Q: How do you get that wonderful shiny gold finish on your stencilled cupcakes?

A: It is not difficult at all, you just need a good quality cake stencil - Lindy’s Cakes sells a good selection http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk/shop/Stencils/ and some white vegetable fat.

I use Trex, and some edible gold lustre dust, I find that the Squires Kitchen lustres give you the most brilliant finish. Place your chosen cake stencil on some freshly rolled out sugarpaste. Press down on it with a smoother, or something similar, to force the sugarpaste up to the top surface of the stencil.

Smear white vegetable fat over the stencil to act as a glue. Then using a soft dusting brush liberally dust over the stencil with the edible dusting powder. Remove any excess and carefully lift the stencil to reveal a gorgeous metallic pattern. Use the sugarpaste to decorate cupcakes or cookies.

Good luck

Do you have a question for the Cake Doctor? Send it to: bb@wrbm.com

Visit Lindy Smith’s website