This technique, using stencils, is super simple and it’s the perfect way to get detailed even royal icing designs onto a fondant cake. I’ve used stencils and royal icing on this sequin wedding cake, this silver leaf wedding cake, this black and white wedding cake and even on Anna (her bodice and skirt)!
I do a mix of making my own stencils and using premade ones. I recently did this Graffiti cake using a homemade stencil and I talk about making it. If you’d like a video tutorial on making your own stencils let me know!!! It’s super easy and the possibilities of what you can create are endless (and it isn’t very expensive: just Stencil Plastic, a Cutter (aka wood burner), a Glass cutting board and printer (to print your design)!!
this video has a ton of tips, including how I use a Self adhesive Ace Bandage to hold the stencil in place while I work! Don’t forget, don’t overlay the stencil on top of wet royal icing, it’s worth taking the time to wait until it’s dry to move on. To save time I mark out the stencil placement before hand then I do two opposite sides at once, then fill in the other 2 sides once that’s dry. You could also just do one side at a time, letting it dry and working your way around, but I like to save time where I can.
Royal Icing Recipe
Instructions
- in a METAL or glass bowl (not plastic) stir the Powdered sugar and the meringue powder together
- add 5 Tbsp warm water and mix until it's mostly all wet
- Using a mixer beat for 10 mins on low speed (less with a heavy duty mixer, slightly more with a hand mixer)
- add 1/2 to 1 tsp of water at a time until the consistency is right.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial. You can do any color of royal icing and any stencil to decorate you cake. You could even mix using air brush with a stencil and royal icing with a stencil to get a flat and embossed look to your design. What would YOU use this tutorial to make?
Joy
Sadly the video wouldn’t play. How to stencil with royal icing.
Ashlee
are you on mobile??? or desktop. It should work perfectly with desktop, mobile is always a hit and miss, try clicking into the “youtube” logo in the bottomr right corner and going to youtube to watch it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ_AdS_2iY4 I’m so sorry about that!
Anne motha
Hi Ashley,
Can you do a step by step tutorial on how to make your own stencils.
Thanks
Ashlee
yup! I’ll work on it
Linda Burkhart
Really enjoyed your tutorial, especially all the little hints and tricks for making a perfect design.
Ashlee
thank you so much!
anne
where do i go to print the swag design you used for the cake.
thanks
Anne
Ashlee
I didn’t think to add it here, I’ll see if I still have it to do that
Bolajoko Jones
Well-done ma, am really inspired by this tutorial, thanks for sharing.
Ashlee
let me know how it goes when you try it!
Kristi
Hi. I have a question about the royal icing. Once it’s dry, will it crack easily? I have to deliver a cake several hours from home so I won’t be able to stack the cakes until I get there. Just wondering about the risk of cracking the royal icing while moving the cakes around and stacking them.
Ashlee Marie
it depends on how much royal icing is on the fondant and how much the cake underneath moves and settles. For little dots like this they won’t crack at all, larger designs that have more royal icing coverage could crack if the cake underneath adjusts too much but that would be unusual.
Rebecca Xuereb
Hi I love your cakes thanks so much for showing this technique. I am doing a cake very similar I was wondering if you had a tutorial on how you made stencil. Mine is going on 9inch and 7 inch. I really want them to line up like yours did on top and bottom. Would you happen to have the stencil template that could be printed out and adjusted.
Ashlee Marie
I just use a wood burning tool to melt/cut the plastic. As for designing the stencil I just do it in photoshop and use math to figure out the diameter of the cake then divide by how many curves I want to determine how wide they should be.