Hello!

I'm trying royal icing for the first time this week to make character decorations that I will stick on the actual cake later (one for wednesday and another for saturday), and from what I've read it takes a good while to dry.

How long does Royal Icing keep?

I'd like to make both the figures today so they are done and out the way as well as not having to remake the icing.

also if anyone could tell me how to make flesh colour I would be grateful! I have Sugerflair Red, melon, baby blue and mint green as well as the liquid colours minus any yellow.

Royal icing will literally keep forever in an airtight container, so you can make those decorations far, far in advance.  I've had royal icing that takes only one day to dry and I have had more intricate designs that take 2-3 days to completely dry.  I always make extra decorations because it's fragile and breaks easily!

To make flesh color, you need either copper colored food coloring or a mix of orange and brown.  It's a combination to experiment with to get the perfect shade.  

You could also try to mix the melon shade with brown.   

AI use sweet sugarBelle recipe for my royal icing, it's great! Watch out the consistency you need! Once it's dry (overnight/one day for cookies) it lasts for weeks!

AThank you to you both!

#Norasmum, I have to make brown for one of my decorations, and I'm gonna use cocoa powder......would mixing that with my Melon colour work?

I have to do a pirate for one cake and the very aptly named Rainbow Dash for the other.

The cocoa powder might work, try it…it might be just like the powdered colors.

A

Yes cocoa powder works great! Of course you need to add a lil bit of water time by time to get the right consistency. I use cocoa powder to get black.. So i make brown first and then add way less black color!

APLEASE HELP!

I folowed the Joyforbaking reciepe and I have something more like glace icing!

What do I do?!?!

AI think so?

I did get a little yolk into my egg whites? Keep mixing and mixing and it doesn't change. Though I added the eggs to the sugar rather than vice versa :O

AEr, on second thoughts my eggs didn't start to puff when I was mixing with the lemon juice.

the yolk will affect it's ability to dry hard-- but it should still mix ok-- i mix mine for 10-15 mins or more sometimes--it should get thicker--add a 1/4 cup of sifted powdered sugar and mix it again for a while--repeat if necessary -- it should work --

and i just toss all my stuff in there in no certain order--that's not a factor

and you can pull every last drop of yolk out of the white by picking it up with a piece of shell--it's like a magnet--kinda fun

AAh! I haven't mixed it long enough basically? And forgive me how much is 1/4 cup? I use grams when baking.

like 4 tablespoons? does that work? i'm gramless rhymes with clueless-- just y'know a few spoons full --

yes- exactly i think it needs to be mixed more--let it just run for a while should get more body to it--and maybe you do this first then try the extra powdered sugar -- but if it did get too thick just add a bit of water --

royal icing made with meringue powder lasts forever as norasmom said and royal icing made with egg white lasts maybe 24 hours--it can't be rebeaten

AWell I've mixed it for ten minutes with no change. Added extra sugar with no change. My poor arm hurts and I'm still stumped D:

your arm? you're not mixing on a mixer ---ohhhh big ouch so sorry-- idk --

i was just focusing on the icing itself but now i just went back & read all of your initial post and you are making character decorations? with the yolk in there it probably won't set up completely--

can you get any fondant?

AI do have white fondant but its to cover the cake. The character has details and fiddling bits I don't think I could fondant.

Have seen people make the decorations with buttercream but I have no butter in the house.

I should just ditch my batch then?

you have to decide that--can you borrow a mixer from someone or take it to a mixer somewhere?

AI don't even /know/ anyone with a mixer. I'll ditch it. It smells like egg and shame >

a good wire whip (piano whip) would work if you don't have a mixer.