Cake decorating novice ready roll icing horror

[noblegiraffe]

My cake decorating has up to now been birthday cakes with smarties stuck onto water icing. I've decided to go a bit classier and bought some rollout icing. I went mad in a decorating shop and also bought some icing cutters and some coloured rollout icing.

So, I've managed to roll out and ice the cake. I've tried to roll out the coloured icing and it just stuck to the rolling pin. I put icing sugar on the rolling pin and now my coloured icing is all crap and dusted in icing sugar. I used my lovely icing cutter to cut out a shape but it's not going to stick onto my cake, is it?

So. How do I stop my coloured icing sticking onto my rolling pin without it getting covered in icing sugar, and how do I stick it to my cake? Please?

Thank god this is a practice cake otherwise I'd be majorly stressed!

Silicone sheets are your friend. But I would like to add that coloured ready roll icing tastes vile.

I've just looked them up, are they for rolling out on? It's the sticking to the rolling pin that's the issue. The rolling pin is wooden, is that wrong?

I have just tasted the icing and you're right. But what are my other options? I've got lovely little dinky cutters that I want to use.

Also, how do you stick the cut out shapes to the cake?

Keep the icing sugar to a minimum. Glue shapes on with a little water. Excess icing sugar can be brushed off with a paint brush. Have fun with the cutters (make sure you dip them in icing sugar first!).

Try rolling it between two sheets of baking paper, or thin plastic sheets (like the plastic that ready rolled icing comes on)
Use vodka or cooled boiled water to stick the tiny shapes onto your cake.

Ok, a wooden rolling pin is not good for icing, silicone ones are the best but they are very expensive and not worth it really for occasional use. Try the grease proof paper idea. Icing sugar dries out icing and makes it prone to cracking and wrinkling, use cornflour instead. To get rid of it afterwards, dip a brush in vodka and use that to brush off the cornflour. Water (a very small amount!) will make your icing sticky so use that to brush on the back of your shapes and they will stick onto your cake.
Your alternative to nasty pre-coloured icing is colouring your own but you need colouring gel or paste rather than liquid - I think sainsburys now have a couple of colours in their home baking range, otherwise you need a cake decorating shop or hobbycraft or online.

Thanks, I'll give greaseproof paper a go.

How do I make icing that I can use my cutters on? I've only ever made icing by adding water to icing sugar and that's a bit sloppy.

For coloured icing you can also use a smear of trex on the surface or pin to stop it sticking

Just buy white ready roll icing and colour that, that's the easiest way.

Ok, that sounds doable, but how do I colour the white icing? I really don't have a clue what I'm doing.

They really should put instructions on the packet!

If you get some gel colour, you just put a tiny bit in the icing (like a dab on the end of a cocktail stick) and knead it in and repeat until you get the colour you want.

Oh brilliant, thanks. I think our corner shop has gel colours and I've got loads of white icing. Will try it later!

Commercial coloured icing does taste vile.

Gin is better than water for gluing on shapes as the excess evaporates away (you can't taste it)

Well unless, like my 11y DD you decide to drink it. Her excuse was it had blue food colouring in it and the next bit was a white polar bear

I use corn flour to stop the icing sticking to the rolling pin and worktop. You only need a little bit and it doesn't affect the taste at all. Once the icing is on the cake I brush off any corn flour and gently wipe the surface with damp kitchen paper and leave to dry. Works perfectly every time. It's also much easier to clean the worktop as the corn flour doesn't go sticky like icing sugar an it doesn't dry out the icing as only a very light dusting if corn flour is needed.

Be warned kneading the colour into the icing will dye your hands. I had blue hands for a week doing that. I buy coloured regal ice from amazon. Tastes fine to me. Alternatively my friend buys food grade plastic gloves to wear when she colours icing.

shoppingbags next time you get smurf hands, rub your hands over with washing powder, then rinse it off. It works brilliantly! I have dispo gloves but sometimes I just cba to wear them.