So I am making...or trying to make this 'Deal or no Deal' cake for my mom's Bday. Everything went well until I couldn't get my fondant smoothed around the bottom so now I have wrinkles. I played around with it so long that there was nothing more that I could do so I just made the best out of it and moved on. (I couldn't even lift it off to try again) When I got done decorating it I thought it would look nice to put some silver luster dust on it to make it 'shine' a little. I have never used luster dust so when I went to buy it the lady at the shop suggested Wilton's shimmer dust and said it was the same..that I could use it in the same manor. Well, I tried to mix it with a little alcohol and tired to paint it on and it didn't work! It looks horrible. Has anyone ever used Wiltons and can it really be used like luster dust? I get really upset when my cakes dont' turn out right but at least it is for my family! And I am going to make my mom a second cake as well! UGGHH!

Fondant takes practice. It helps to elevate the cake slightly so you have room to manipulate the fondant at the bottom edge.

Take a small amount of dry dust and add alcohol-one drop at a time until it is smooth and liquid.

Not every skill in decorating can be perfect the first time. You need to practice when you are not under pressure.

good luck.

LUSTER DUST AND SHIMMER DUST ARE NOT THE SAME AND CANNOT BE USED IN THE SAME MANNER--THE LADY AT THE CAKE SHOP DOESN'T KNOW HER PRODUCTS!!!!!!

Shimmer dust is gum arabic--finely ground cake sparkles that when mixed with water or alcohol melt into a mess. To use them--and I don't--you need to lightly mist the cake and sprinkle them on. You will never get the same effect with them that you get with luster dust.

Luster dust can be mixed with a clear alcohol (Everclear, gin, or vodka) or an alcohol based extract (lemon is the best because it has the highest alcohol content). It can then be used as a paint. I also dry dust some things just to put some sparkle or to tone down the color of the fondant.

Sorry that this happened to you. I'm pretty proactive and given the lousy advice you got from the shop, I'd return the Shimmer Dust, essentially demand a refund, and then tell them how to use luster dust

Rae

oops. that's what i get for reading without my glasses.