So it’s your best friend’s birthday and you’re all set to make it a super special day for him/her. What preparations have you done? What are the party snacks you are going to get? And most importantly, is the cake ready?! It goes without saying that the birthday cake is the showstopper of any birthday celebration. Therefore, it needs to be something that the birthday guy/girl can remember for at least till his/her next birthday. Putting a personalized image on the cake is the best way for that.
A few things to take care of before you put an Image on the Cake:
- What is his/her favorite flavor? Is it Chocolate or Vanilla? Butterscotch or maybe a fruit cake like kiwi or strawberry is their favorite!
- The second most important thing is to decorate the cake. There are various kinds of decorations you can choose for the cake. Some have a personalized message on the top of the icing while some have comic book characters wishing happy birthday or whatever occasion you are planning.
The current cake decoration trend is to decorate the cake with an image. These images are usually called edible images or edible pictures. These are just like any other normal photograph that you click and put in a frame or make a card out of it. But the edible images win the race with flying colors as you can eat them. These images are completely edible!
How to print and apply Edible images on the cake?
An edible photograph might sound unusual, but actually, it has been around for several years and is done by simple procedures, thanks to the advances in modern technology. An edible photo is printed exactly like you would print an ordinary photograph – with a printer. Yes, that’s right! The difference is that you need to use an edible printer that runs on edible ink cartridges and the papers will of course be edible as well.
At Icinginks, we provide top-quality edible printers with FDA-approved edible inks and edible papers. There are a variety of edible papers you can use-Sugar paper or frosting sheets, Wafer paper or rice papers and chocolate transfer papers, Flexfrost Edible Fabric Sheets, etc. You need these basic components to print the edible photo on cakes.
A digital copy of the picture you want to be printed on the cake is of course the primary requirement.
Now that you have gathered all the necessary materials for edible printing, comes the actual part. Print the image on the icing sheet or wafer paper just like you would print on normal paper. Once printed, allow the paper to dry at room temperature for a few minutes. The icing sheets come with backing paper. Peel off the backing paper to reveal the sticking side of the icing sheet. Remember, peeling the backing should be the last thing to do before you put the image on the cake.
Necessary Cautions:
Take extreme care in order to peel off the backing paper because if not done properly, it can ruin your frosting paper. There are several ways to peel the backing sheet. One of the easiest methods is using the edge of a table. As the icing sheet is quite delicate, you should peel the backing paper away from it and not the other way round. For effectively doing it, run the backing paper back and forth against the table’s edge and it will start loosening. When it is loose enough, just peel it away from the frosting paper. However, if you are using Icinginks edible sheets, you can relax back and skip all these extra works.
Slowly put the printed image sheet on the surface of the cake, lightly smoothing with your palms to avoid any wrinkles. Once the image has been applied to the cake, the icing sheet will gradually dissolve into the frosting of the cake, leaving the image on the surface.
Similarly, you can print the image on wafer paper and place it on the cake following the same steps. The only difference is that wafer paper has a yellowish texture to it while the frosting sheets are super white, creating vibrant colored images.
This image on the cake looks unique in its own way and is a fun way to celebrate a birthday or any occasion for that matter. No matter what kind of presents your beastie prefers, an edible photo cake will surely make his/her birthday super special and memorable for long. So why don’t you give it a try and surprise them?
Get all your supplies and tools from Icinginks to make your backing time a happy one. Don't forget to share your experience in the comment section. Happy Baking!
