This wafer paper tutorial shows how to write and draw on wafer paper using edible paint and markers that won’t melt it! Edible wafer paper cake decorations are easy to make, and you can design your own if you want to write or draw on them. I go over the right way to do this cake decorating technique and give you some wafer paper tips and tricks. If you’ve ever wondered if you can write on wafer paper, there are ways to do it. Colored wafer paper can be used to wrap cakes to add unique decorations, and although it’s usually printed with an edible ink printer, it can be decorated in other ways.
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Can you write on edible paper without ruining it?
Writing and drawing on wafer paper can be done with food coloring markers or edible paint as long as precautions are taken to keep the paper from getting too wet.
Adding too much color to the paper in one spot can moisten the paper so much it will melt it in that spot.
Using a minimal amount of color in the writing on the paper will prevent any moisture damage and allow the paper to be decorated with handwriting or freehand drawings.
Avoid water.
Water is the one thing that will melt wafer paper, since the paper is actually a sheet of starch that absorbs moisture. If you put water on wafer paper it might not look bad at first, but it will absorb it and swell up, then when it dries it will be hard and wrinkly in that spot.
Be really careful when you’re using anything that has water in it with wafer paper, because a little might be okay, but it’s really easy to put too much on it without realizing until it’s too late. Using food coloring markers is one way to write on wafer paper, but since they’re usually water-based, you’ll need to keep the pens moving and not hesitate in one spot, or the paper will absorb the ink and it can melt or shrivel up. Oil-based media are good for this, because the oil doesn’t interact with the starch the same way as water will.
What should you use to write on edible paper?
The easiest thing to use for writing or drawing on wafer paper is food coloring markers.
These are regular markers that have food coloring instead of regular ink, so the finished product is edible.
If you use a light touch and don’t color too heavily, the writing won’t affect the paper at all.
Shop for food coloring markers on Oasis Supply. Use coupon code REMEMBER10.
If you don’t have food coloring markers, you can also airbrush food coloring colors with a small paintbrush, but you should use a very minimally wet brush. Tap the brush on a paper towel to make sure it’s not too wet before painting on the paper.
Avoiding applying too much liquid to the surface of the paper will prevent it from softening and/or melting the paper in that spot.
The edible ink markers are definitely the safest way to write or draw on wafer paper, though, especially if the paper is a thinner grade. O grade paper is thinner than AD or DD, and will melt faster.
If your paper is O grade, it might be too thin to paint with the liquid color, but the markers will probably be fine if you use a light touch.
AD and DD are more sturdy, and will withstand the application of food coloring a little better, but you should still be careful not to get it too wet.
Read this article about how to use edible cake wraps.
Oil-based colors for making colored wafer paper.
To minimize the risk of damage to the paper, you can also use an oil-based medium.
This won’t sink into the paper as easily, and oil won’t dissolve the paper.
Some ideas for oil-based paints are things like shortening with petal dust mixed in, or vegetable oil with some petal dust. These work better as paint since they would have to be spread with a brush.
One design option would be to outline the drawing with the food coloring markers, then paint the larger areas with the oil-based “paint.” This would allow you to apply more color without melting the paper.
I wrote another article about coloring wafer paper that goes over options and shows the different looks you can create. To see that article click here: Watercolor wafer paper
Using stencils to draw on wafer paper.
Using stencils to create a design on wafer paper is a fast way to design a pattern to use for wrapping a cake tier.
The edible markers can easily be used with the stencil to trace the outlines, or you can paint them with the paints made from shortening if you want to make a thicker line.
In this picture, I used a honeycomb stencil to draw a pattern on the paper. The only thing to take note of is that any area where the marker strokes overlapped are darker and were a little wetter than the rest, so they would be more likely to melt!
An O-grade paper that’s thinner might be too thin for this heavy a line. I would recommend going with an AD or DD grade, which is a lot thicker.
Using stencils for lettering is also an option, since you can use the stencils to guide your writing and keep it looking consistent.
You can also make your own cake stencils, click here to read about that.
I was trying out some things and came up with this method to stencil a design on the wafer paper using the shortening-based color. Because it doesn’t have liquid in it, it’s not damaging the paper at all.
To see a video on this technique, click here:
To see a video of this stencil set, click here:
Click here to read about stenciling on buttercream.
Wafer paper supply list:
Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon and Oasis Supply (#ad). Use coupon code REMEMBER10 for a discount on your entire order at Oasis Supply.
- Wafer paper (use coupon code REMEMBER10 for a discount on your entire order at Oasis Supply)
- Silicone flower center molds (Amazon)
- Petal veiners (Amazon)
- Petal dust (Oasis Supply)
- Floral wire (Amazon)
- Tylose glue (Oasis)
- Fluffy paintbrushes (Amazon)
- Flower former (Amazon)
- Craft scissors (Amazon)
- Liquid Food Coloring (Amazon)
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner (Amazon)
- Corn starch (Amazon)
- Flower paper punches (Amazon)
- Steamer to shape wafer paper (Amazon)