14 February 2012

Mich Turner Lustres [Icing Decorations from Silver Spoon] [By @Cinabar]

I really love baking, but have done less and less over the years. The problem I have always had with such endeavours is the final stage of icing. For all my baking skills, icing and decoration has always let me down. I just don’t have a very neat hand for such things. My ability to bake comes from carefully measuring ingredients and keeping an eye on things. I do however lack creativity.
Having said that when I was asked if I wanted to try out the new Mich Turner Icing Lustres from Silver Spoon, I couldn’t resist saying yes and decided to have a go. I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s day and bake some romantic fairy cakes.


I was pleasantly surprised with my batch (pre-icing) and set about the dreaded decoration. I made the icing using the method suggested on the back of the icing sugar box (basically adding a tiny bit of water to a surprising amount of sugar) and then pouring it on. I don’t think my white icing looked particularly neat – but once it was set it was time for the impromptu art session. I had also purchased a few wafer flowers and other bits to try and improve my skills and utilised these too.
These new Lustres paint onto the icing with a brush and allow you to be as subtle or dramatic as you want,dependant on your skills. Consequently I decided to go for a simple and playful selection of designs. My efforts were okay, not neat like a professional but for a first go I thought they looked quite sweet (although clearly homemade)!



I really enjoyed using these Lustres, and had a lot of fun decorating my fairy cakes. My efforts may not be the best, but I loved the effect that they had and they were nice and easy to use. The lustres shined wonderfully and I so wish I had known about them when I was decorating my Christmas cake as I think the stars on it would have looked lush with a golden gleam.
Hope you all have a good Valentine's Day!
By Cinabar


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UPDATE
I gave the Pearl Lustre to a more accomplished cupcake baker, who also wanted to use them for Valentines cakes. She added a drop of the Pearl Lustre to the fondant icing, and it worked an absolute treat. As her efforts look so much more professional than mine, I felt it only fair to show off the wonderful pics. The cakes tasted beautiful too, with a soft sponge and sweet strawberry topping. Thanks for having a go with these Steph, your cup cakes look fab and show off what can be done!

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