It’s not often you’d hear the word ‘isomalt’, if at all, unless you are involved with cake decorating. For those of you who don’t know, isomalt is a sugar substitute made from beets. It is primarily used in sugar-free candy production or sugar art.
Although it’s not as sweet as sugar, it’s physically very close to it except that it’s more “forgiving”, meaning it is a bit more stable against moisture and humidity than regular sugar. For this reason, isomalt can be heated to a higher temperature without losing its clarity. This makes it a popular choice among pastry and cake artists who want to take their creation to the next level.
Working with isomalt can be a lot of fun. It’s not as difficult as it looks or as intimidating as you think. Isomalt decorations can be the key to taking an already beautiful cake and transforming it into an absolutely breathtaking creation.
Here are 5 simple and modern ways to use isomalt decorations to enhance your cake and really bring in the WOW factor.
1.
Clear Pulled Isomalt
The glassiness property of isomalt is probably its best quality and what better way to use it than in its purest form – clear. Pulling isomalt is a technique that allows you to shape it into various organic forms. The possibilities are only limited by what your hands can do.
A few small pieces of clear isomalt can add textures to enhance an existing design without overtaking its focal elements. Used in larger quantities, clear, flowing isomalt pieces can become part of the main decorations and add fluidity to your cake design. The best thing about clear isomalt pieces is their versatility. It can virtually complement ANY cake design from wedding cakes to birthday cakes or anything in between.
2.
Clear Isomalt Bowl Sails
As mentioned above, keeping the isomalt clear ensures that it only enhances your existing focal design elements without overtaking them. However, sometimes, one large piece is all you need. Enter the clear, isomalt bowl sail.
The isomalt bowl sail design originated from the DTC kitchen and over the years has become one of the most popular modern cake decorating trends. Whether paired with cascading orchids or kept simple with some edible gold leaf accents, it is sure to make a wow statement.
3.
Coloured Pulled Isomalt
Add a bit of colour and watch the isomalt transform your cake design in a completely different way. Coloured isomalt is FUN! You can use coloured isomalt pieces to lift any cake designs from kid’s birthday cakes to fortieth birthdays all the way to wedding cakes. The key is to use only one or two colours from the existing colour palette.
TIP: Use gel colours to colour isomalt as they are water based. Oil based colourings will not disperse properly.
Learn how easy it is to create stunning isomalt decorations using the pulled, bowl sail, shards, and shapes techniques in our course Easy Isomalt Decorations.
4.
Marbled Isomalt Bowl Sail
Unlike the clear sail, the marbled isomalt bowl sail was born to stand out. It IS the focal design element. If you use it, make sure the rest of the cake design remains minimal and colour cohesive. You want to give this beauty the stage it deserves to shine.
5.
Isomalt Shards
Isomalt shards are a great way to add textures to a design. It is extremely easy and quick to make. The pro: you can make it from leftover isomalt pieces. The con: it is not as easy to use it as a focal design element; it’s more of a supporting act. However, don’t let this deter you from trying your hands at making isomalt shards, especially where an ‘under the sea’ theme is involved.
Isomalt is such a fun and versatile medium. It seems a bit intimidating at first but once you get started, it is so much fun! From elegant sails to twisting shards to bubbling coral reefs, isomalt is a great way to enhance your cake decorating skills.
Learn how easy it is to create stunning isomalt decorations using the pulled, bowl sail, shards, and shapes techniques in our course Easy Isomalt Decorations.
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3 Responses
Excellent information! Thanks
You’re welcome 🙂
Beautiful art thanks for sharing your gift!❤️