Hello everyone. I'm on my way to the cake supply store in a few hours and need answers before I go. Some cakes on this site has a wire spray sticking out of their loop bows. If you assemble the bow layer by layer, at what point do you add the wires? I'm thinking that's the only way to do it because you probably can't insert the wires into a straw or coffee stirrer and into the cake after the bow is made and placed on the cake; am I right or wrong please explain?

I'm also doing a snowflake cake and would like it to sparkle. It will be a colored background with fondant snowflake cutouts in white and silver dusted with super pearl and silver luster dust; I've never used any of the dusts before. My questions are: Since I'm dusting should I make light grey fondand for the silver? What's the best way to apply the dust (brushes...)? How does the dust stay on? After I dust the cutouts how long do I have to wait before placing on cake?

Now for the grand finale. Which dust will really make the finished cake sparkle/glisten? TIA!

Can you add a picture of the type of bow you're talking about?

I mix the luster dust with a bit of everclear (you can use vodka or lemon extract too) and make it like a paint and then I use a brush that I think is appropriate size based on the job needed. You can use just about any kind of brush but it needs to be new and only used for this purpose. Be careful when changing colors.

Mmgiles, I don't know how to do the picture thing that everyone else on cc seems to know how to do; I sure would like to know. The bow I'm talking about is the multi loop bow. Some cakes on here have full fondant/gumpaste bows and toppers with wire bursts coming out the middle. I didn't want to paint the luster dust, my questions was about brushing them on dry. I referred to it as dusting; I should have been more specific. I thank you for your advice about how to paint with it. I might try your suggestions depending on what others here say about which method will give me the sparkle I' m looking for. Thanks!

Any others?

This is painted on top of colored fondant.

I dont think I'm helping but here's a bump anyway

Some loop bows are assembled with a wire in every loop instead of being glued together with candy melts. With that kind it would be easy to add a wire spray.

For the dusts, if you use Wilton you probably need to start with gray fondant to get a silver sparkle. If you're using fancier stuff you can probably start with white fondant. All you really have to do to figure it out is roll out a little piece of fondant and dust it to see if it gives you the result you're looking for. Most of the time if you put the dusts on dry it gives a more sublte sparkle and if you paint them on wet you get a more bold metallic effect. I use americolor's silver airbrush color when I want to paint silver details. I don't have an airbrush, I just use a paintbrush.

About paintbrushes, artists paintbrushes work much better than the ones made specifically for cake decorating. I have a couple of very fine ones for small details and for bigger details, I have a pack of RoseArt kids brushes from walmart that work very well.

Thank you all for your advice. I still need to know if anyone out their in cc land has done the multi loop bow with a wire spray bursting out the center

I think the idea of putting the loops on separate wires and wiring it all together would solve your problem. Although I hate making bows that way, I think it would work. Honestly I would hate doing it that way unless I really had to. I think adding wires to the loops is more trouble than neccesary. Cant you just work in the wires as you are assembling the bow on the cake? That is probably how I would go about it.

JCE62108, thank you. I feel the same way since I've never did a loop bow before; that's not the technique I would like to try first. So on that note I think I'll try cutting the wires (since it won't be going through the cake) and add them as I'm building the bow.

sparkle...I would consider brushing my wired items lightly with piping gel and adding edible glitter or crystal sugar to them...

although it's not the clearest of shots...you can kinda see the twinkle on the snowflake topper..

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=48575

super pearl lustre dust
nu silver lustre dust
would give it the highest glistening if using only the lustres

Simply brushing/dusting with super pearl will give glistening effect
so will the nu silver
but for the silver to give a really SILVER look, it's best painted on...

ETA: I've combined super pearl and nu silver then painted on and achieved a higher 'shine' than using just one or the other.

all this...IMMHO

After you dry dust you can steam the items. It really brings out the shimmer. these roses have the edges of the petals painted and the rest of the flower dusted. HTH

Judi

Thank you all4cake and juds2323. Your cake and roses are gorgeous!