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Edible Shine

July 22, 2010 By Melissa Diamond 34 Comments

48 shares
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2 parts Vodka or Lemon Extract Flavoring

1 part Light Corn Syrup

***This is SO easy.  Combine two parts vodka to one part corn syrup–mix until well combined.  Then quickly use on your gum paste or fondant for lasting, fast drying shine.  **I used to use a 50/50 mix, and recently changed after complaints of it being slightly tacky to the touch.  Now, this is the ratio that I always use.  Since the vodka evaporates so quickly, you won’t want to mix the edible shine and leave sitting out for several minutes because the alcohol will evaporate from the bowl.

*****Do a test run on a scrap of fondant or gum paste that is identical to your piece,  to make sure that the coating adheres as it should.  In my wine bottle video, I discuss this– Every so often, the shine doesn’t adhere as it should, leaving it a little splotchy.  So, always do a test patch in a discrete place first!

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Filed Under: Recipes, Miscellaneous

Comments

  1. 4sweetssake August 4, 2011 at 8:40 pm

    What if I paint an animal print on my fondant first and then apply the edible shine. Will it affect the pattern that’s already there or will it just ad a shine to it?

    Reply
  2. Genelle Grant November 13, 2011 at 7:27 am

    Hi Melissa, wonder if u can help me living in Australia we don’t have light corn syrup here and in was wondering if u know of a substitute that I can use

    Thanks

    Reply
  3. BeBe November 16, 2011 at 11:47 am

    Hi Genelle, click on this link for a substitute http://www.ochef.com/362.htm.

    Do you have glucose available to you? It is a thicker and heavier product but I wonder if that might work also.

    Reply
  4. Genelle Grant November 21, 2011 at 5:09 am

    Oh you wont believe this, I was at my local little supermarket here in Australia and they had Karo Light Corn syrup…I nearly feel over, considering I have been looking around for this for ages and ages ..:)

    Reply
  5. lorie09 November 23, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Hi there, what does it mean when you refer to “2 parts vodka, 1 part light…”? Thanks!

    Reply
  6. BeBe November 23, 2011 at 9:45 am

    Hi Lorie, that means if I use 2 Tablespoons vodka, I’ll be using 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup. It applies to whatever measurement you are using……..such as 2 cups of one ingredient to 1 cup of another ingredient. I hope I explained that clearly.

    Reply
  7. lorie09 November 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

    Thanks Bebe for the explanation =)

    Reply
  8. mkychelle January 27, 2012 at 6:48 pm

    I am new to this, what is this used for?

    Reply
  9. funkreativekakes February 3, 2012 at 3:00 pm

    can you put edible shine on the fondant covered cake ,then put on an edible image label and some paint some flowers on top of the shine…..(because I dont want the shine on the flowers)?

    Reply
  10. funkreativekakes February 3, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    I guess it doesn’t matter if the flowers shine …can you put the edible shine over everything the edible label and the flowers?

    Reply
  11. marlene February 21, 2012 at 10:21 am

    Hey Mellisa and BeBe. Well my new shoulder is in. The therapist tells me it will probably be 4 months before I can do cakes again. It has only been 2 weeks and I am chomping at the bit.

    On your edible shine. I was wondering how much I would need to make if I wanted to shine a fondant covered 8″ cake. Could you shed some light on this? Thank you both so much.

    Take care
    Marlene

    Reply
  12. Courtney Wiemann February 24, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    Genelle, I wonder if golden syrup would work as well as light corn syrup? That’s readily available in Australia I believe (since it’s in ANZAC cookies… which now makes me want to make a batch!).

    I’m thinking this would be wonderful for my sister’s wedding cupcakes… wonder if it could be quickly topped with edible glitter, too? She’s ALL about the bling!! Haha!

    Reply
  13. Ursela Sultan May 8, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    can I use lemon extract instead of vodka

    Reply
  14. Ursela Sultan May 8, 2012 at 6:21 pm

    nevermind :)

    Reply
  15. Sarah Baker April 13, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    will this work to make my gumpaste leaves shinny

    Reply
  16. Sarah Baker April 14, 2013 at 1:41 pm

    can i use rum for this?

    Reply
  17. Melissa Diamond April 14, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    Hi Sarah– yes, you can use this on any of your gum paste or fondant pieces for shine. I do always recommend doing a test patch first just to make sure that it works to your satisfaction! ;0) – I have never used rum– I’ve always used vodka. But as long as it is clear and has a high alcohol content, it should work just fine!

    Reply
  18. Sarah Baker April 14, 2013 at 10:30 pm

    ok thanks as had been looking at Confectioners Glaze as was told about in a viedo on crafsty to get shin but this seemes more simple as have what i need

    Reply
  19. Trina Treiber May 1, 2015 at 1:07 pm

    I am looking for a simple sugar to use on my cake before I frost it. Do you have one, Thanks

    Reply
  20. Ayomide Praise October 10, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    will I shine it before I cover the cake

    Reply
  21. Melissa Diamond October 10, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    Hi Ayomide, you can add shine to your fondant after covering your cake. You may want to test it on a small piece of fondant first to make sure that you are happy with it. Also, use it soon after mixing it up as the alcohol evaporates fairly quickly (changing the proportion of the corn syrup to vodka).

    Reply
  22. Wendy November 14, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Will this work on molded chocolate to make it shine?

    Reply
  23. Melissa Diamond November 14, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    I Wendy, I’ve never tried it but I don’t see why not!

    Reply
  24. Shawn Feliciano February 26, 2019 at 11:16 pm

    Can this be used on chocolate truffles like an edible PME glaze?

    Reply
  25. BeBe February 27, 2019 at 7:52 pm

    Hi Shawn, I’m sorry that I can’t be certain because we have not tried this on truffles.

    Reply
  26. Sandrabee May 20, 2020 at 1:22 pm

    Can you use this on chocolate for a final coating?

    Reply
  27. Melissa Diamond May 20, 2020 at 1:43 pm

    Hi Sandrabee, I think that it would be fine, but I haven’t tried it. I would test it on a small piece of chocolate first as a trial run so that you will know for sure.

    Reply
  28. Carol September 1, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    How do you fix the sticky tacky issue ? Read a tutorial that also suggested 50/50 and now my gum paste cups are sticky and loosing their mold. Is there anything I can do to reverse or help without remaking again?

    Reply
  29. Melissa Diamond September 1, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    Hi Carol, I’m sorry- I haven’t heard of a fix that wouldn’t interfere with the shine. It’s possible that over time they will become less tacky.

    I have had tackiness before when maybe the shine sat out for too long & much the alcohol had evaporated- but in those cases luckily it was on decorations that were okay to be a bit tacky (although not ideal).

    It sounds like you are having problems with them losing their shape which I haven’t experienced but possibly a result of the gum paste absorbing the moisture – I think it should lose some of the tackiness over time as it sits out but I don’t know how long that will take. I wish I could help!

    Reply
  30. Milana September 12, 2020 at 5:49 pm

    Have you ever tried it on edible flowers ?
    Does the end result is water proof ? Can float lightly on a glass of liqueur?

    Reply
  31. Natalie Afolabi October 25, 2020 at 5:01 am

    Hi,instead of corn syrup can I use glucose syrup?

    Reply
  32. BeBe October 25, 2020 at 9:23 am

    Hi Natalie, I have not personally used glucose syrup, I suggest making a small amount and see if it give you the shine you want. Let us know what you think.

    Milana, We have never used it on edible flowers.

    Reply
  33. Ritu November 21, 2020 at 8:36 am

    Hi! Can this be used on isomalt?

    Reply
  34. Melissa Diamond November 21, 2020 at 9:57 am

    Hi Ritu, we don’t work with isomalt often- I’ve never tried this glaze on isomalt before. If you try it, I would test it on a scrap piece or very small area first to see if you are happy with the results. It’s a commonly used recipe and so you may be able to find additional details online from decorators who have used it on isomalt. Good luck!

    Reply

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