Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
Royal icing used as glue
Hi I have bought some silver spoon royal icing sugar and I made up a little to test. I am wanting to use this as a glue to stick some sugar paste butterfly’s to a wedding cake. I piped the mix, some lettering and dots. I left it overnight and it did set but not rock hard, when I touched it ,it was softish still.
Please could you recommend a royal icing that sets hard then I know it will hold my butterfly’s to the cake, thank you.
Hi taylor13
Royal icing absorbs moisture from the air when weather conditions are wet or humid. This increases the drying time. If you want to use RI as glue I would suggest giving it a good two or three days to dry. It helps if you decorate in a warm room where the temperature stays consistent. As a quick, efficient substitute, candy melts work a treat. They don’t need tempering, just melt gently in the microwave, place in a small piping bag and use as glue. Let the melted chocolate cool down first if still warm, before using.
If you would like to see RI recipe please take a peek at Ceri Griffiths’ intro to royal icing here:
scroll down below the video to see the recipe and the introduction which explains the best times to make royal icing.
🙂
Hi thanks for the answer.
I will make another small batch and leave it longer to dry after I have piped some out.
I am in the UK and it is Silver Spoon Royal Icing Sugar that I am using and you just mix with water.
Its ingredients are icing sugar,dried egg white,anti caking agent and tricalcium phosphate.
I only need a small amount to stick on my sugar paste decorations, mainly light butterfly’s.
Thanks.
Make it a little thicker, that might help too. I’ve never used this particular brand as I tend to make my RI with egg whites. However I can appreciate it’s convenient to make a small amount. If you don’t have candy melts, a bar of white chocolate will do just as well for sticking down light butterflies. Allow it to thicken slightly before using.
