i am new to cake decorating and having a desire not to poison anyone this early on i have been trying to research the "wire in cake" thing for a cake i need to do. i have searched and emailed tirelessly trying to find an answer other then coffee stirrers and green covered wire and still have not found a definitive answer. the thing i don't get is - if you just use a 304 stainless steel wire wouldn't that be considered food safe? there must be a safe metal wire out there somewhere

I think stainless steel, aluminum or copper would be fine, sometimes we all get a bit too wrapped up in the food safe issues. I have a book on food additives and a lot of what we are eating is not edible and downright dangerous. If you're worried, find an Italian market or a good kitchen shop that handles different kinds of pasta. There is a pasta that looks like spaghetti but is called Bucatini which is a spaghetti with a hole down the middle. I use #6 but it comes smaller and larger. The #6 is perfect for a #22 gauge wire or thinner (the larger the wire number the smaller the size). I also use it to build my fondant roses on, it is very strong because of the size and completely edible in case someone bites it.

It's not that hard to put a coffee stir or hollow lollipop stick into the cake to cover the wire. It doesn't show and it doesn't get lost in the cake. That way you can use the floral wire that's available everywhere.

I use coffee stirrers...can get them in a box of 500 for just a few bucks and am still using the one I bought 2 years ago when I went pro. Very easy to use, very easy to pull out or disengage from the cake at cutting. Never any problem with it. Now you ask why not to use wire directly into the cake? People's perceptions. They see wire, even covered wire and think "ewww, that was IN my food?" where as if the wire is inserted into the plastic stirrer they look at it and think "oh look, the cake was protected!". Last reason to use the stirrer (like the pasta use too! Not as cheap but a cool idea if it doesn't get soggy) is for structure...it holds the wire more steadily and sturdy within the cake allowing you to place, move, bump the cake or cake table without the wire cutting thru the cake. HTH

The moisture, oil, and acids in cake and icing will oxidize naked wire of any type---DISGUSTING. If the cake is light colored, this can leave green or black marks in the cake where it touches the wire. It doesn't matter if it's "food safe" because it can still leaves an unpleasant residue or metallic taste in the cake.

Floral tape is sticky on both sides--DISGUSTING. Bits of it can come off in the cake when removing the flower...........

It's really not that hard to do the more aesthetic, professional thing and insert a coffee stirrer, straw, flower/posey pick, or cover the wire melted chocolate, before putting the flower in the cake.

Rae