i used the search function for royal icing and got about 67!!! pages, which is great, but i got overwhelmed with all of the info and a lot of the threads only have the word "royal icing" in the postings... (i need to figure out, how to use the search function more convenient)

i would like to make some "topper" for my birthdaycake. like a nice 27 or so, with lace work..

which is a good recipe for royal icing (i have the meringue powder) and what do i have to think of while piping my topper? do I use waxpaper and grease it? how far in advance do i have to pipe the royal icing? should I put it in the fridge or just leave it on the counter until i need it? should i pipe it thick or thin? how do i get it of the paper?

questions over questions

bringing this to the top for others to help.

Hi Esther,

Any royal icing recipe will do.They are pretty much all the same.I would pipe the design fairly thick as doing it too thin will cause it to break.I would definetly use wax paper and you can use a tiny bit of shortening ...but I don't think you need too,it should peel off fairly easily with heavier piping.I would make it at least a week in advance and leave it on a countertop (away from hands) and allow it to dry...not in the fridge.I make alot of royal icing transfers this way and never had a big problem yet!!

thank you so much for your help. i should have asked the questions a lot earlier. my bday is on monday...

No that's okay!! You can still make it if you have a dry place to keep it!! Sometimes I let mine dry over the heat register....but then again it is fall here and quite cool so..I'm not sure about Texas this time of year!!

it is pretty cool outside and i have the heater on. my walkin pantry should be a good place.. Ill try it out

thank you so much

I say..Give it a try!!!

A reading lamp is a good way to dry royal icing runouts. It gives them a lovely shine. Never put them in the fridge royal icing needs to dry out. Use a good quality wax paper or butchers wrap and thhey should release with no problems. Icing for runouts should be freshly made whenever possible.

I've put royal icing and color flow in the oven with just the oven light on, and it will dry it when you are running short on time.

I've also used thi method but you do need to be careful with it. It is easy to scorch the icing with this method and it doesn't work with thick pieces as they must dry all the way through before you try to release them. To release them I normally slide a small crank handled palatte knife under them

Esp if they are intricate or lacey, I suggest making an "extra" or 2. That way you can use them as testers to make sure they are dry and ready to remove without breaking. And try to have the pieces uniform thickness so that they will all be completely dry at the same time. I did drop flowers and generally about 24 hours to dry at room temp. Your mileage may vary depending how thick your pieces are.

The coral I put on my dtr's bday cake only air dried for just under 3 days and it worked really well. I didn't even have to peel it off the wax paper as they sort of popped off on their own. I just left them to dry with out any kind of cover.

I wouldn't put any grease on the waxed paper for Royal icing as any grease will break the icing down. All Royal icing has to be 100 % grease free, especially mixing bowls, tools etc... or it won't dry. Just use waxed paper without the grease and you should be ok.

Thanks for all your help

I greased the waxpaper very very lightly and put the sheet with the royal icing into my oven with the ovenlight on for over 24 hrs. worked very well and it didn't break when I put it on the cake

Thanks again!

I put my royal icing in the oven to dry. I set the oven at 200 F and depending on the size it's ready in less than 20 minute. When it comes out it has a nice glossy look (remember the Wilton Sales pitch - shinier than royal?) I just let it cool then I peel it off the paper.


Princess

I have a question about royal icing since we are on this thread. Can you add corn syrup to royal icing? I have had a problem with my rose petals being to feathery lookin.

The only time I have made a royal icing transfer was in Class II. Do you use the color flow with yours?