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The Licorice Hack That Gives Your Cake A Stained Glass Effect

Column: industry Tag: Black Licorice,Cake,Baking Tips Published: 2024-07-08 11:26 Source: www.mashed.com Author: NAOMI KENNEDY

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Is there anything more beautiful than a stained glass window? The mixture of colors and patterns make for a seriously stunning sight, and with the help of licorice, you can give the same effect to your next cake. As TikTok user @cheff_tok demonstrates, you specifically want black licorice laces for this decorating method.

Arrange the chewy candy in an abstract pattern across the surface of a cake coated in either a layer of white fondant or frosting. (If you are using the latter, try applying with a paper towel for an ultra smooth, clean cake frosting.) Then, when you're satisfied with your design, you can fill in the space between the licorice pieces with color, giving the confection a stained glass-inspired look.

Given that so many people hate the taste of black licorice in America, you might be scrunching up your face in disgust at the thought of using it to decorate a cake. However, the stringy candy is perfect for mimicking the lead came that is used to outline the colored glass in actual stained glass decor. Licorice laces can also be adjusted fairly easily until you are happy with the pattern you come up with. Still, if you want to get it right on the first try, you can always use the toothpick trick to lightly trace an outline of a stained glass pattern on the cake, and use it as a guide.

How to add color to a stained glass cake

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Laying black licorice laces on a cake is just the foundation for giving the dessert a stained glass pattern. Adding vibrant hues really makes it to come to life, and there are a few different options to choose from to give your cake a brilliant color scheme like that in @cheff_tok's video.

Gel icing is one way to fill in your edible art and give it a glass-like sheen. However, depending on the size of your cake, you might end up going through several tubes to achieve the look you want — not to mention that your hands might cramp up in the process. Edible markers can also do the job but could be a bit tedious to use.

On the other hand, edible paint is relatively easy to work with and will complete your stained glass cake in a fairly timely manner. You can either purchase it or DIY it by mixing food coloring with a grain alcohol such as vodka or Everclear. Not only will the mixture dry quickly, but it is easy to correct any mistakes using a clean brush dipped in the same alcohol. It won't render your dessert alcoholic either, as the booze will evaporate, allowing everyone the opportunity to enjoy the stained glass cake — though we don't blame anybody for finding it difficult to cut into such a beautiful confection.

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