I'm all about having staple cake decorating items in my cupboard, and Piping Gel is definitely one to add to the list. You'll be surprised to discover how versatile this tub of clear gel really is, and how many things you can actually use it for.
Having recently used the piping gel as a form of glue to stick my edible ladybirds to the side of my cake. It was great to find that not only did they stick without sliding, but you couldn't see any of the gel holding them in place either.
You can make piping gel yourself if you wish, but for the amount you get in a tub and the price you pay, it's probably easier to buy it and have it in your cake drawer. That way, it's always on hand if you need it and you'll have the same consistency of it each time.
The first thing that springs to mind with piping gel is to make a water effect on top of an iced cake; however, you can do multiple other things with it, so here's a list I've put together for you.
As a glue, you can:
Having recently used the piping gel as a form of glue to stick my edible ladybirds to the side of my cake. It was great to find that not only did they stick without sliding, but you couldn't see any of the gel holding them in place either.
You can make piping gel yourself if you wish, but for the amount you get in a tub and the price you pay, it's probably easier to buy it and have it in your cake drawer. That way, it's always on hand if you need it and you'll have the same consistency of it each time.
What can you use Piping Gel for?
The first thing that springs to mind with piping gel is to make a water effect on top of an iced cake; however, you can do multiple other things with it, so here's a list I've put together for you.
As a glue, you can:
- Use it as an adhesive for your dummy tiers to stick the polystyrene tier and icing fondant together.
- Stick wafer paper flowers or other small icing fondant pieces together with it.
- For a tackier, more heavy-duty glue for sticking models together, mix the gel with a little of the icing/fondant/sugarpaste.
- You can write with it, just colour the gel with dyes like Pro Gel or other concentrated dyes and then pipe with it.
- Use it clear and pipe water droplets onto flowers, making them more realistic.
- Dye it to get the colour you require. Use it to make blue for the sea/river, green for slime/snot for Halloween etc.
- Once dyed, it can also be used to make a stained glass window effect.
- Added to whipped cream, it can help stabilise the cream keeping the shape for longer at room temperature.
- Use it as an easy way to glaze fruit by painting it onto the fruit. This will lock in the moisture and make it look shiny.
- Paint on edible models such as dog noses or eyes to make them look more realistic.
- Mix with edible glitter and paint it onto your cake/cupcakes.
- Paint over the top of matte icing fondant to give it a sheen/realistic effect. This is great for rivers, pigs in mud, puddles etc.
- Mix with Royal Icing when doing brush embroidery, as it softens the icing, allowing you to create softer detailed brush strokes and delays the drying time.
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