Thoughts Appreciated On Making A 'gold 50' Out Of Ri

Baking By TracyLH Updated 15 Sep 2008 , 11:31pm by Honeydukes

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TracyLH Posted 13 Sep 2008 , 9:27pm
post #1 of 23

I was just asked to make 50th wedding anniversary cookies and my thought is to pipe the 50's onto parchment or acetate in normal RI and let them dry completely. Although I haven't played with edible gold dust (except for topping truffles), I thought I would mix it with lemon extract, vodka or gin and brush it on the 50's. Once dry, I would attach them to the cookie. Am I even on the right track? Should I be coloring the icing first or will that throw it off? Is edible gold dust the right thing to use? Not much time to experiment, so any thoughts would be so very much appreciated.

22 replies
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DianeLM Posted 13 Sep 2008 , 10:03pm
post #2 of 23

You're definitely on the right track. A couple of things I'd recommend:

1. Pipe the 50's onto plastic wrap (Saran) or Reynolds Non-stick foil. They'll pop right off. Be sure to make LOTS of extras to allow for breakage.

2. Is your 'gold dust' l-u-s-t-e-r dust? Or gold leaf? Definitely use l-u-s-t-e-r or preferably highlighter dust mixed with vodka. I prefer Everclear, aka grain alcohol, because it evaporates so quickly. However, it's not available everywhere.

3. You don't really need to precolor your RI for this project. It'll be easy enough to get thorough coverage.

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 2:21pm
post #3 of 23

Thanks so much Diane! I found my gold I bought years ago and it is labelled 'Gold Sparkle Dust' (made by South, Inc.). The store I bought it at said it was the same as luster dust, but I saw 'Luster Dust Super Gold' on-line, so I may order that, just in case.

Do you think the gold dust will come off when I take it off of the plastic wrap to carefully drop it onto the cookie? My thought was to flood the cookie and drop each number on carefully. If not that, I could pipe a thin line under each number and set it in place. I am just concerned about the gold coming off. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks again for your expertise!

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DianeLM Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 2:40pm
post #4 of 23

Yes, the gold will probably smudge when you touch the numbers. To avoid that, mix the dust with confectioners glaze rather than alcohol. It will 'seal' the dust. Let me know if you need tips on working with confectioners glaze.

Dropping the numbers into freshly flooded RI is an interesting idea! I've never done anything like that before. I'll definitely want to know how it works out!

Yeah, you're better off with l-u-s-t-e-r dust. Sparkle dust won't give good coverage since it's more grainy. However, sprinkling a little sparkle dust on top of the l-u-s-t-e-r dust while it's still wet will give a cool effect!

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 3:01pm
post #5 of 23

Hmm.. that is weird. My second post was supposed to say that I had "G-o-l-d S-p-a-r-k-l-le d-u-s-t, but it came across in bold as sparkle dust luster dust. That is not what I had typed.

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 3:05pm
post #6 of 23

Thanks, Diane! Now I see why you had used the hyphens! Oh, yes, I would most certainly appreciate the info on confectioner's glaze! The recipe and tips would be sincerely appreciated!

As for dropping the image onto the recently flooded cookie, I did this with logo cookies that I did and it worked like a charm! Thanks again for all of your help!

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DianeLM Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 5:37pm
post #7 of 23

Tracy,

Here's a recent thread where confectioners glaze is discussed http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-602484.html

You don't make confectioners glaze, you have to buy it. It's a food grade lacquer - pretty much the stuff they use to make certain types of candy shiny. I believe the Country Kitchens link in the attached thread will take you to confectioners glaze.

I'd love to see a pic of your logo cookies! All of your cookies are just beautiful!

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 5:58pm
post #8 of 23

Uh, oh. I must be looking at the wrong product. I looked it up on that web-site and it said that the CK Confectioners Glaze" is best used for display or preservative purposes only. NOT EDIBLE." Am I looking at the wrong thing?

Thanks again!

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bobwonderbuns Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 6:22pm
post #9 of 23

If you look in my pix, I did a gold monogrammed cake where I used colorflow (Royal icing works well too) and piped the monograms. Make plenty of extras for breakage! (Don't ask me how I know that...icon_rolleyes.gif ) Then use gold lustre dust mixed with either lemon extract or vodka (both of which evaporate but the lemon leaves a weird smell and aftertaste). Let dry and paint again if needed. Attach with dots of royal icing. Good luck and let us know how it turns out! icon_biggrin.gif

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Honeydukes Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 6:34pm
post #10 of 23

I thought ConfGlaze was for display only. In the CK catalog it says that it's not edible.

The smudging will only be minimal. It's best to tint your RI yellow so that no white shows through.

Any time you type something that the online store carried such as lustre dust it becomes a hyperlink. (They closed the store so the links no longer work.)

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DianeLM Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 6:41pm
post #11 of 23

CK is the only place that claims the glaze isn't edible (well, probably not any more!). I researched this stuff long before I heard of CK because the first place I had seen it, about 6 years ago, was on a chocolate candy website. I've eaten it. My family has eaten it. My customers have eaten it. If you're not comfortable with it, that's cool.

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Honeydukes Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 6:57pm
post #12 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by DianeLM

CK is the only place that claims the glaze isn't edible (well, probably not any more!). I researched this stuff long before I heard of CK because the first place I had seen it, about 6 years ago, was on a chocolate candy website. I've eaten it. My family has eaten it. My customers have eaten it. If you're not comfortable with it, that's cool.




Okay, stuff like this makes me crazy! It's like with the dragees. "Watch out!! They're dangerous!!" We've eaten them since we were little, but all of a sudden some guy's on a crusade to save us all because they are the scourge of the culinary world!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/12/23/MNGS03SUEM1.DTL

Maybe it's the same kind of thing with the ConfGlaze. Maybe CK is just protecting themselves legally. I mean the lustre dust isn't FDA approved either and we all use that for food stuff.

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 11:25pm
post #13 of 23

DianeLM, I didn't think in a million years that you would use something if you thought it wasn't edible - I thought I had the wrong thing. But it sounds like CK has it marked differently and they must be covering all bases. Another thought - I wonder if the solution has changed over time? The tutorial author on how to make cookies was so lucky when she wrote the tutorial as the aluminum flashing she used was food-safe and then they went and changed how they manufactured it! Luckily she bought plenty of the safe version as it is so hard to find now.

Bobwonderbuns (okay, LOVE that name!), your lettering is perfect and just what I had in mind! Did you tint your colorflow? If so, what color? I have Americolor gold. That's all I can think of at this point.

Honeydukes - Thanks for your idea to tint the RI. I guess I am just nervous as these cookies need to be bagged and if some color is there first to start with, that might help.

I'll do some practicing with all of great ideas you have given and I very sincerely appreciate your help! icon_biggrin.gif

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bobwonderbuns Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 11:33pm
post #14 of 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by TracyLH

Bobwonderbuns (okay, LOVE that name!), your lettering is perfect and just what I had in mind! Did you tint your colorflow? If so, what color? I have gold. That's all I can think of at this point.




I went to Word and got the monotype corsiva font and sized it to what I wanted (I think I did italics and bold also). I printed out four of each letter on a sheet then taped the sheet down and taped wax paper on top of it. When I flood something I do the whole thing in one consistency rather than do a stiffer border and flood the inside. That way you don't get a line around the letter. (Works for cookies too!). Anyway, I flooded the letters in white and let dry for 48 hours at least. Then I gilded them using vodka and lustre dust. Let dry for another 24 hours so they aren't sticky. I don't happen to like tinted anything -- frosting, colorflow, anything but that's just my preference. I prefer white and lustre dust on top. Hope that helps some! icon_biggrin.gif

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TracyLH Posted 14 Sep 2008 , 11:51pm
post #15 of 23

Bobwonderbuns - That helps tons! I love to do the idea of printing out and using wax paper over it as I am not the greatest freehander. I tried acetate, but not quite flexible enough! Oops!

DianeLM - I will get my act together in a few weeks and post the pic of the logo cookies along with several others. I really loved doing the logo separately and dropping on top of the wet cookie. It didn't sink in and adhered perfectly. Joanne914 gave me the idea to put it on a wet cookie and it worked out quite well!

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DianeLM Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 12:32am
post #16 of 23

Tracy - I actually had forgotten that CK labels confectioners glaze as inedible. If I had remembered, I would have given you a heads-up. I'm just so used to using it for so many projects, I don't even think twice about it. Goodness, you'll have to try a LOT HARDER to offend me! icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

Just want to stress my preference for plastic wrap over wax paper for piping royal icing pieces. My breakage has decreased to a fraction of what it was when I used wax paper. Of course, everyone has their own preference. Whatever works best for you!

Honeydukes - That "Dragee Hysteria" drives me nuts, too. I'm particularly annoyed when it involves sweets and dessert items. Ya know, the stuff that's loaded with fat and sugar? Stuff that is KNOWN to cause health problems? But, god forbid I swallow a little silver ball! Call the National Guard!

I don't know what the bottom line is on confectioners glaze. When I first researched it, I learned that it was made from the same natural plant ingredients that all lacquers are made from. Now, some sites say it's made of crushed up bugs. Well, as disgusting as that sounds, I'm still not going to get my panties in a bunch about it. I imagine the microscopic amount I ingest is less than the 'allowable' amount of bug parts in any of the foods we eat!

Bottom line is, a reasonably healthy person can ingest all kinds of wacky things with no consequences. Have you ever seen the high school kids who prepare your fast food? *shudder* I'd rather eat bugs. icon_biggrin.gif

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TracyLH Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 11:56am
post #17 of 23

Thanks again Diane! I will give plastic wrap a whirl. I used acetate last time and boy, that was a mistake! Luckily I made a lot, but only squeaked out enough to do what I needed to do.

Crushed up bugs? Well, you learn something new every day! On a lighter note, many countries eat bugs for the protein. Not sure I am going to toss one in an omelet though! icon_biggrin.gif

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TracyLH Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 2:16pm
post #18 of 23

Well, as I wanted to cover all bases and was curious, I called CK Products just to clear up why they say that their confectioner's glaze is non-toxic, but not edible. We now have the 'official word" (in case anyone wanted to know). Here is the scoop - it is not considered a food item by the FDA, so by gov't regulations they have to put a disclaimer on it. However, they do consider it to be edible and they actually use it with their sugars to hold the color. They recommended not to "drink it straight from the bottle", but it is fine to brush on top of cookies. So as Diane and Honeydukes thought, we are good to go, but they just have to list that disclaimer for gov't regulations. I didn't inquire about the bugs though icon_biggrin.gif

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DianeLM Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 2:56pm
post #19 of 23
Quote:
Quote:

I didn't inquire about the bugs though




Sometimes the less we know, the better! icon_biggrin.gif

Thanks for checking this out for us. I believe it's the same with some of the decorating dusts. Since the FDA hasn't tested it for food safety, it can't be labeled safe. Doesn't mean it ISN'T safe. Just means no one has come forward with the necessary funding to have the FDA put it's stamp of approval on it.

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TracyLH Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 3:30pm
post #20 of 23

I agree about the funding as it can make the issue confusing. I was nice to have the company clear up their wording!

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Honeydukes Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 8:40pm
post #21 of 23

Thanks for calling Tracy, that's good to know. I don't want to know about the bugs, either. (A friend of mine refuses to eat anything made with cocoa powder because she says it's made of crushed bugs. She will eat chocolate, however. icon_confused.gif ) BTW, I just love the folks at CK they're always so helpful!

Diane, can you tell me why the CG has a "thinner" and what it's made of? Do you use the thinner?

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DianeLM Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 10:19pm
post #22 of 23
Quote:
Quote:

Diane, can you tell me why the CG has a "thinner" and what it's made of? Do you use the thinner?




The thinner is discussed in the thread I referenced earlier in this thread. Here it is again: http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-602484.html

It's just used to clean the glaze off tools and surfaces. I managed without the thinner for years before deciding I should have some on hand for emergencies. That $5 bottle is a lifetime supply!

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Honeydukes Posted 15 Sep 2008 , 11:31pm
post #23 of 23

Thanks, Diane, I will have to try it!

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