Patent (Shiny) Leather Effect On A Handbag Cake?

Decorating By prettycakeoxford Updated 1 Mar 2012 , 12:05am by Rosie2

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prettycakeoxford Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 6:52pm
post #1 of 16

Hello,
I'm making a handbag cake this week and the bag I'm basing it on is black shiny leather. Does anyone have any tips how to make the fondant (sugarpaste) look realistic?
Thank you!

15 replies
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sweetcravings Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 7:12pm
post #2 of 16

From what i have seen on cake shows they make the fondant nice and shiney by steaming it when they are all done. Cake boss has done this lots of time and i swear the black does look like patent leather when it's done. Maybe if you go to his website you could see some cakes like that. Never tried it but just thought i'd share what i saw. HTH

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-K8memphis Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 7:17pm
post #3 of 16

Next time you order from Global Sugar Art or wherever else they sell it--get some gum arabic, mix it with water, paint it on--looks exactly like patent leather.

It's like a spice jar sized bottle full of white powder, under four bucks.

I put it in my royal icing to pipe pearls and it comes out pearlified.

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deetmar Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 10:45pm
post #4 of 16

To get the shiny black, you need to steam it when your done. I have a clothes steamer that I use when I want to do it. Before I use to hold my gumpaste flowers over a pot of boiling water, to have the color come out.

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bobwonderbuns Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 10:53pm
post #5 of 16

You can also paint the dried black fondant with confectioners glaze to get a nice, shiny black patent leather look.

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ApplegumKitchen Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 10:59pm
post #6 of 16

ummmm - confectioner's glaze is inedible... well it is here in Australia! icon_redface.gif it is made from shellac!

We use it to glaze leaves or berries etc - mostly things that would be removed from the cake and not eaten.

Not sure that it would be a good idea to paint the entire cake with it.

The gum arabic solution is what we use here - gives a great gloss

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bobwonderbuns Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 11:04pm
post #7 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApplegumKitchen

ummmm - confectioner's glaze is inedible... well it is here in Australia! icon_redface.gif it is made from shellac!

We use it to glaze leaves or berries etc - mostly things that would be removed from the cake and not eaten.

Not sure that it would be a good idea to paint the entire cake with it.

The gum arabic solution is what we use here - gives a great gloss




Oh I'm sorry to hear that! Here in America it's made from "Food Grade Refined Bleached Lacquer" and is very edible. I've used it on my jolly rancher butterflies to keep them from melting at room temp (as they can sometimes do) with no ill effects from the glaze (and nobody has complained about a bad taste either.) Oh well, to each is own.

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tatorchip Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 11:14pm
post #8 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobwonderbuns

Quote:
Originally Posted by ApplegumKitchen

ummmm - confectioner's glaze is inedible... well it is here in Australia! icon_redface.gif it is made from shellac!

We use it to glaze leaves or berries etc - mostly things that would be removed from the cake and not eaten.

Not sure that it would be a good idea to paint the entire cake with it.

The gum arabic solution is what we use here - gives a great gloss



Oh I'm sorry to hear that! Here in America it's made from "Food Grade Refined Bleached Lacquer" and is very edible. I've used it on my jolly rancher butterflies to keep them from melting at room temp (as they can sometimes do) with no ill effects from the glaze (and nobody has complained about a bad taste either.) Oh well, to each is own.


yep, that is what my bottle had on it food grade

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ApplegumKitchen Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 11:28pm
post #9 of 16

ummm THAT'S why I said..... HERE IN AUSTRALIA !!

We might be talking about two entirely different products - or not!

Its not a case of ... "to each his own" .... it is more a case of

"Different horses for different courses"

Our food standards and regulations are different from yours as well (as are the ones in the UK) - for instance - a lot of your food colours and preservatives are completely legal and authorised for use in the USA - where it is banned here.

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FlourPots Posted 20 Nov 2009 , 11:46pm
post #10 of 16
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bobwonderbuns Posted 21 Nov 2009 , 1:26am
post #11 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by ApplegumKitchen

ummm THAT'S why I said..... HERE IN AUSTRALIA !!

We might be talking about two entirely different products - or not!

Its not a case of ... "to each his own" .... it is more a case of

"Different horses for different courses"

Our food standards and regulations are different from yours as well (as are the ones in the UK) - for instance - a lot of your food colours and preservatives are completely legal and authorised for use in the USA - where it is banned here.




Oh calm down already. Strife is NOT something we need here on CC.

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cakenutz Posted 21 Nov 2009 , 1:39am
post #12 of 16

brushing piping gel on it will make it shine also.

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plbennett_8 Posted 21 Nov 2009 , 4:26am
post #13 of 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by K8memphis-

Next time you order from or wherever else they sell it--get some gum arabic, mix it with water, paint it on--looks exactly like patent leather.

It's like a spice jar sized bottle full of white powder, under four bucks.

I put it in my royal icing to pipe pearls and it comes out pearlified.




Kewl icon_biggrin.gif Thanks... I have never heard that one. Learn something new everyday! thumbs_up.gif When you pipe pearls you just add the powder into your Royal in a bowl and then pipe?

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-K8memphis Posted 21 Nov 2009 , 5:15am
post #14 of 16

Yes plus in Toba's book she says to thin the royal icing so the tips of the pearl dots sink in by themselves--it's a real kick to do it all in one stroke of the piping bag.

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CutiePieCakes-Ontario Posted 21 Nov 2009 , 6:08am
post #15 of 16

If you do go the clothes steamer way, don't use a small handheld model - trust me. I have one of those, and it's great for steaming out the wrinkles in my blouses, but as for fondant, it's horrible. If it's not at just the right angle, it spits out water droplets as well as steam, which leaves watermarks on the fondant.

One day, when I have the space and $$$, I'll invest in a proper floor model ... one day.

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Rosie2 Posted 1 Mar 2012 , 12:05am
post #16 of 16

I know this is an old thread but I just found it icon_smile.gif ---does anyone knows if using piping gel to add shine to fondant works? does is stays shinny but not sticky?
I want to achieve a patent look shine.

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