Hi Sugar Friend!

Hope you are having a great week and all your cakes this past weekend were a huge success!

Lately here on the blog we have been discussing cake baking, recipes, icing and baking issues. I thought it might be helpful to consolidate that valuable information (and more) for you. So I’ve created 3 awesome free charts that you can keep and reference forever. I’ve bundled them into one PDF file. Print them out or keep them on your mobile device to have at your fingertips anytime.

Send My Free PDF

 

Here’s what’s included in the free PDF bundle:

  1) The famous WASC recipe and a chart on how much batter to put into each cake pan size.

 

2) A handy chart of wedding and party servings for each size cake and shape.

 

3) An easy to reference guide with tips to troubleshoot common baking problems.

 

You’ll get all 3 full size info-graphics in PDF form. The images are way too big to post here on the blog and still be able to read them clearly. You will of course get the full size (free) PDF that you can zoom into as close as you like. (Me, I have to zoom in reeeeeeal close 🙂

Just click the button below and fill out the form, telling me which email address to send the PDF to. (I promise that I do not sell, share or in any other way abuse your email address. I guard it with my life, as I do my own.)

Please note: Sometimes the email that contains the PDF gets bounced back or goes to spam/junk and you may not receive it. Please know we do send out every request immediately, but if you do not get it within 15 minutes, please email support@sugaredproductions.com and I will personally zip one back to you. I really want you to have it; these are such helpful and convenient graphics to have on hand.

Send My Free PDF

Grab yours now. I hope you find it helpful, and let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below. I’m happy to help.

(Be sure to check your emails daily this coming week (after you get the PDF). I have more free info and some fun stuff coming your way.)

Sweet regards,
Sharon Zambito

PS. I’m running a very rare FREE TRIAL to my online school this week.

You can have access to the whole website and over 300 tutorials for a full 2 weeks. (I have tons more information about baking cakes as well as cake decorating in the school.)

You can stay and pay at the end of the trial or cancel anytime and never be charged. It’s a rare opportunity to have a look at all the great things inside the school. See why we were named a finalist in the Cake Masters Awards for Best Learning Experience.

Join our thousands of happy members…. and me! (I give full personal support to all members.) Hope to see you on the inside!

CLICK HERE FOR FREE TRIAL

 

 

View our privacy policy here.

 

Today I want to talk a little bit about a topic that’s really hot right now in the cake world- edible gold dusts.

There’s a lot of incorrect info out there about this.

And it can be rather confusing.

So I hope to clarify a few things. My goal is that each decorator knows what is and is not allowed to be consumed, and what can be used for decorative purposes only.
 

 

Non toxic vs edible:

 
Non toxic means just that; it won’t hurt if it touches the cake but it is not intended to be eaten.

There are many many petal, luster and highlighter dusts that are non toxic, but aren’t food grade nor considered edible. These can be used to color flowers and other decorations that will be removed from the cake before serving.

Non toxic dusts are not to be used to cover an entire cake, cookie, or any other part of the cake that will be consumed.
 

Edible / Food Grade / FDA Approved:

 
This is where it gets a little confusing.

The most important thing to know and remember is that what is deemed as food safe is determined by the government of each individual country.

Seeing a product advertised as “edible” does not mean it is FDA approved in the USA (and vice versa.)

Countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, and the USA all have different guidelines as to what ingredients are considered safe to eat ie “edible”.

You may be purchasing a dust that was manufactured in another country, or is being sold online by an overseas based vendor.

If the product is approved for eating in that country, you may see the description say “food safe”, “100% edible” or something similar.

But that does not mean it is edible or approved in your country of residence.

You may see the term “EU approved”. This means that dust is approved as food safe for Europe. That does not mean it is edible in the USA.
The FDA is the one and only food regulatory agency for the USA.

If an item does not say “FDA APPROVED” , it is not considered an edible product in the USA, and may not be used in a manner in which it will be consumed.
 

The bottom line?

You can’t assume a dust is food safe in your country just because the website you are shopping on says it is “edible”.

If you live in the USA, you must see “FDA approved edible” to use it in edible applications.

If in Europe, look for “EU approved.”

Canada: look for “approved by Health Canada.”

 

So what about gold?

There is no edible metallic gold highlighter dust on the market for the USA at this time.

There are FDA approved luster dusts, but no gold metallic dusts.

They may not be used in an edible application on cakes or cookies. They can be used on items that will be taken off before serving and not ingested.

Please don’t rely solely on what you see listed on a website as “edible” or “food safe”.

Double check and be sure each dust is truly food approved by your own country’s laws. Contact the manufacturer if you have any doubt.
 
 

 
 

Frequently asked questions:

1. What’s the difference between a metallic dust (highlighter) and a luster dust?
2. Do I have a list of FDA approved dusts?

I’ll answer both to the best of my ability:

1) A luster dust is a shimmery, pearlescent dust. It has a mostly translucent look when mixed with alcohol and used as a paint. (You can get good coverage if the paint is thick enough or more than one coat applied.) But it still remains more of a shimmer look, as opposed to…..

A metallic dust (also known as a highlighter dust), which gives an opaque, metallic reflective look. This looks the most like a true metal (shiny gold, silver.)

Basically:

luster = shimmer
highlighter = metallic

2) Below is a list of edible dusts as far as I know**:

— FDA approved petal and luster dusts food safe in the USA:

Pristine Powders
Crystal Colors
Chef Alan’s Hybrid Dusts
Roxy & Rich
The Sugar Art
TruColor
Wilton

 

— Dust brands that have  some colors*  approved in other countries:

Sugarflair – EU, AUS and Canada
Rainbow Dusts – UK, Canada
Rolkem – EU and Canada

 

— Metallic golds that are non toxic but NOT edible in the USA:

Rolkem (approved in EU and Canada)
Ideale / Albert Uster
CK

 

*NOTE #1:  within any one brand there may be some individual colors that are approved and others that are not, depending upon the  ingredients. Always check each and every color to be sure.

Note #2:  Some retailers buy in bulk and relabel as their own  product. They may be advertised as “edible”, but if you cannot see a list of ingredients in order to check for yourself, then you must assume it’s not an edible dust.

**Disclaimer:  Don’t take my word as gospel truth. I pass along what I can to the best of my knowledge. But regulations and ingredients are always changing.  As I mentioned,  you’ll need to do your own research to be sure each specific dust is  approved for consumption in your country of residence.

These lists are  intended  only to be a  starting point  for you  to further investigate and  ensure  the food safety of the dusts you use.

I hope this clears things up a bit. Drop me a note if you have any questions.

To safe decorating,
Sharon
 
 

 
 
Visit my online school: www.sugaredproductions.com

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**ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE SUGARED APPLICATIONS IS STRICTLY FOR PERSONAL INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. SUGARED DISCLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY AND YOU EXPLICITLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT INFORMATION PROVIDED ON SUGARED APPLICATIONS IS NOT NOR SHOULD EVER BE RELIED UPON AS LEGAL, BUSINESS, FOOD SAFETY, OR FINANCIAL ADVICE.

ALL SURFACES, MATERIALS, INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT THAT COME IN CONTACT WITH YOUR CAKE OR COOKING PROJECT MUST BE FOODSAFE AND PROPERLY SANITIZED. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY CAKE DECORATOR TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON FOOD SAFETY, SANITATION AND PROPER FOOD HANDLING PROCEDURES. TECHNIQUES AND TOPICS DISCUSSED ON SUGARED APPLICATIONS ARE FOR INFORMATION AND DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT FOR INFORMATION ON PROPER FOOD HANDLING TECHNIQUES. SUGARED ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGES OR INJURY SUSTAINED OR INCURRED BY USING IMPROPER FOOD, EQUIPMENT, OR INGREDIENTS HANDLING PROCEDURES OR TECHNIQUES.

 

Happy Wednesday!!

This past weekend I moved everything out of my cake room/office and did a super deep cleaning.

Scrubbed floors and baseboards, steamed all the petal dust and airbrush residue off the window sills and slatted blinds (yuck).

Wiped down every shelf, cabinet… you know the drill.

A few hours later I go back in to find a huge dark red puddle on the floor near the cabinets.

My initial thought was that one of my pets was hurt.

Then I realized it was coming from inside the cabinet. A large bottle of red airbrush color tipped over and it seeped out onto the floor. A LOT.

I was sure it was going to stain my tile, but I was (gratefully) successful getting it all up using a combo of Windex, Clorox wipes, a Magic Eraser and lots of elbow grease.

My hands are still stained red, but hey, at least the floor isn’t!

So this got me thinking about all the tips and tricks for removing food coloring that I’ve collected from folks over the years.

I’ve compiled a list of them for you; they may come in handy one day:

Removing color from hands:
scrub with vegetable oil then soap and water
Windex then rinse
non gel toothpaste
Oxy Clean
create a scrub with dab of dish soap, a squirt of lemon juice and a little sugar
Rub hands with hand lotion to help loosen the food coloring pigment from your skin. Combine 2 to 3 tbsp salt or baking soda and vinegar to create a paste. Rinse off lotion and scrub hands with paste. End with soap and water.
scrub with shaving cream and cold water
Clorox Clean Up
rubbing alcohol
acetone or nail polish remover (not on kids as these are harsh)

tip: rub shortening all over hands before working with food coloring, esp when coloring fondant to decrease staining. (Or wear gloves 🙂

Removing color from clothes:
spritz on Windex and scrub the stain then wash
rinse repeatedly and soak in cool water then wash
Oxy Clean spot treat or soak
soak in concentrated solution of detergent and water
scrub with a paste of detergent and water
sponge stain with white vinegar, rinse then wash
hydrogen peroxide spot treat
scrub with dish-washing liquid then wash
baking soda paste

Removing color from household surfaces:
Windex
Clorox Wipes
Magic Eraser
baking soda paste
vinegar
Oxy Clean

** Of course be super careful with the remedies that have chemicals; do not use them often, on sensitive skin or on kids.

 

Did I leave any out? Do you have any more tricks for getting color out? Leave a comment and let me know what they are, and I’ll include them in the blog post.

Here’s hoping for no more caking rainbow stains!

Talk soon,
Sharon