A few months ago I had a customer who was very fascinated with having edible drapes for her wedding cake. Unfortunately, after taking into consideration the cost of the cake and shipment, plus the time it would take for shipping, she decided it was not worth it. Of course, I was disappointed. Recently, I came across this amazing video on YouTube by Elena Wilkinson. She made edible fabric at home. It was very simple, easy, and inexpensive. The video was in Russian so I could not understand a word, yet I loved what I saw and I had to try it. Lucky for me, my friend Gulnaz knows Russian and she was kind enough to help me translate the video and get the recipe. So, I did my first experiment and was almost jumping. It was so easy! I loved the effect. Of course, you know me, and I wanted to share it with you. And so I decided to do the rest of my testing/experiments on camera so I can share them with you. Now I will be honest, I have yet to place it on a cake. But I love how the whole fabric effect looks. It’s so amazing to have something so soft, squishy, and satiny in your hands. Best of all it’s EDIBLE!!
How does edible fabric taste?
Well, the recipe is just gelatin, glycerin, and water – no sugar or anything else. So needless to say, it does not taste like much! In fact, at least the homemade edible sugar lace recipe has some sugar. So while it does not take much it’s still OK. And yet, this one is not something you would enjoy eating. It’s mostly for getting the fabric effect on the cake. So don’t expect it to taste good.
How to make edible fabric
For the transparent mixture
Soak the gelatin in water for a few seconds.Dissolve the gelatin in the microwave for 20 sec or more until completely dissolved.Add the glycerin and stir well.Place the gelatin bowl over a bowl of hot water so it does not solidify.
Brushed one side (see video)
Brush the mixture over the rice paper’s shiny side trying to keep single strokes.Dry on one side completely for 7 to 10 minutes (it will be dry but tacky).Brush with pearl luster dust, metallic gold, or silver.Dust the second side with cornstarch so it won’t be tacky anymore.
Brushed on two sides (see video)
Brush the mixture over the rice paper dull side trying to keep single strokes.Dry on one side completely for 5 to 7 minutes (it will be dry but tacky).Flip the sheet carefully and brush the other (now shiny side) with the mixture.Let dry for 5 to 7 minutes until dry but still tacky.Brush with pearl luster dust, metallic gold, or silver.Dust the second side with cornstarch.
Edible chocolate fabric
Soak the gelatin in water for a few seconds.Dissolve the gelatin in the microwave for 20 sec or more until completely dissolved.Add the glycerin and stir well.Mix in the chocolate pieces and stir till well dissolved.If necessary place in the microwave for 10 seconds.Once all the pieces are dissolved pour the mixture over a clean silicon mat.Spread out with a long spatula or bench scraper trying to keep to single strokes.Let dry for 10 minutes until set (it will be sticky but dry).When a dry brush with metallic gold, silver or cornstarch.Dust off any excess cornstarch.
Did you LIKE this recipe? Save it for later. You can find my recipes on Pinterest. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Subscribe, and I’ll send you new recipes right to your inbox. Well, I notice that when brushing only on one side the fabric tends to become stiff after a while. That’s because one side of the rice paper is still exposed to air and you know what happens to rice paper when you keep it out, right? But if you brush on both sides it stays softer for a longer time. In fact, my silver edible fabric has been done a few days ago and it’s still soft. So, I highly recommend brushing on both sides to get the full fabric effect. Thank you for sharing - Save for later
