Frosting sheets are thinly pressed and rolled out sheets of icing that can be used in many different ways to decorate cakes and other desserts. Different methods of cutting them allow them to cover an entire cake or become a decorative element. Printing on them allows you to take any design or photo and add it to your cake. Even the novice cake decorator can use different techniques to create a professional looking cake.
White frosting sheets are commonly used to print photos and designs. They come in legal and letter sizes so they can fit right into the paper slot of a printer. Granted, you won’t use a printer that is used for regular printing, but any printer that hasn’t touched toxic ink and is used exclusively for edible ink cartridges can print out photos or designs either from your personal computer or by scanning them into the printer.
You can top an entire cake with a photo to personalize a birthday cake or print them out in the common photograph sizes to create a photo collage or adhere them to a frame made from gum paste, which can sit right on top of the cake.
Here are a few different methods of transforming them into decorations on your cake:
1. Using a punch to cut out a single design to add to the cake or a length consisting of repeated punched out sections to create a border.
2. Cutting strips with scissors to create designs. Craft scissors come with all different patterns from wavy to zigzag, etc.
3. Adhering a print to fondant or gum paste to create a fun, decorative element, i.e. a print can become the petals of a fondant flower.
4. Covering the entire cake or just the sides with the print.
5. Adding a photo or other image to the top of the cake, i.e. a print of a cartoon character.
6. Create a photo collage with multiple photo print-outs.
7. Cutting a print with an electronic cutting machine to create patterns or letters.
8. Quilling the frosting sheet and sticking the design on the top or sides of the cake.
There are so many things you will do with this medium once you start playing with it. Not only can it be used on fondant and gum paste, it can be put on modeling chocolate, marzipan or buttercream icing. You can put a design on a cake and then pipe along the lines of the design to give even greater detail.
Not all frosting sheets are equal. Some are really thin and can tear easily. Others taste like cardboard. Premium icing sheets are thicker and bend to conform perfectly to the curves of the cake. With a pair of scissors, a printer or a punch, you can do very simple techniques that will render a very professional looking cake.
Theresa Happe is a cake decorator and fan of Icing Images where you can find a wide variety of frosting sheets and supplies for cutting and printing them to make cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other desserts.
Article Source: Cake Decorating with Frosting Sheets