Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

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asked February 12th 2018

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.

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accepted

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:

Beginners Royal Icing Course


scroll down below the video to see the recipe and the introduction which explains the best times to make royal icing.

🙂

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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.

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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.

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