Thursday, December 27, 2012

Royal Icing Crown

HOW TO MAKE A ROYAL ICING CROWN
 
    This is a cake decor that is fun to try and looks great.  This was my first time making this edible crown and it surprisingly went off without a hitch!

    I first started off by finding a princess crown template online.  Next, I attached it to a paper towel roll.  I am an administrative assistant at the Y, so I had easy access to a giant paper towel roll.  For any body else, a coffee canister would do just fine.  After taping is to the object, cover the template with wax paper.



 
 
Here is the recipe to make royal icing:
 
3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder

1 lb sifter pure cane confectioners' sugar
5-6 Tablespoons of lukewarm water
 
Place confectioners' sugar and Meringue Powder in a bowl.  Stir or mix at low speed until blended.  Add water and mix 7-10 minutes at low-medium speed until icing loses its sheen.  To prevent drying, be sure to cover the bowl with a damp cloth while working with icing.
This will give it a nice stiff consistency so it will apply better.  If you feel you are having a hard time squeezing it out of the bag then add more water one Tablespoon at a time. 
 
Depending on how detailed the crown you chose will depend your tip size, I used a #5.  Make sure you get your template at eye level and begin slowly piping onto the wax paper.  Making sure that all the pieces are touching and try not to lift your hand too much.  After you have done the first layer wait 1 1/2-2 hours and begin with the next layer.  The more layers you put on the crown the less fragile it will be.  I applied 5 layers waiting 1 1/2- 2 hours between each layer.  I was not sure how great it would turn out so I did two crowns.  My other attempted crown (not pictured) only had 3 layers and it ended up braking as I was getting it off the wax paper.

After the last layer has been applied, dust the entire tiara with a shimmer powder.  This will give it a softer look.
 
 

Wait 24-36 hours after applying the last royal icing layer before removing the tiara off of the wax paper.  The longer you wait the easier it will be to take it off.  When removing, gently peel off the wax paper slowly.  If a few pieces brake off don't panic, you can always reapply them with the remaining icing.  If you are placing this onto a cake, then go ahead and dust the back of the tiara and VIOLA an edible piece of beautiful art!