My Edible Printer

This is what the icing sheet looks like just printed, it is hard to tell but the icing sheet is smaller and the backing is about 1 inch larger.

 I love baking gadgets, all kinds of gadgets.  I am the person that sees something and thinks "I need that!"  And I totally get it and use it once. Or pack it away for about 10 years. So when I was thinking about getting an edible printer I had a hard time justifying it.  I mean how often would I use it?  As it turns out, not too often, but often enough that I don't regret having it one little bit!

  So to start, I used to make simple image birthday cakes back in the day and the place I was at had an edible printer.  I was so in love with how easy it was to make any cake personal, no skill required.  Which is good, since I have hardly any skills.  So anyway, I always thought it would be hundreds of dollars to get my own, so never really thought about it.  Until I mentioned it to the lady and she told me you just use a regular printer.  I was in shock!!

My first attempt at a printed cookie, I was so lazy and tired I just pipped a boarder and put coloured sugar on it.

 So being the smarty smart smart that I am I went to google to see what this was all about, and that is how I found Kopy Kake.  Basically this company makes ink cartridges for regular old Espon and Canon printers.  I was so excited, until I realized the cost of some printers.  Kopy Kake has a handy list showing the model numbers of the printers that they make cartridges for.  I would check out our flyer's every week to see if any of the super on sale printers were on the list.  It took a few months, but finally Wal Mart had one, which was not only a printer, but a scanner, on sale for $35.  $35 people!  I was so excited, and Hubby went and got it for me.  Now he had told me to buy one before; that was until I told him that it could only be used for food, so that sort of put a damper on things.  He wanted a new printer, but any printer I got could only be used with the food cartridges, so he was out of luck.

This was for the elevator guys, and my first time using disco dust.  After this one I just used sugar, I didn't want them to be pooping glitter for weeks. And I cannot believe I just wrote the word pooping on my blog again, my blog about food.

 So I had my little printer, and I wanted the ink and paper. The cost of the cartridges is a bit much to start.  To get them here they are about $30 each and you need 4.  So I went on the Kopy Kake site and shipping was insane, but with a simple email they were able to offer cheaper, but slower shipping.  I was thrilled, and my Mom got them for me as an early Christmas gift, yay mom!  Then I bought the icing sheets at the local  baking supply store, they are less than $1 each, so that is great.

 So I had it all, I just needed something to make with it.  So my first job was to ask my co workers for some personal pictures, and I made my first attempt at printed cookies.  They came out okay, I was not used to the colours and the boarders were horrible, but you know a first try non the less.

These were my first cupcake toppers, just roll out some fondant/ sugar paste and glue the images to it with water.  Let dry and there you go, amazing stuff people!

This is the large image I used for Pork Chops little cake, that he didn't eat.  

See these are the cupcake toppers, how cool is that?  Well better than the lame lego chocolate men I made, which totally are Star War's because I put "S W" on them.  But jerky Hubby kept telling people they were "South West" workers, which makes no sense, they are not even in the stupid movie.  Jerk!

This was my second attempt at printer cookies and disco dust, much better I must say.

My first attempt at printer cake pops, not too bad, not amazing either.

And the cupcakes I made for Pork Chops Hockey banquet, which was really just kids sitting around a table eating a slice of pizza and talking really loud.  Good times!

So there is a lot of pictures to show you some of the things I have made so far.

 I love my printer, and Pork Chop loves to eat the paper.  He even had a friend over when I was using it and his friend would not believe you were supposed to eat the paper.

  The alternative to the printer is to check at your local bakery and see if they will sell you some printed sheets, but I have heard they charge about $10 each page.  And if you are going to use them a bunch getting the stuff yourself is much cheaper.

Cupcakes for Pork Chop's Hockey Team With Edible Image Cupcake Toppers

Go Hawks!

Before I get started I am also guest posting today at Whisked Together!

 Oh man has it been busy around here lately!  I have been working and trying to do some charity stuff, bake, talk to hubby and try to not kill Pork Chop.  It has been crazy.  I will update you with some of the fun, we were in a parade and I made some fun treats and I have gotten a few things done for my steam punk outfit, so all in all, lots to talk about.

  So this weekend that just past Pork Chop had his hockey banquet, which is not as fancy as you would think.  When I heard about it I figured I better make something, as I send stuff to the team for no reason at all, and now there was a reason.  I also had no time, I mean I was so not going to make fancy stuff, so cupcakes it was!

  Firstly, just so you know, I made box mix cupcakes.  I am not ashamed, when you are not a morning person, even though you start work at 7am every day, you do what you have to.  So I made a box mix of chocolate cupcakes, and then homemade butter cream and some fancy edible image toppers.

  So, I won't explain the cupcakes,  basically I cracked some eggs, mixed some stuff and baked it. All good.  Although, I was not prepared and I only had Halloween cupcake liners, they still looked good.

This is one full sheet of icing, unlike my child I don't eat the left over bits.

  So to make my cupcake topper I got Hubby to print out a bunch of the team logos, I found them on google of course.  Then I scanned them and printed them out on my edible printer.  I did two pages and that was plenty.

This is the super cool fondant cutter I got from Wilton.  I got it at Michael s just before Christmas, we were there looking for craft gifts for Pork Chop.  We didn't find anything so I had to use my coupon, you cannot waste those.

  I am sure you could just put the images on the cupcakes but that might not be as easy as this.  I made the toppers a few days before so they would dry out.  I took pre made fondant and mixed some gum paste into it.   It makes for a harder product when dry.  So I used my new Wilton fondant cutter, it looks just like a paper cutter, just cooler.  I cut the pictures out into strips then rolled out some fondant onto the plastic plate.  Then I brushed some water onto the fondant and smoothed on a strip of logos.

I found it nice to roll out the fondant on the cutting plate, it is removable. 

  Once they were on I used the cutter to cut them all out, and then put them on a lined cookie sheet to fully dry out.  I then rolled the fondant back up and rolled it back out and did it over again until all the logos were done.  I left them to dry for a few days.

They just need to dry for a day or so on a flat surface.

  When I give out cupcakes I like to use boxes, but they can get costly.  As it is I pay for them at the warehouse and it comes out to about 74 cents each with the insert, so I don't do this often.  Anyway, I always fold them and put them all together first, it doesn't take too long.  But if you do it as you are putting the cupcakes in you can get icing on them and you know make them messy.

All my pre folded boxes, those are the inserts on the bottom right.

For the icing I just made a simple butter cream.

Butter Cream
I just usually toss stuff in a bowl:

-1 cup butter
-2 TBSP vanilla *
-milk and icing sugar as needed

Cream the butter and add the vanilla, then add some milk.  Add some icing sugar and alternate between the two until you get it as thick and as much as you need.

*when I make butter cream that is going to be all white I use vanilla bean paste, it looks cool

My swirly cupcakes.

  I tinted the icing yellow and put a nice swirl on with a large fluted tip.  I like lots of icing.  Icing makes everything better.

Just press the topper into the icing.

And then all I did was put the logo topper on, it sticks right to the icing.

And you have a fleet of cupcakes to wow the 7 year old hockey players in your life.

I had Pork Chop put them out at the table for his friends, but he got so excited he flipped one.  So I got mad and told him to stop if he could not be careful.  Then I felt bad, because it's just a cupcake.  So he put the rest out, and he actually took one home.  He never does that.  Although he has not looked at it since, at least it's there.