EDIBLE ICING INFO Sharp & colourful cake toppers printed on icing. Made using accredited inks & icing sourced from Germany & USA. If your completed order is received before midday it's shipped the same day. Excludes week-ends and public holidays. You can expect a friendly informal service & we are easy to reach via eBay messages. We welcome your enquiries & are happy to create new designs if you haven't found what you need. |
Useful things to know before you order
Colour: Make sure you order enough sheets for project at the same time. This a food product printed with natural ingredients. These are not as colour stable as artificial inks and colour can evolve over time. Ordering the same sheet at different times can result in colours not matching.
Dietary info: All toppers are printed on fondant icing sheets. They are suitable for vegetarians. Dairy, egg, & nut free. Product ingredients are displayed further down. Not suitable for Coeliacs.
How to use | Instructions: This is a decoration for an already prepared cake. It is not thick enough to replace icing.
Important note: It can be used on most types of icing, but if the icing is over wet or is soft like buttercream precautions are needed. Moisture absorption causes blurring, colour change & wrinkling. A plaque of fondant icing placed between the topper and the wet surface will act as as barrier. Full instructions come with your order, and you can also view them below. Please get in touch if we can provide any more info.
eBay delivery dates: These are based on "normal service" by Royal Mail. They only give an indication of expected delivery and can't be guaranteed. Royal Mail only deliver 93% of packages on time. We advise not ordering if you can't risk the delivery date shown being missed.
Product ingredients
Icing Sheets
corn-starch, corn syrup, cellulose, corn syrup solids, water, sugar, vegetable oil, arabic gum, polysorbate 80, citric acid
Edible inks
water, glycerol, preservative: 1.2 propandiol E1520, citric acid E330, brilliant black BN E15, sunset yellow E110, quinoline yellow E104, tartrazine E102, azorubine E122, ponceau R124, brilliant blue E133
How to use | Instructions
Edible pictures are printed on thin sheets of icing. They should be handled with dry hands. Applying them successfully is not difficult but there are some things you should pay attention to.
Inspect your edible picture
Make sure it is correct and check to see if it is easy to remove from the backing sheet or plan to allow adequate time for this. Consider removing the edible picture in advance and re-sealing in its zip lock bag.
Storing the edible picture
Sealed in the zip lock bag until you are ready to use it.
In a cool, non humid place out of direct sunlight.
Keep flat and do not put anything on top of it.
For best results use within 4 weeks. Remains safe to eat for up to 3 months.
Preparing the cake
An edible picture can used with all types of icing such as fondant, sugar paste, royal icing, butter cream or glace. Lighter ones are better as the edible photo is made from very thin icing. Dark colours like chocolate icing should ideally use a white fondant icing plaque between the icing and the edible picture.
Important Note: If you have wet icing or a covering with high fat content (such as butter icing or cream cheese) the thin icing of the edible picture is at risk of absorbing moisture or fat. Making a backing plaque from fondant or sugar paste will prevent this. This should be about the same size and shape as your edible picture. Place the edible picture on the plaque and then place on your cake. Alternatively you could apply the edible picture just before serving to minimize the time for absorption to occur.
The effect of moisture absorption will likely be extreme blurring, wrinkling and ink colour separation.
Removing the edible picture from the backing sheet
Bend back the backing sheet at the corners (or edge if a circle) to find a starting place. When the edible picture begins to lift, slowly peel the backing sheet away from the edible picture, the edible picture should fall away, never grip or pull the edible picture from the backing sheet. If you cannot release the edible picture at the corners or edges, or if it fails to fall away after you have started peeling, it means the edible picture is still too moist.
Under no circumstances try and force the edible picture, for example do not try and lift the edge with a knife or try and pull the icing away from the backing sheet, it will almost certainly tear or break.
Moisture in the edible picture keeps it attached to the backing sheet during printing and handling.
Too much moisture can be due to the icing being very new or high humidity in the room.
Use the methods below in sequence to reduce the moisture content and remove the edible picture.
Passive Method: Leave to stand in a non humid environment (humidity will increase the moisture content). Check every 30 minutes to see if the backing sheet will peel off. Do not leave overnight to dry out excessively.
Warming Method 1: Place on a flat surface and use a hair dryer/heat gun on a warm setting at a minimum distance of 15cm. Always keep it moving to ensure even drying. Focusing on one point risks of excessive drying and cracking. Stop and try to peel off the backing sheet frequently.
Warming Method 2: Place on a warm baking tray in a warm (not hot) oven for 2 minutes, remove then try and peel backing sheet. Repeat for 30 second periods. Do not leave unattended. Do not over heat as it will cause the edible picture to shrivel.
Friction Method: Hold each end of the backing sheet gripping as much width of the sheet as possible, place it over a rounded table edge or work top. Pull down and pull up rapidly (think of shining a pair of shoes). Don't worry about damaging the edible picture as it is quite flexible when moist. When you see an edge lift away stop and peel off the backing sheet.
Freezing Method (recommended for experienced users): Put the edible picture in the freezer ensuring that it does not get moisture on it. After 30 seconds remove and try peeling the backing sheet away.
Do not dry out excessively | stop and check frequently | drying out too much will cause cracking
Applying the edible picture to the cake
If you have a shop bought cake or the icing on your cake has dried or formed a crust, a little moisture will help the edible picture attach to the icing and blend in. Dampen the cake icing using a pastry-brush but don't over wet it, only a small amount of moisture is needed to allow the edible picture to adhere.
Do not get any moisture on the printed side of the edible photo as it will run or smear.
Hold the edible picture at the edges and place the middle onto the cake first. If any bubbles or wrinkles appear gently pat them out with dry fingers. If you accidentally tear the icing just rub very gently with a dry finger and it will merge back together. The tear will disappear after an hour or so.
Your finished cake
In a few hours your picture will blend into the icing and look like it has been painted 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 then pipe some icing around the image to hide any visible edges.