Some of you may remember that I was debating about getting the Sugarveil system back in November. Well I did finally decide to get it, and I did my first cake this weekend! (see Cinderella's Pumpkin Coach or my Green Topsy-Turvy Cymbidium Orchid Cake in my gallery)
So here's the scoop...
The icing... VERY COOL! I piped it, as well as using the Sugarveil system, and scraping it on a board.
You can use it on greased parchment or cellophane, or stright on your silicone baking mat if you have one. It stays flexible on the silicone mat the longest.
The texture is something between melted marshmallows and royal icing when it's wet, like silicone when it's set, and like a dry meringue when it is completely dry. WARNING... the pieces are VERY FRAGILE when dry (I dropped a piece onto the floor and it shattered into a hundred pieces!) The taste is hard to pin down, but it's not offensive at all - mildly sweet.
On the up-side, if a piece dries too quickly for you, you can re-humidify it to make it flexible again. On the down-side, painting it with lemon extract & powdered colour makes it too flexible again if unsupported (the crown on the top was dry, but after I painted it gold, it sagged.) When placed on a cake, the pieces stayed "set", but did not dry to the "shatter" stage.
I spread sheets of it and cut them out with scissors - this was really fun and worked well. That's how I made the door (I dried it over a form for the curve.) I Piped the edge and flooded the inside for the leaves which also worked well. These pieces set-up and stayed flexible for a long time.
I tried the scraping method of making lines... I had a little trouble with this when I used different items (my Wilton zig-zag scraper) but using the comb you can buy with the system worked much better.
I piped it out of a parchment cone & with a tip... it pipes much like royal icing... I had mixed it a little too thin so it piped easily, but didn't hold it's shape as well as I would like. Next time I'll use a little less water for this application.
I piped with the Sugarveil...it's pretty slow, which is good if you're doing intricate details, but I would have appreciated a little more speed for longer runs. You can get some VERY fine line with this, and much easier to control 1-handed than a piping bag. (Much gentler on the hands & wrists!)
It was really handy when I needed to glue pieces onto my cake... I could put a small amount of royal icing exactly where I needed it.
The system itself was quite easy to put together and use. Spend 2 minutes with the instruction manual and the pieces in your hands, and you'll be fine.
The suction feature (for picking up dragees, etc) will be very handy and seems to work well. You can actually dab some glue on the back of the dragee then put it in place. What's nice is that the "stem" is very narrow, so it does not get in the way of your view... and you can place the dragee exactly where you want it.
Overall, I will definately buy more of the icing when this batch is done. The applications are mind-boggling, and I just scraped the surface. I also bought the video which shows how to achieve the effect on their web-site and it was also well worth the price.
As for the "system" ... what it does, it does quite well. If you have trouble with your wrists, it will be very helpful, but you can only pipe dots & fine lines with it. Standard icing tips do not fit it, so you cannot achieve any other shapes. (However, you can do a LOT with lines & dots!)
It's great for outlining templates (i.e. the lace pieces they show on their site) and would be wonderful for piping chocolate outlines for stained glass work.
It's not too loud when it's on... it's a small pump much like one you'd use for a fishtank, and they provide a piece of foam to put under the pump to keep the noise from the vibration down to nothing.
It's a relatively expensive unit, and I don't think that it's something every decorator needs. That being said, I'm still glad I bought it! Like anything it will require some practice to get really good at it, but I was fairly happy with what I achieved, even on my first try.
Anyhow, this is more than long enough - anything you want to know that I missed, just ask!
If you want to check it out, or order it...
www.sugarveil.com
Thank you MelC, For taking the time to share this information. I saw your cake and loved it !
The following are some suggestions from the Sugarveil crew:
* Steam (very lightly) set pieces of SugarVeil just until tacky 'off the cake' and it'll grab the gold dusting powder dry - without having to apply it in liquid form. If you do use the alcohol/dusting powder liquid form mix on SugarVeil, do the pieces in advance off the cake and allow them to "set" again, releasing the extra moisture.
* For a stiffer mix to use in a piping bag, beat for a longer period of time and use the same day (1/3 c water to 1 cup SugarVeil).
* When using the Icing Dispenser (1/3 c + 2 Tbl. water to 1 cup SugarVeil), you can place the pump on the floor if you like (I usually do this when working at a table).
And if you haven't been to their site for a while... check out their latest cake... with directions on some new techniques!!
http://www.sugarveil.com/gallery/avant_garde.htm
Thanks so much for your info...I just received a batch of the icing...I thought I would try it with a piping bag before I invested in the machine....I can't wait to try it out!
melc
i just bought the sugarveil kit and LOVE IT!!!! however, i am having a hard time getting it to dry...after days of setting my pieces are still very sticky and stick to my fingers and pull apart when i try to place them...any ideas?
thanks...monica
I'm not sure... you could try warming it slightly(i.e. with a lamp bulb...)
It is quite hygroscopic... [attracts water] so if it is in a humid location, (like the fridge) it will not dry! (In fact, you can re-activate a dried piece by putting it in a plastic bag with a damp cloth -not touching- for a couple of hours)
Otherwise I would e-mail them (there's an address on the web site)... they've been really great answering my questions!
What a neat gadget.
Your cakes are already gorgeous - this will only add another dimension to your creations!!!!!
Thanks for posting.
MelC,
What type of coloring do you use to color it?
Mary-Ann
Gels or powders..both seem to work fine!
Thanks MelC.
I've had the dispenser for some time but failed miserably the first time I used it so it's been delegated to dragee use only. When I went to the Bakery Expo last week, a very nice woman at the SugarVeil booth gave me a demo and let me try it to get the feel. I'm excited to try it for a cake this weekend. Wish me luck.
mary-ann
Wow, 6 years later...that was a good review...I'm just getting the beginning set, Ive not reason to get nay more, but I'll keep it in mind. Really good review!
I used sugarveil for the first time last week and really loved it! It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I was kind of in a hurry so I put it in the dehydrator to dry. Worked perfectly, it was so fun to work with.
I had a little trouble getting the color I wanted, it took a lot of color, maybe next time I'll try coloring the water first before I mix it?
Can you color it? I was thinking about making an Elvis cake for my neighbor, and had thought about putting black lace on it. I just ordered this on Friday, so ofcourse I don't have it yet.
I'm going to make a cake, with ivory BC, and white roses (with white daisies out of gum paste,), and a few cake pops on top, for my class level 1 cake. I'm going to put white lace around it.
The lace and gum paste, ofcourse, are not in the beginning class, but I can do it, so what ever, huh? Very excited to get it. Can you store it in a plastic bag, and use the peices for other things?
Rhonlynn, for black, be sure to use powdered color (you can add it to SugarVeil before adding the water). SugarVeil is so white-white, it takes alot of color to make it black, and if you add that much gel to make it dark, it turns into something that's no longer SugarVeil. Ditto for red, or any dark/intense color; otherwise you can use any liquid or gel color - any brand works fine to color SugarVeil.
After you peel the mat from the lace, you can place the lace between sheets of parchment paper in a zipped bag and store out of sunlight so they will be flexible to use later.
P.S. You can also airbrush white SugarVeil lace or other decorations. This is really the easiest way to color SugarVeil - make all your decorations white, and then airbrush color onto them.
If you would like to color only one side of the lace, airbrush the lace while it's set but still in the mat.
i'll definitely use it on my ivory class cake next week...Lot's of ideas. Alot of colors go with Elvis, not just black. I'll pick up some spray airbrush. that's a great idea, thanks michelle.
P.S. You can also airbrush white SugarVeil lace or other decorations. This is really the easiest way to color SugarVeil - make all your decorations white, and then airbrush color onto them.
If you would like to color only one side of the lace, airbrush the lace while it's set but still in the mat.
Can Sugarveil be cut using the Cricut Cake? If so how would you attach them to a fondant cake and would the decorations last a long time on a dummy cake like fondant or gum paste does? Would it look different from fondant? would anyone be able to tell it's not fondant?
Hi Kelly- SugarVeil cuts great in the Cricut Cake. in fact, we've a tutorial on our home page at http://www.SugarVeil.com (the drop down list under "Confectionery Icing"). It sticks to itself and to anything with a slight bit of moisture on a fingertip.
SugarVeil looks much finer than fondant - actually looks more like fabric than anything else. If you would like a glossy finish, spread it onto a shiny silicone mat surface; for a matte finish, spread it onto the back of one of our Confectioners' Mats (http://www.sugarveil.com/mat/sugarveil-mat.htm)
It is fine for dummy cakes (for any dummy cake bows, use a finger smear of white chocolate - almond bark works best - to keep the fluffiness of the bow indefinitely).
Hi Kelly- SugarVeil cuts great in the Cake. in fact, we've a tutorial on our home page at http://www.SugarVeil.com (the drop down list under "Confectionery Icing"). It sticks to itself and to anything with a slight bit of moisture on a fingertip.
SugarVeil looks much finer than fondant - actually looks more like fabric than anything else. If you would like a glossy finish, spread it onto a shiny silicone mat surface; for a matte finish, spread it onto the back of one of our Confectioners' Mats (http://www.sugarveil.com/mat/sugarveil-mat.htm)
It is fine for dummy cakes (for any dummy cake bows, use a finger smear of white chocolate - almond bark works best - to keep the fluffiness of the bow indefinitely).
Thanks
Can I spread it on my Cricut Cake mat? If so do I need to add anything to the mat first?
Yes, Kelly, you can spread SugarVeil onto your Cricut Cake mat, just be sure to grease the mat well with a Crisco-type shortening beforehand and follow all the prep/working details in the tutorial.
Rhonda, you needn't grease the Confectioners' Mat before using, just spread the white SugarVeil across it and when it has had enough time to set, it will remove very easily from the mat. Same thing for the back of the mat when spreading SugarVeil fabric - we designed it so you do not need to grease it before use. Always remember to remove (roll back) the mat from the lace/fabric, not vice-versa.
If you are using a Silpat or any other silicone mat, those you need to grease. Use a Crisco-type vegetable fat before applying SugarVeil (don't use spray oil).
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