i am putting a flat fondant or modeling chocolate map (looking as if it had been folded up) on top of a cake made to look like some classic books. then my plan is to stick flags into the map where the students are going to college... this is for a graduation cake that will sit at the top of a tiered cupcake cake.

my question is how do i create the map look... draw it, print something out (and if so, how does that work... i've never done that before)? or any other ideas? it will be a map of the USA or just NC... not sure yet!

i'd love some of your ideas!!!!
thanks!

i just did a treasure map on a pirate cake a few weeks ago. i cut the map shape out of fondant, drew the map lines with edible markers and then airbrushed on the edges to make it look a little bit older. good luck!

How about an edible image...you can put it on a piece of fondant with tylose in it and can dry it ahead of time...and then there's less stress about having to draw the map...


HTH

how do i go about making the edible image? i've never done that before!!!

If it's your first time, I'd recommend going to a company like icingimages.com. basically you should figure out how big you want the picture and create a file with it (use a jpeg but you should figure out how big you want it based on standard page sizes ie 8 1/2 x 11 or 8 1/2 x 14). Upload it on their site order form and also give them the specs on how big it is. They'll print it for you and mail it to you.

When you're ready to use the image, roll our your fondant with tylose and then you can attached the image with piping gel. Shape it how you want and it'll dry...as with anything you'll want to be careful but it's fragile. I used edible images for the food labels in my BBQ cake picture.

HTH

thanks for the info... i am signing up right now. is there any other advice you can give me in creating a file or ordering?

thanks again!

make sure you really know what size you need and try printing it on regular paper before you send them the image. definitely make sure you tell them what size it's suppose to be (ie if you want it 6 x . Include a note that if they have any questions about teh quality of your image to contact you before they mail the image...give yourself plenty of time in case there's a delay in printing/shipping/receiving. They send it in a ziplock bag that will hold it just fine. (if the size of the map is small...maybe have them print it 2x on the same page so you have a backup. Try to combine the images into one so you don't have to pay for multiple file printing.

Hope it comes out great!

can i cut the image to fit the map i'm making after it arrives?