Contents:
GENERAL
1. How far advance can I make the Unicorn horn & ears?
2. Can I also make it all in one sitting?
FONDANT
3. How do I stop the fondant from sticking to the surface?
4. My fondant is too soft & sticky. How do I fix this?
5. Do I have to use white fondant?
6. Why do you have to wait for at least 30 min before painting on the gold?
7. Why should I put a thick towel/foam mat underneath the baking paper?
8. Is there a way to dry the fondant faster?
9. How do I store unused fondant?
GOLD PAINT
10. What is rose spirit & what is it used for?
11. How much rose spirit do I need mix into the gold powder?
12. My gold paint is too opaque, what happened?
13. What can I use besides rose spirits to mix with the gold powder?
14. I see tiny clumps of gold powder after it has dried. Is that suppose to happen?
15. I have extra gold paint left over, can I keep it & re-use?
1. How far advance can I make the Unicorn horn & ears?
Months! Just make sure to let it completely dry & then store it in an air-tight container.
2. Can I also make it all in one sitting?
Yes, just make sure you allow the horn & ears to dry for a minimum of 30 mins before painting on the gold paint. Also, the fondant horn will be fragile since the fondant is still soft inside, so the fondant may likely slide down the skewer! If it does, keep the horn flat on the surface, & first paint the top half. Allow it to dry, then turn it over & paint other half.
3. How do I stop the fondant from sticking to the surface?
Roll it out once, lift & turn, then repeat. You can also sprinkle a bit of icing sugar onto your hands & surface to reduce stickiness.
4. My fondant is too soft & sticky. How do I fix this?
Let it sit for a few minutes & it’ll become firmer & workable. You can also sprinkle a bit of icing sugar onto your hands & surface to reduce stickiness.
5. Do I have to use white fondant?
Not at all, you can use yellow fondant & even black – some say that black fondant makes the gold pop out even more.
6. Why do you have to wait for at least 30 min before painting on the gold?
You want to allow the fondant to firm up a bit & the water to evaporate.
7. Why should I put a thick towel/foam mat underneath the baking paper?
It reduces the appearance of a flat bottom whilst you lay your horn down on the surface.
8. Is there a way to dry the fondant faster?
Add a sprinkle of Tylose powder / CMC to your fondant & knead it in. The Tylose/ CMC will make your fondant dry up faster so you also have to work quicker. You can find Tylose powder from specialised cake decorating stores.
9. How do I store unused fondant?
Either wrapped up in cling wrap and/or place in a zipped-lock bag. This prevents your fondant from drying out too quickly.
10. What is rose spirits & what is it used for?
It’s a cake decorating solution that is made up of 1% concentrated rose essence & the rest of it is 90% alcohol.
You can mix it with luster, shimmer or petal powders to create a paint & once its painted on, the alcohol will quickly evaporate leaving the colour remaining.
11. How much rose spirit do I need mix into the gold powder?
You won’t need too much, add a few drops at a time & mix. Add more until it forms a paint like consistency.
If you add too much, you’ll find the paint is more opaque. Let it sit for a few mins for the alcohol to evaporate & then use. Alternatively, use it anyway & then after the first coat dries, paint on a second coat.
12. My gold paint is too opaque, what happened?
You probably added a bit too much of the rose spirits. Don’t worry, let it sit for a few mins for the alcohol to evaporate & then use. Alternatively, use it anyway & then after the first coat of paint dries, paint on a second coat.
13. What can I use besides rose spirits?
You can use any liquid with a very high alcohol content essentially. Examples include lemon essence & almond essence. Just make sure to check the ingredients!
Alternatively, it is possible to use plain water, but it will take a much longer time to dry & the end result will not be as vibrant.
14. I see tiny clumps of gold powder after it has dried. Is that suppose to happen?
Don’t worry, that’s normal – run your finger over it to smooth it out.
15. I have extra gold paint left over, can I keep it to re-use?
Totally! Let the alcohol dry up completely, then scrap the dry powder & place in an air-tight container. To use, re-hydrate with more rose essence.
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