Sugar Paste Question

Decorating By smiling1809 Updated 1 Mar 2005 , 12:23am by smiling1809

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smiling1809 Posted 27 Feb 2005 , 9:29pm
post #1 of 8

I am putting sugar paste rose petals on my SIL's wedding cake. If I put them on the day before, will they soften up from the icing on the cake? Should I wait until the day of the wedding to put them on so they will stay hard?

Also, I have a ribbon to put on the cake. Will it get greasy if I put it on the day before?

7 replies
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m0use Posted 28 Feb 2005 , 1:43pm
post #2 of 8

The ribbon will most likely get greasy, unless maybe you put clear contact paper on it on the other side.

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 28 Feb 2005 , 3:39pm
post #3 of 8

Are you making the petals in advance so that they can dry well? If so, well they will be fine for 24 hours or so ahead of time, possibly longer. The ribbon, is it made of fondant or material? A lot depends on the fabric. For instance, satin will show up grease spots and like you were advised, contact plastic or tape or something is good to back it with - even ironing on waxed paper so the wax creates a barrier. To do this you need to put a towel under the ribbon, place the ribbon on top of waxed paper, put another towel in between this and your iron.
Otherwise some of the wired ribbons made from organza and such are not affected by grease. Personally, if I was doing this, I would do a test with some of the icing and leaving some petals on it for a day or two and also a small piece of the ribbon on some icing for a day or two to see what happens. That way you won't get any nasty surprises.
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smiling1809 Posted 28 Feb 2005 , 3:53pm
post #4 of 8

I already made the petals, and they are dry. I can put the ribbon on the day of the wedding b/c it doesn't start until two, but I will do a test piece the day before to see just how long the ribbon takes to get greasy. I would hate to put it on four hours before the wedding, then come back to an oily ribbon. Contact paper or tape sounds like a good idea, but that seems like so much work. But the ribbon IS satin. So, I will look into that.

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 28 Feb 2005 , 4:03pm
post #5 of 8

Yes, not all satin ribbons are created equal, but I have found that most satin ribbon is susceptible to grease spots. Your petals will be fine. The worst thing that can happen with fondant is this. If you make up your roses for example, one day or less ahead, well they aren't quite dry and so they absorb the grease and though they will look fine, they will slime if you go to remove them to cut a cake. This gets worse the longer they sit on a cake and is even worse if the cake is sealed up in a box or worse yet, a plastic container. But with petals on a cake, well removing them to cut the cake, won't be an issue.
Good luck!
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smiling1809 Posted 1 Mar 2005 , 12:01am
post #6 of 8

How long does it take for them to get grease spots? Are we talking 1 hour, or several hours?

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SquirrellyCakes Posted 1 Mar 2005 , 12:06am
post #7 of 8

Sometimes with satin, it can be almost immediately or a few hours later or overnight. It varies a lot because the satins are all a bit different usually composed of different fibres too. Personally I would leave a piece on a bit of icing for about the length of time I needed it to hold up for, to be able to judge. For example I once did a hat cake that I tested and it had the spots in minutes and this was on set icing. Had another one with a different ribbon and it was fine and yet they were both satins.
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smiling1809 Posted 1 Mar 2005 , 12:23am
post #8 of 8

Thanks. I am considering the tape idea. Sounds safe. It may take a bit to get it done, but I would hate to get grease stains!!!

I really appreciate all of the advice. You ladies are awesome icon_smile.gif

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