Edible Paints

There are a few ways you can create edible paints for icing.

If you're using the liquid food colours available in supermarkets (not concentrated) you'll probably be able to paint them strait on without diluting, but the gel/concentrated colours would need thinning and if you want to pick a particular shade then there isn't always a food colour to match.

The best way to work out how to make your paint is to first decide how you will give it colour, there are 3 main ways of doing this:

1. Tint Powder
2. Lustre Dust
3. Food Colouring

You then need to dilute the food colouring/dissolve the powder/dust to the required consistency and to some extent shade, this can be done with rejuvenator spirit (99.9% iso-propyl alcohol) or vodka.

For white paint, use Icing Whitener instead of a tint.

Then just paint on to the cake, and allow to dry.

Chocolate Butter Icing

100g of chocolate (white, milk or dark)
250g of butter
500g of icing sugar
approx. 2 tbsp of milk

Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool. Beat the butter (which should be at room temperature) and then gently pour in the melted chocolate beating as you go. As the chocolate is cooled it should not melt the butter, but if it does then all is not lost, it will still taste fantastic but will loose some of the luxurious silky texture. Add the icing sugar a scoop at a time, beating it in as you go. Add the milk in order to soften the icing to a workable texture. This will also help it maintain piped shapes as it helps it "dry".

Strengthened Fondant for Modelling

2 inch diameter ball of fondant

2 pinches of Karaya Gum (Tylose Powder of Gum-Tex)

Flatten the ball, add your Karaya Gum and knead it into the fondant until mixed.

Note: This will dry quicker and harder than regular fondant.

Edible Glue

1/4 tsp of Karaya Gum (Tylose Powder of Gum-Tex)

2tbsp of warm Water

In a container (with lid) mix the Karaya Gum with the warm water using a cocktail stick. The mixture will clump, however, when left overnight in the fridge, the mixture will become a smooth edible glue.

This will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.