakes generally shouldn’t be refrigerated after the topper is applied as it may damage the colours on the topper. If you need to you can lightly mist or baste water on the fondant icing or buttercream if it’s crusted, and place the image onto the cake closer to the time it is being served.
What’s next…
How do I apply the topper?
Try to make sure the icing on the top of the cake is as flat as possible, if you have slightly rounded edges the edible image may not sit properly on top of the cake and the edges will wrinkle.
Make sure your hands are completely dry when handling the topper. If you wet the image side of the topper the colours will run.
For all toppers and cupcake toppers that require cutting carefully cut the topper to the desired shape using a pair of clean, dry, sharp pair of scissors BEFORE removing from the plastic backing.
It is easy to cut so don’t panic like cutting through card. The topper should peel off easily from the backing plastic but take care around the edges.
Lightly dampen the icing using a little water on a pastry-brush or by spraying with a fine mist. This will allow the topper to stick to the cake and begin bonding with the icing.
To apply it to the frosted cake hold the topper gently and carefully lower the Icing sheet down onto the cake from the middle outward, carefully and gently smoothing with either the palm of your hand or a small roller.
If any bubbles or wrinkles appear in the photo gently pat them out with DRY fingers.
After a few hours your picture will blend into the icing and look like it has been printed onto the icing. The time this takes and the results will vary depending on how dry your icing is.
If you have used a very dry topping or if you need to serve the cake straight away you can pipe some icing around the image to hide any visible edges. But it may not have the intended effect of bonding with the topping.
Troubleshooting…
What if my buttercream has dried out?
If you have a shop-bought cake or the icing on your cake has dried or formed a crust, again a little moisture will help the topper attach to the icing. You can dampen the icing using a little water on a pastry-brush or by spraying with a fine mist. This will allow the topper to stick to the cake and begin bonding with the icing.
I accidentally tore the topper what can I do?
If you accidentally tear the topper icing – DON’T PANIC! Just rub very gently with a dry finger and it will merge back together and the tear will disappear after an hour or so.
I can’t remove the topper from the backing plastic, what do I do?
If it is sticking to the backing sheet, this is probably due to the temperature and humidity in the room. If you have problems with removing it, place the icing sheet in the freezer for 30 seconds to a minute in the Ziploc bag until you are able to easily remove it. Repeat if necessary, this is very rare as our sheets are designed to be ‘Easy-Peel’ sheets. But take care to store your topper correctly and away from high temperatures and humidity.
Cupcakes
For cupcake toppers we find it is best to cut a shape out of roll out fondant to make the image and leave to dry overnight then apply a small amount of water to the fondant once dry and attach your image pat down gently taking care not to wet the front side of the image as the colours will run.
For Wafer Card/Paper
Paper
Wafer paper dissolves in water not frosting so it will not dissolve into the surface of a frosted cake. As a result, wafer paper may be noticeable when cutting or eating the cake. Wafer paper also has a tendency to curl or wrinkle when refrigerated or placed on moist cakes. So the preferred method is to place this type on edible image onto fondant icing or onto royal iced cookies. Wafer paper adheres best to cookies and cakes that have been iced with Royal Icing or covered with fondant. White icing is best as the rice paper is quite translucent.
Carefully cut out your wafer paper images to fit the size of your iced cookie’s and cupcakes with a pair of clean, dry, sharp pair of scissors.
You could use a light corn syrup as “glue” for wafer paper because it dries cleanly. You can also use clear piping gel. Using a small craft paint brush, LIGHTLY coat the entire back of the wafer paper image with corn syrup. Make sure to cover the edges well. Be careful not to get corn syrup on the image side because corn syrup splotches will show up.
Gently paste the wafer paper image on the cookie or cupcake. Press down the edges well, repeating the process a few times until all of the edges stay “glued” down. For cookies place a paper towel over the surface of the cookies and gently smooth the wafer paper one final time and let set for about 10 minutes.
Once the cookie is dry, you can pipe decorative borders, sprinkle with glitter or add other embellishments.
If you use the butter cream or cream cheese option, let the icing dry a bit before putting the rice paper on, as too much moisture will cause it to curl or collapse and the ink to run or absorb the food colouring you may have used in your icing. Also, I wouldn’t recommend pressing the rice paper down, but just patting it onto slightly tacky butter cream.
The other alternative is to place it on the cake and pipe around the edge to hold in place. For this method it is best not to use a vivid colour for the piping as it could leech into the rice paper. Try testing it one edge of the cookie or cupcake before applying to your whole batch.
Card
Wafer card is a bit more durable and can be used for stand up cake topper images, and is less likely to curl on cupcakes.
If it would make you feel more comfortable there are a lot of instructional videos you can watch on YouTube before attempting to apply your image. If you have any trouble or questions feel free to contact us at support@ediblecaketoppers.ie or through Facebook/Etsy.
