How to Make and Use Edible Sugar Lace
Have you seen those stunning cakes adorned with lace as delicate as can be? I know, they look amazing. But you and I could never do that, right? WRONG! Let me show you how to make your own edible sugar lace and how to apply it to your cake. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be wow-ing everyone with your sugar lace creations!
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What is Sugar Lace?
To be completely honest, I had never even thought about how cake artists pulled off that lace aesthetic until it became the next project with Sweet Arts Guild. There are multiple ways to make the sugar lace paste. Some include meringue powder, but this one is vegan.
I found this recipe on Veena Azmanov’s website and it was recommended to me by several members of the Guild. She’s got a helpful video, though I found her recipe needed some tweaking and re-writing. The sugar lace gets it firmness and elasticity from tylose powder and a bit of corn syrup.
Does it Have to be Homemade?
Not at all! Kind of… It is completely possible to buy dry sugar lace mix or even pre-made paste. I almost went with a cheap packet from Sugar Veil, but my fellow cakers in the Guild said it was very difficult to work with. Instead they recommended Claire Bowman Cake Lace and Sugar Dress by Martellato.
These high quality mixes run about $20+ a pop and I just did not want to spend that much. With the homemade recipe, I only had to buy tylose powder. That ended up being $5 because I used a 50% off coupon at Michaels (I <3 Michaels). I’m tempted to try these mixes and compare the difference! They look like they’d be more flexible and last longer.
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Other Materials
Let’s go ahead and assume you’re making sugar lace from scratch. You’ll need a few materials, besides the ingredients listed in the recipe below. Let’s go over that.
- Small bowl
- Small offset spatula
- Bench scraper
- Silicone mat (optional)
- Lace mat
- Clear piping gel
- Small paint brush
See? That’s not a crazy list of supplies and I bet you have 90% of those tools. There are a million and one lace mats out there, but I went with a beauty that was less than $10. You can also find lace mats with smaller designs like leaves, snowflakes, or flowers. Shani of Shani’s Sweet Art likes this one by Claire Bowman.
How to Make Sugar Lace
The first thing to keep in mind is you want a thick paste when you apply it to your mat. It will dry quicker and be stronger. That means that this recipe takes a little bit of elbow grease to stir that thick paste.
Once you have the paste, you’ll add hot water a teaspoon at a time until you have a thick, but spreadable consistency. I ended up adding over 10 teaspoons. The brand of tylose you use can affect how much you’ll need to add.
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Filling in the Lace Mat
A little bit of the paste will go a long way. Working in small sections, take a dollop of paste and smooth it back and forth while pressing down with the spatula. You want to get the paste into every nook and cranny of the mat. Work the spatula in multiple directions to get all of those details filled in.
Once the mat is completely filled in, use your bench scraper to scrape off the excess. You might notice gaps after scraping. Simply fill them in and scrape off the excess again. Try not to scrape more than necessary though! You could end up pulling the lace out of the mat. After the mat is completely filled in and all of the excess is gone, it’s time to dry.
Drying and Removing the Lace
You can either let the sugar lace dry in the oven or air dry overnight. I placed mine in the oven at 170℉ (lowest setting) for 7 minutes. You don’t want to over bake it or the lace will become brittle. The center of my mat was still tacky, so I let it air dry for 2 hours. After this cake, I tried making lace by letting it air dry over night. It was a dry, brittle mess. If you air dry, keep an eye on it, because this will dry out quickly.
Once the lace is dry, flip the mat over onto a silicone mat or a large piece of parchment paper. Begin peeling the edge of the lace out of the mat. Try to pull the mat away from the lace and not the lace away from the mat. If any of the finer details get stuck, gently use a toothpick to loosen the lace off of the mat.
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How to Apply Sugar Lace to a Cake
This isn’t too tricky, but it will take a bit of practice. Brush a thin layer of clear piping gel (or edible adhesive) onto your chilled cake. Carefully place the lace onto the gel, making sure that the bottom lines up with the bottom of the cake. Work in small sections, supporting the lace with your free hand.
If you find any areas need more gel, go back and carefully apply more behind the lace. Once the sugar lace comes into contact with the piping gel, it will become quite delicate and you will not be able to adjust it much. If you need to press the lace onto the cake, use the end of the paint brush.
Filling in the Gap
It is very likely that your sugar lace will not completely wrap around the cake. To fill this in, you will need to trim a second piece of lace to fit. Measure the gap first. Then look at the pattern of the lace. Trim the sugar lace so that the pattern matches. It’s better to leave it a little long because you can always trim more once it’s on the cake.
You may also find that the bottom of your lace didn’t go on perfectly. If you want to hide any gaps there, I suggest adding a border of fondant pearls. I used this trick to hide gaps in my fondant ruffles. But this is not necessary.
Caking Made Easy
Baking and decorating cakes is a blast, but it’s not exactly a stress free activity. So let’s take some of the pain out of it! In my free Resource Library, you’ll find a bunch of tools to help you with your next cake. Some of these goodies are a cake prep list, bake time chart, and a sample cake template.
Be Bold and Try Something New!
This is a beautiful cake decorating technique and I really think you should try it. If you’re like me, this looks pretty intimidating. How could I possibly pull off something so delicate and fine?! Well, you won’t if you never try.
I can’t stop saying it, but I’ve been blown away with the cake techniques I’ve tried since joining Sweet Arts Guild. Nearly all of these cakes were styles that I never would have tried in a million years. But with a little bit of research, I’ve managed to broaden my knowledge and gain new skills. Don’t let fear hold you back.
Vegan Sugar Lace
Ingredients
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 Tbsp tylose powder
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsps cornstarch
- ½ tsp light corn syrup
- ½ tsp clear vanilla (or clear flavor of choice)
- White food color
- Additional food gel optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°F and have a clean, dry lace mat ready to fill.
- Place ¼ cup of boiling water in a small bowl. Add tylose powder and stir with a fork to combine. Let the mixture sit until translucent, about 5- 7 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
- Add corn syrup, vanilla, and white food coloring. Mix until well combined. If necessary, add more white color.
- Add hot water 1 teaspoon at a time, combining well after each addition. You are aiming for a thick, but spreadable paste. Once the consistency is close, add any colored food gel if you want.
- Use a small angled spatula to press and spread small dollops of the paste into every nook and granny of the lace mat. Once filled, scrape off excess with a bench scraper.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until the edges are dry, roughly 7- 10 minutes. If the center is tacky, air dry until it is no longer sticky.
- To remove the lace, flip the mat over onto a silicone mat or parchment paper. Gently peel the edge of the lace out. Pull the mat away from the lace. Use a toothpick on any tricky areas.
- Store unused lace in parchment placed in an airtight container.
Notes
- The serving size is completely arbitrary. Depending on your mat and your consistency, you will make any number of lace products.
My Favorite Products for this Recipe
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
22 Comments
Aly
Thank you so much for this recipe. It worked like a charm. The lace came out great. I have a question, however, since it is my first time working with lace. I usually decorate cakes the day before and leave them in the fridge until the day of delivery or pick up. Would the lace melt when the cake is coming back to room temperature? I decorate with Swiss meringue buttercream and sometimes fondant, and condensation may occur.
Colleen
Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure. I don’t think I let my cake/ lace sit in the fridge overnight, but I can’t remember for sure. It should be fine for some time, but the length of time depends on the humidity in your fridge and kitchen. You could always do a little experiment though. If you have extra lace, place it on a smear of buttercream on a plate or something, then place that in the fridge overnight. Remove it the next day and see what happens. I’m sorry I don’t have a definitive answer, but I hope this helps!
patricia
I am in UK and we do not have corn syrup. What can l use as an alternative please.
Colleen
I’ve never tried a substitute, so I’m really not sure. My best guess would be glycerin, but I can’t say with any certainty.
Tara
I made the sugar lace last July for a Wedding Cake! DO NOT PUT THE CAKE IN FRIDGE! I did and the lace became very brittle and started breaking! I was about to bawl!!!! Luckliy I was able save what I needed too. But lesson learned about putting in the fridge overnight. Hope this helps and Good Luck!
Colleen
Thank you for clarifying this point!
Debbie
Can it be air dried instead of put in the oven? I tried a different recipe and it was terrible, so I am looking forward to trying this one!
Colleen
It can be air dried. This will take more time, and the time all depends on the climate conditions in your house. Just keep an eye on it and as soon as it’s dry enough to remove, it’s ready! Hopefully this one works for you. The trickiest part about making the edible lace is drying it enough to be pliable, but not so dry that it breaks. Good luck!
Carmen
I’d like to color the cake lace with luster dust. Please advise on how to use it, instead of food gel color.
Colleen
I’ve never done that, but I have seen others just brush the finished lace with dry luster dust. Start with a small area and see how you like the coverage. If it’s not saturated enough, you could try mixing it with everclear or lemon extract to make a paint. With the paint option, I’m not sure how the added moisture would affect the lace.
Lillian
Hi! Can you make it days ahead of decorating the cake? Putting it in a tight safe container?
I’m making a cake for the weekend and wanted to do the decorations ahead of time.
Colleen
In theory, yes you can store the lace in advance as long as it is in an air tight container. I’d even suggest wrapping the lace in wax paper as well. I have not stored my lace pieces, so I can’t give you any specific advice to guarantee success. Good luck!
Char
I’ve made this 4 times. And all 4 times the powder does not turn clear. I’ve mixed right away, let it sit before mixing and left it overnight. Nothing. It stays white and liquid.
Colleen
It won’t turn clear, just a bit translucent. It starts off quite opaque, so you should notice a slight change.
TBrown98
I’m gonna try this one! I just tried another one and it was a total flop! I have a wedding cake to do and I have to have this sugar lace! Ugh Wish me luck
Colleen
Good luck!! The trickiest part is figuring out the drying time. Too long and it drys out, not long enough and it falls apart. Just work carefully and it’ll be beautiful 😀
TBrown98
I’ve got 4 sheets made so far yeah! Thank thank thank you! This is the bomb! I put one in oven then pull out an let air dry and wrap then do another.
Colleen
Yass!! I’m so happy to hear that 😀 Your lace is going to look gorgeous on that wedding cake.
Carla
Do you spray for silicon mat?
Colleen
No, I never have sprayed the mats.
Linda Queen
I made this. Was the easiest recipe to remove from my mats, but it is so rubbery. Do you have a recipe that’s mot so rubbery
Colleen
I haven’t played around with it enough to come up with a less rubbery texture. That elasticity gives the lace the flexibility you need to manipulate it. I view the lace as a decoration that happens to be edible, so the texture doesn’t bother me.