Sugar Lace. Wrote a post about it. Like to read it? Here it goes...
So, it's Saturday night and my ADHD has settled enough to allow me to sit and draft this post. Okay, it's more likely procrastination in my case, as I've not been diagnosed with the former. But hey, these first couple sentences are a few key strokes in the right direction - away from the latter, that is.
Glad I got that ramble out of the way. Let's move on to the heart-shaped, lace-covered beauty above.
A couple posts ago, I introduced you to this delightfully, delicious Orange Chocolate Mousse Cake. Since then, I've received a number of inquiries about the lace used to decorate the cake. More recently, I posted sugar lace leaves and flowers on Instagram and those garnered even more interest, so I've put together this post, along with a short video on the products I used to create the intricate edible lace.
The product is called Tricot Mix and it, along with the mats, are made by Silikomart. There is a link to Icing Inspirations at the end of the post to, where you will find these products.
I'd like to impress you by saying this requires a high degree of cake decorating skill - the end result certainly gives that impression. But it's as easy as four simple steps - mix, spread, bake, apply. The mats and mix are a little costly, but the results they yield might be worth it to some. I've shown a variety of mats in the second photo above.
I used approximately one-third (100 grams) of the package along with 80 grams of warm water, which yielded enough to make three strips of the Leaves Lace, four of the Baroc and two each of the small Flower and Nature mats. The trick is to salvage as much of the excess, as possible once the cavities are adequately filled.
I added a couple drops of gold Americolor Airbursh liquid to the mixture, as you can see in the photo above right. I was goingfor a vintage finish, but it still looked pretty white in the end. You can add any colour you prefer. I then whisked the mixture on the highest setting using the whisk attachment and my KA mixer. It will form soft peaks and appear the consistency of mayonnaise, when ready. For me, that was one minute of mixing.
Place the mats on cookies trays. Spread the mixture over the mats using an angled spatula. The designs are very intricate, so I found going over a couple times helped to ensure all the little crevices were properly filled. You can then use a bench scraper to remove the excess. I initially used my metal bench scraper, but I would actually advise against it. I see it damaging the mat overtime. I now use my plastic cake smoothers, as shown in the video, purchased from my local hardware store.
Once all the excess is cleaned away, pop them in a 178-degree pre-heated oven, still on the cookie sheets. The smaller designs were ready between 5-10 minutes and larger mats took a little longer - closer to 15 minutes. Now I'm not sure if that has to do with my oven being gas and it being a little humid with the furnace and humidifier blasting in my house. So, be mindful of the conditions in your home when approaching these and adjust your time accordingly.
They will peel away easily from the mat when ready and will be pliable. Over-baked lace will crumble and crack easily. Under-baked will be tacky to the touch and stretch our of shape, if you are indeed able to remove them from the mat.
For this set of cookies, I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut the Baroc lace and then applied the cut-outs to the royal icing while it was still somewhat wet. My next post will feature some of the other ways in which I used the lace on these cookies. In the meantime, here is a quick video on 4 Steps To Stunning Sugar Lace.
Hopefully my voice didn't across a little too 1-900-ish. I edited and added the voice-over for the video around 2:00AM Saturday morning, shortly after we returned home. And it was done from the comfort of my bed, using only the iMovie iPad app. So if my voice was indeed a little breathy, rest assured that watching the video does not incur any charge. 🙂
Below are some of the finished cookies, rubbed with a little colour for a vintage feel.
Please note that the product I refer to in this post is prepared differently to SugarVeil. I have used SugarVeil and love it, as well - you may remember my Halloween Witch Cake.
I found this Tricot Mix a little easier to use and a little less temperamental. I also like that I could use the mix immediately and not have to wait overnight, as is the case of SugarVeil. In any case both products produce exceptional edible lace-like designs.
Chrissie from Icing Inspirations, where the products are sold, also has a video showing how to use the mats and mix.
I'll be back on Monday with another muffin treat to help start the week off. Then we'll jump into some Valentine's Day goodies.
See you back here soon!
More Lacy Numbers:
June says
Just bought a pkg of Sugar Veil & some mats. Thanks for posting instructions & video. Definitely will watch the video.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Hi June, SugarVeil is a great product, but the instructions are a little different, so please follow what they have indicated on their packaging. I have SugarVeil as well, but found this Tricot Mix product a little easier to work with. Would love to hear how it goes with the SugarVeil.
June says
We discussed and we actually saw a demo of silikomart at my CCDG meeting last week. Our host says she found it superior to any sugar lace product she's ever used. She found it more flexible than others on the market. I also have a killer recipe for "fake" sugar veil that I doctored. Lace comes out flexible and easy to manage. Made black lace and put on a cake in mid December. Looked awesome. Since I'm just a hobby baker...always looking for inexpensive alternatives.
Shannon says
These are gorgeous and absolutely perfect for some cookies for a wedding in march. Where do I find the mats and tricot?
June says
Clarky's Cakes on FB. June Kowalczyk on cakeswebake.com, where I'm also a Moderator. Jchuck on cakesdecor.com. Take your pick....hee hee. Most of my cakes are there. The Christmas Themed Birthday Cake is the one with my "own" sugar veil....:o)
01VanillaBean01 says
I really enjoyed your video. Great tutorial and I love that you decorated cookies with the sugar lace (no surprise there 🙂
Susie says
Beautiful work! I love the look of the lace and have been "shopping around" as the prices seem to be a bit on the high side for the mats. Are the prices of $24.99 for the small and $45.99 for the large mats the best you think I can find? Thanks!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Thanks, Paula! 😉
I Sugar Coat It! says
Thanks, Susie! Those are the only prices I've seen. They are a little pricey, but I have SugarVeil mats, as well and they are about twice the price... I will try to use the Tricot mix with the SV mats. Wish me luck!
I Sugar Coat It! says
I lightly dusted the lace with some edible gold powder shortly after peeling from the mat and applied it directly to the buttercream on the cake layers. They remain very flexible, if not over-baked, making them a breeze to work with! Would love to hear how it works out!!
Angela Wright says
Can I ask the name of the lace mat you used here? Or link to where it can be found?
Susie says
Luck;-)!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Sorry, Angela. I have since added the info. It's called Tricot Mix by Silikomart. There is also a link at the end to the place I purchased them.
I Sugar Coat It! says
Oops, I misunderstood. Check the link in my post - it's cheaper by about $10 and they usually have free shipping over $75 on Tuesdays.
I Sugar Coat It! says
And yes, the Baroc mat was one of the mats I used. I list the others in the post.
Susie says
Hi again! I am trying to find the Tricot Mix on the Icings Inspiration link and it doesn't appear that they have it listed any more. Am I looking in the wrong spot??? Thanks!
I Sugar Coat It! says
Hi Susie, I contacted the owners and they are in the process of restocking. The products come from Italy, so it takes a little longer than usual. Check back in a week, or so.
Susie says
Great, thanks! I'll keep checking!
Joyce says
Hi. I am making a wedding cake for my son and his fiance. They would like the sugarveil one one of the layers. My question is: Once you make the sugarveil and revome from the mold, can you put it in the fridge and put on the cake the next day? Will it not be as pliable? I make my own buttercream icing and I have heard that you really can't use the sugarveil on buttercream because it will melt. My idea was to make the sugarveil & unmold it the night before and store in the fridge, than add it to the cake until about an hour before the cutting. Please respond ASAP the wedding is in a weekand all I see about the sugarveil is you can store the leftovers in the fridge but nothing about the already unmolded sugarveil lace.
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Hi - I've been on vacation, so just seeing this. I don't store the lace in the fridge at any stage. Once I remove it from the mold, if I am not using it immediately, I place the lace between two sheets of parchment paper and store in an airtight container. Oversized ziplock bags work really well. I sometimes throw a small silica gel pack in the bag to help combat moisture. Hope that helps!
Stephanie says
I am using a sugar dress product by Martello, and I have made all the lace strips. I am trying to put them on a buttercream cake. On one cake I tried piping gel and they are puckering. What are some suggestions for getting them to adhere to the cake? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am new to the lace decorating!
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Hi! I place my sugar lace directly on the buttercream or ganache (https://www.isugarcoatit.com/2014/01/orange-chocolate-mousse-cake.html/). I have never had to use piping gel or anything to make them adhere and have never had an issue. Have you tried just attaching it to the buttercream?
Jeannie says
If I made my own sugar lace using tylose powder, would this be a good equivalent to Sugar Veil or Tricot lace?
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Apologies, Jeannie - your comment went to spam. I am not able to speak to this, as I've not made my own, but I imagine you will find something if you google.
Kris says
Can we use ready made edible lace? And the frosting, does it have to be Swiis meringue? Is is ok with Italian meringue?
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Either meringue is fine. I have never used ready-made edible lace, but I imagine it should work the same...