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nanahaley
Regular Member
Joined: Aug 22, 2006
Posts: 141
Location: Panama City, FL
Birthday: Oct 07
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 Posted:
Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:16 pm |
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I am covering a cakeboard with fabric and clear contact paper. Do I need to put something under the cake or can it go directly on the contact paper? |
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Sugarflowers
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Aug 19, 2006
Posts: 1454
Location: McKinney, TX
Birthday: Feb 02
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 2:59 pm |
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The cake can go directly on the contact paper. It works great.
Michele |
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BlakesCakes
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 1917
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:33 pm |
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The makers of contact paper recommend NOT putting food directly on it, especially if it's the printed/colored contact paper (the dyes contain lead). For the clear stuff, they say it "should be OK" for a short time.
I put a board (for me, 3/16th inch foamcore) the same size as the cake under it and then put that on top of the contact paper. I use double sided tape to secure the two together. If anything is touching the contact paper, it's the border--and they often don't make it to the serving plate, anyway. If a border is really huge (and may be consumed in quantity), I put a parchment circle under it so that it doesn't sit on the contact paper.
HTH
Rae |
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tchrmom
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 22, 2007
Posts: 402
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 4:59 pm |
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I didn't know all that. I only did this once-- on the clear contact paper, and it was fine. I'll have to think about that for future cakes. |
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mixinvixen
Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 693
Gallery Supporter Member
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 5:22 pm |
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i use contact paper with a base of decorated paper, and i really feel like there isn't a problem with my cake touching the contact paper....but i put all my layers on their own foamboard. reason? because i hate having to wipe the overspray from my airbrush off the contact paper, because i hate having to wipe the grease off the contact paper, etc... i just do all my layers with their own board, then put a dab of hot glue on the contact paper, then lay my first layer down. contact paper glues itself to the foam board, and i go up from there. it also gives you one more layer of stablization when hammering your dowels down from the top, all the way through. |
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BlakesCakes
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 1917
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Tue Sep 02, 2008 6:34 pm |
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I guess one thing I've never said in all of the discussions about contact paper is that many, many times, it's problems that result from things THAT WE DON'T SEE that are the issue.
The comment I so often read is, "I do it all the time and no one's ever complained or gotten sick, so I'll keep doing it that way....". Well, no, you'll never get a call from someone saying, "I ate your cake and because it was sitting directly on contact paper, I've now had an exposure to phthalates and/or lead and I'm upset/worried, etc." No one is going to get immediately sick from a cake directly on contact paper--but the advice of the manufacturer of the product is to simply not do it, so why disregard that advice???? That's what makes no sense, at all, to me.
Just put down a barrier or use a cake board under the bottom tier and avoid the issue all together. It makes life so simple. I put it right up there with washing your hands after you use the bathroom 
Just my honest .02
Rae |
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nanahaley
Regular Member
Joined: Aug 22, 2006
Posts: 141
Location: Panama City, FL
Birthday: Oct 07
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 8:53 am |
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Thanks to everyone for the responses. I already covered my board and when I put the clear contact paper over the fabric I detected a smell. My thought was that the smell might penetrate my cake and that is why I asked the question. I definitely do not want to take any chances so I will be putting cardboard under my cake. Thanks again for your time and for the information. |
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Edit
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 30, 2007
Posts: 84
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:09 am |
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Well said, Blakes Cakes.  |
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step0nmi
Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Oct 02, 2006
Posts: 2887
Location: WI
Birthday: Feb 02
Gallery Supporter Member
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:16 am |
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all I have to say is I use Clear Contact paper and it is acid free...which means no poisons in them...the stuff is basically plastic. So, it's fine. are you going to stop putting your cakes on cake plates then too? those are plastic too! just my opinion |
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Tootall
Regular Member
Joined: Jun 01, 2007
Posts: 150
Location: Prattville, AL
Gallery Supporter Member
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:17 am |
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I'd be nervous to put my cake on contact paper. If I use something other than foil, like tissue paper, I just stretch some plastic wrap over my board and tape it underneath. I'm no pro, but it works for our family/friends cakes!  And then I always have my cake on a board the same size as the cake. I ice it, put it on the decorated board, then put my border on the cake.  |
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moxey2000
Frequent Member
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Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 386
Location: Andros Island, Bahamas - Supporting Our Troops!
Birthday: Mar 08
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:39 am |
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For the boards that go directly under the cake for each tier...do you use the cardboard circles that are waxed on one side? or do you cover it or a plain circle with something? I've always wondered how others do it. Thanks. |
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butternut
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 1243
Location: Virginia
Birthday: Feb 01
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 9:47 am |
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Hello everyone. Every time I see a post such as this I always feel compelled to copy and paste the email that I received from the makers of contact paper. I wrote to them and my inquiry was if "clear" contact paper was safe to put my cakes on top of. This was the response that I received.
Hi Margie,
Contact Paper is made of PVC VYNIL. We do not recommend this to be used in Direct contact with food. I do have other customers that are doing the same thing with our paper, and although we have not received any complaints in regards to this type of use, we still must give you caution.
Thanks,
Have a Great Day!
Teena Leyva
Kittrich Corporation
Customer Service Dept.
714-736-1057 phone
714-736-2157 fax |
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nanahaley
Regular Member
Joined: Aug 22, 2006
Posts: 141
Location: Panama City, FL
Birthday: Oct 07
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:07 am |
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Thanks again for the responses. If the manufacturer does not recommend using it with food products, then I don't think I want to go against their advice. Again it was the smell of the contact paper that made me question this practice. I certainly did not want my cake to absorb the taste of the contact paper. By the way, my cakeboard looks great and I can't wait to put my cake on it (with cardboard under it of course). |
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BlakesCakes
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Aug 01, 2005
Posts: 1917
Location: Cleveland, OH
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:13 pm |
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| step0nmi wrote: | | all I have to say is I use Clear Contact paper and it is acid free...which means no poisons in them...the stuff is basically plastic. So, it's fine. are you going to stop putting your cakes on cake plates then too? those are plastic too! just my opinion |
You're confusing something that is made to be used directly with food and is therefore, food safe (plastic cake plates) , with something that is NOT made/intended to be used directly with food and is not made of food safe components.
Clear contact paper is an extremely flexible form of PVC (polyvinylchloride). In order to be so flexible, it contains ingredients (phthalates) that are considered to be potentially harmful with extended exposures. It's the ingredient that was banned in teething rings and baby toys because those are mouthed by babies for long periods of time.
Being "acid free" has NOTHING to do with "no poisons". Not every acid is a poison and not every poison is an acid. All "acid free" means is that it's Ph neutral and won't contribute to the deterioration of documents.
Butternut, thanks for the copy of the same e-mail that I received in response to my query.
Moxey, my choice for cakeboards is 3/16 inch foamcore, others use cardboard cake circles (waxed or unwaxed). For tiers above the bottom, I think the more support the better. Foamcore doesn't absorb anything. If using plain cardboard, a moist cake may make is soggy. I choose not to cover my boards with foil or saran because I don't want that to be shredded during cake cutting and coming up with cake slices.
Rae |
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mixinvixen
Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 693
Gallery Supporter Member
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 2:41 pm |
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i definitely agree with you, rae, on the saran wrap. in the beginning, i used it a few times also, until onc day i had to carve a bit off for an adjustment and i noticed that my knife sliced the saran...i had just never thought of it ripping/tearing. luckily it was only used on 2 or 3, since i was just beginning and didn't really have my name out there yet. ever since, i've been a religious foamcore person, catching every sale at hobby lobby that i can!! |
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