Edible prints can be an effective way to personalise your cakes, bakes and biscuits by adding custom designs, messages and even photos! If you want to ensure a professional finish to your edible prints, there's a few key steps to follow.
It's important to correctly store your icing sheets and edible prints before and after printing to keep them looking and performing their best and prevent any deterioration of the icing sheets or edible image. When it comes to applying icing sheets to your cakes, bakes and biscuits, there are some definite do's and don'ts too! We've put together this handy guide on how to store and apply icing sheets…
In this guide you will find tips on:-
- How to store edible icing sheets (before and after printing)
- How to use edible icing sheets - including how to prepare your edible toppers and apply them to cakes and biscuits
- How to store your cakes and biscuits with icing sheet toppers applied
How to Store Edible Icing Sheets
If stored incorrectly, icing sheets can become dry and brittle, or in humid conditions start to become sticky and wet looking. The image quality can also deteriorate over time if not kept in optimal conditions.
Our Top Tips for Storing Icing Sheets:-
- Before printing, icing sheets should be kept in their original packaging - all of our icing sheets come in protective food-safe foil packets which should be resealed between use (even while printing between taking your sheets out!) Keep them flat at room temperature to avoid any bending or breaking of the icing sheets.
- Once printed, you should leave your icing sheets to dry for at least 10-20 minutes, this will give time for the ink to fully absorb, avoiding any smudges during packaging and use.
- If you're cutting your icing sheets, it is best to leave the plastic backing on (unless using our Squeeze Cutter to make toppers) as this protects the icing sheets from breaking. Once cut, you can leave your cut shapes on the plastic backing to send out or store as this prevents the icing sheets from bending or tearing during transit and protects them from moisture.
- Once dry, printed cake toppers should be stored in a grip-seal bag - EPS stock a range of sizes of food-safe, quality grip-seal bags for storing your edible toppers.
- Store one icing sheet per grip-seal bag and ensure you push out any extra air inside the bag before securely sealing.
- Printed icing sheets should then be kept flat, at room-temperature away from direct sunlight, otherwise the edible image may fade and colours can be altered. Also make sure not to place anything on top of the icing sheets and keep them away from any heat sources or excessive humidity to avoid the icing sheets becoming sticky.
- We recommend printing your cake toppers as close to the event it is needed for as possible. From our experience, edible cake toppers are at their best when used within 2-3 weeks from when they were printed.
- Icing sheets should never be refrigerated, as moisture and condensation from the fridge can cause damage to the edible image or make the icing sheet sticky and wet and difficult to remove from the plastic backing.
- If you are printing cake toppers to send on, you must use a sturdy protective envelope such as our board back envelopes, to protect the edible topper in transit and prevent your icing sheet from bending/breaking.
Shop our range of packaging for storing and transporting your edible prints.
A Note On How to Use Icing Sheets in Hot and Cold Weather
Temperature can play a huge role in how your icing sheets will behave. Icing sheets can become extremely brittle and prone to cracking when it's too cold and very soft and sticky making them difficult to remove from their plastic backing sheet in warmer weather. It's important to follow the recommended storage instructions and keep your icing sheets at room temperature. If your icing sheets become too cold or warm, try warming them up or bringing them back to room temperature before use for the best results!
Never try to cut icing sheets when they are cooler than room temperature, as this can cause the icing sheet to crack. If the icing sheet is difficult to remove from the backing because it is too warm and soft, do not try and pull it further as this could cause the icing sheet to tear. You may need to place the icing sheet inside a grip-seal bag and put it inside the fridge for a short while to firm it up. You can use a palette knife to help peel it away from the plastic once cooler if needed.
How to Use Icing Sheets
Once your icing sheets are printed, it's important to follow our recommended instructions to correctly apply them to ensure your edible prints look and perform their best. Here are a few ways we advise you use your icing sheets to add edible images to your cakes and biscuits…
How to Apply an Edible Image to a Cake
Edible images and cake toppers can be added to any kind of cake with most types of icing and cake coverings, including buttercream, ganache, sugar paste, royal icing and glace icing. EPS Icing Sheets are completely edible but only have a subtle sweetened flavour, so they don't affect the taste of any icings used on your cakes, bakes and biscuits.
Preparing Your Edible Topper/Image
We recommend backing your icing sheets with a thin layer of fondant icing/sugar paste, especially when using moist cake surfaces like buttercream, as this can prevent the icing sheet absorbing any moisture in the cake and gives a professional finish to your toppers. You can roll your fondant to as thin/thick as you like to create the desired effect. To back your edible prints with fondant, follow these steps…
- It's easier to cut your icing sheet first rather than attempting to cut both your print and fondant together. Also make sure the edible ink on your icing sheet is completely dry - we recommend leaving your icing sheet to dry for at least 15-20 minutes before using to avoid smudging.
- Cut your edible print to size using your choice of cutting tools, like our Squeeze Cutter or Adjustable Circle Cutter for circular edible toppers, or if working with a non-circular shaped edible image, you can use our Craft Knife to precisely cut round the shape of your printed image, using a ruler for any straight edges. It can be easier to leave the plastic backing in place to protect the icing sheet while cutting, unless you are cutting toppers using our squeeze cutters, which are the only cutters that require this to be removed first. If using the Adjustable Circle Cutter, we recommend leaving the toppers in place while you cut the whole sheet.
EPS Edible Topper Cutting Tools - Adjustable Circle Cutter, Self-Healing Cutting Mat & Craft Knife
3. Roll out a thin layer of fondant onto a food-safe cutting mat like our A3 Self-Healing Cutting Mat to your desired thickness. Make sure to use cornflour or icing sugar to prevent the fondant from sticking to the mat.
4. Carefully remove your cut edible image from the plastic backing sheet and apply a small amount of edible glue, piping gel or a tiny amount of water to the back of the icing sheet using a brush or fine-mist spray bottle. Take care not to wet the front of your edible image or you will cause the edible ink to run, and avoid using too much moisture.
5. Place your edible image on top of the rolled out fondant and smooth it down, taking care to remove any air bubbles. You can lightly roll over the image and fondant together using a rolling pin to ensure it is stuck down or use a cake smoother.
6. Using a craft knife or a cookie cutter in the shape of your edible image/topper, cut the fondant around the edible image. You may wish to do this as close to the icing sheet as possible, or leave a small border. You can gently smooth out any rough edges around the topper once cut.
7. It's best to leave your fondant backed image for a few hours to allow the fondant to firm up slightly before applying to your cake. To speed this up you can put your fondant toppers on an oven tray and place into the oven with just the light on, or use tylose/cmc powder in your fondant before rolling.
If you prefer not to use fondant, you may wish to apply your edible image directly to your cake.
Applying your Prepared Edible Image
- Ensure the cake/cupcake is at room temperature before applying the icing sheet - the cake itself should be completely cool and ideally not straight out of the fridge, as condensation can occur when the cake comes back up to room temperature. If your cake has been in the fridge, allow it to come back to room temperature.
- If applying your icing sheet without fondant, carefully remove it from the plastic backing sheet.
- If applying to buttercream, you can apply your edible image directly to the surface. If the buttercream has crusted over, you may need a small amount of water on the back of the fondant to attach it.
- If applying to a dry surface such as a fondant covered cake or dried royal icing, you will need to moisten the back of your icing sheet or fondant if using with a fine mist or brush of water or a small amount of edible glue or piping gel applied with a brush. Again, be careful not to wet the edible topper too much and take care not to allow any water to get on the front of the image.
- Place your edible image onto the cake surface and smooth out any air bubbles from underneath your edible image topper using a cake smoother to avoid the image from bubbling up further, it's best to smooth from the centre outwards and push any air bubbles to the edge. Take care not to tear your edible image at this point.
- If using a fondant-backed icing sheet, you can apply your image in the same way once it has been backed.
- For cupcakes or applying edible prints on top of piped icing you can simply place your topper and press gently to secure. We would recommend using hardened fondant to back cupcake toppers to avoid the edible topper from going floppy.
- For ‘stand-up’ edible toppers using icing sheets, you will need to back your edible images with fondant/sugar paste and
Cupcakes by @peacosleeds with Edible Toppers Backed with Fondant
How to Apply Edible Icing Sheet to Cookies/Biscuits
Icing sheets can be applied to cookies/biscuits in the same way they are applied to a cake by adding a small amount of water or edible glue to the back of the icing sheet before applying it directly onto the iced biscuit, or first backing with fondant as above.
Top Tip - if you're wanting to top your biscuits with an edible printed topper that is the same shape as your biscuits, you can first apply your uncut icing sheet to some thinly rolled out fondant and use a sharp-edged cookie cutter to cut through both the icing sheet and fondant at the same time, before applying your perfectly-sized topper to your biscuit! See our Instagram video where we used both methods here.
See how we created edible image toppers for these biscuits on our Instagram video here.
Storing Your Cakes and Biscuits
Once you have applied your edible images and prints to your cakes and biscuits, you may be wondering how to store them. We recommend avoiding anything airtight like tupperware, as this can cause the icing sheets to absorb moisture from your cake or biscuits and look slightly sticky.
We also don't recommend putting edible images back into the fridge once applied to your cakes and bakes, as the change in temperature of the cakes and edible toppers can cause condensation. If this is unavoidable during the hotter summer months and your cakes need refrigerating, it is best to first put them inside a cardboard cake box so the majority of condensation is absorbed by the box. When it comes to removing the cake, take it out of the box while it comes back to room temperature.
If you are wanting to individually wrap your biscuits, it can help to ensure the moisture in minimised by allowing them time to dry before bagging or wrapping. We sell a perfectly sized food-safe sealable cello-bag for biscuits which is ideal for this. Some bakers like to use a dehumidifier in their working environment, as this will remove moisture and prevent the icing sheets from looking sticky. You can also use a small amount of cornflour brushed very lightly on the surface of your edible topper to prevent any sticking to the bag.
Now you know how to create stunning cakes and biscuits with edible prints, you might be looking for an equally stunning way to display them. We've recently launched a new range of stylish cake and cupcake boxes for displaying and safely transporting your cakes and cupcakes in, complete with display windows to show off all your hard work! Our boxes are extra-tall allowing plenty of room for your edible toppers and other cake decorations! You can browse our full range of extra-tall matte white cake and cupcake boxes on our website here.
Brand New Cake & Cupcake Boxes - Various Sizes Available
We hope you've found the guide helpful and you're able to put our tips to practice! We have plenty of other tips, trick and inspiration over on our Instagram. Should you need any further support with storing and using your icing sheets, you can get in touch by emailing sales@edibleprintsupplies.co.uk and our dedicated team would be happy to help!