How to apply edible sticker onto cake and more
Cake stickers, sugar sheets or cake decals all refer to the same thing. They are the edible stickers found on top of cakes or around the cakes. Edible images add a nice touch to the cake and can definitely be personalized with your photo.
How to store your edible images
Edible images have to be kept in an air tight container away from the sunlight, preferably at room temperature. Also, ensure that the photo does not come into contact with water before or after pasting it onto the cake. If water comes into contact with the image, the colour on the image would run hence ruining your photo.
How to paste the edible image onto the cake
1. Frost the cake
After frosting or icing the cake, ensure that the frosting has not dried up or form a “skin” on its surface. You can frost your cake with buttercream, cream cheese, whipped cream, fondant, fudge or chocolate. Also, do remember to level your frosting so that bumps would not form under the image and the image would look straight.
2. Remove the edible image from the air tight bag
Cut the image to the correct size before placing it onto the cake. Make sure that you do the cutting gently so as to not tear the image. Also, remember to use DRY hands!
3. Gently pull down the plastic sheet to release the edible image
Roll the baking sheet to release the image. If the image does not come off, use the sharp edge of the table (with the image facing upwards) to release the image.
4. Place the edible image onto the cake
Lay the edible image on top of the cake and gently apply pressure starting from the middle. Gently smooth out the edges of the edible image to make sure that the image is touching the edges of the cake. This gives the cake a clean look.
If you are placing the image on the sides of the cake, make sure the sticker is straight before applying the sticker.
5. Pipe boarders around the edges
After applying the image, you can pipe boarders, add sprinkles onto the side of the cake so as to cover up any holes that the image failed to cover.
Questions about edible images
(i) Difficulty removing the edible image from the plastic backing sheet
Humid and moist conditions would cause the edible image to stick to the backing. If this happens, you can:
- Roll the image ( image facing upwards) on the table edge to loosen the image
- Put the image in a freezer for 30 seconds before rolling it over the table edge
- Use a hair dryer to dry the image. Hold the dryer 6 inches away from the image and dry till the image feels dry
(ii) Edible image becomes hard and brittle
- Place a damp paper towel into a plastic bag and place it onto the back of the edible image overnight or for at least an hour. This adds back moisture to the edible image. Before using the image, let the image dry a little before putting it onto the cake.
(iii) How to make my image stand out against the cake
- Use a white cake frosting so that the colour of the image would be more vivid.
(iv) What to do when the edible image creases or rips?
- Gently rub the ripped off area/ creased area back together
(v) Can edible image be frozen?
- Yes, they can be frozen however, we need to take n=note of the freeze/ thaw cycle to prevent ice crystals from forming.
(vi) How to prevent the running of colours on the edible image
- If the image is placed onto an ice cream cake, take the ice cream cake out from the freezer and thaw it in the refrigerator before cutting.
(vii) How to prevent the fading of colours on the edible image
- Avoid exposure to sunlight or strong fluorescent lights
(viii) How to remove the bubbles formed on the edible image?
- Gently rub the image starting from the center and working outwards to get rid of the air bubbles
Frostings that are compatible with edible images
Edible images adhere best to fresh icing or frosting. If the icing/ frosting have a skin on it, simply mist with a light spray to refresh the frosting.
Whipped cream: Using whipped cream for edible images is not advisable as the moisture from the cream would cause the image to fade. If whipped cream is to be used, apply a layer of piping gel to the back of the image to seal out the moisture from the cream. Coating the top image with piping gel also causes the image to appear glossy.
Fondant: Apply a thin layer of piping gel, water or portable alcohol (Vodka, Everclear) before applying the edible sticker. If the fondant is tacky, the edible image may adhere without the need for the piping gel.
Non Dairy Whipped Toppings: Will not add any moisture to the image. The moisture content is adequate for adherence.
Frozen Whipped Topping/ Icing: Before applying the image, make sure that ice crystals in the icing has melted.
Run Royal Icing: Moisture content in the icing is high so after applying the icing onto the cake, allow the icing to dry before applying the sticker. Before pasting the image onto the icing, brush the portions of the icing that are going to be covered by the image with syrup or clear piping gel.
Royal Icing: Add mist to the icing to prevent the icing from drying out and forming cracks before the application of the image.
Do remember that edible imgaes are like candy, and needs to be handled with DRY hands!
For places to get baking supplies, check out our other blog post here!
Order your dream cake now with an edible image here at Cup.Cakes Singapore today! Cakes with edible images are a great way to personalize your cake and make it extra special 🙂
