Edible papers that are used on cakes are usually one of two types…Wafer paper and icing sheets.
They have some similarities but a lot of differences, and if you have specific dietary needs you might want to check to see if they fit in with your requirements.
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What’s the difference between icing sheets and wafer paper?
Comparing wafer paper vs icing sheets: They’re both used for printing images in edible ink printers, and both can be used to create certain types of decorations for cakes.
Wafer paper is flavorless, stiffer, and can be used to make edible flowers.
Icing sheets are sweeter, and while they can be used for certain types of decorations, they’re generally used mostly for cake wraps and edible photos.
What are some other similarities and differences between the two types of edible papers that are used for cake decorating?
What is edible paper made of?
Edible wafer paper is made from potato starch, vegetable oil, and water. It’s created from a slurry of those ingredients and formed into sheets that are used in cake and cookie decorations and sometimes as an ingredient.
Icing sheets are made from starches and sugar plus white food coloring that is mixed and pressed onto a plastic backing sheet. It’s not actually an icing, but because it’s made from a variety of sugars, it has a sweeter flavor than wafer paper.
Because wafer paper is made from potato starch, it’s not sweet unless some flavoring is added to the paper during the manufacturing or printing process.
Wafer paper can be manipulated using glycerin and other liquids to create different shapes, and because it’s starch-based, it will dry stiff.
This makes it a good material to make objects that need to keep their shape after being formed. Wafer paper that’s been wet and dried is stiffer than it starts out, so it can be formed into pieces that will stand up off of the cake.
Wafer paper is a single sheet of “paper” and there’s no backing sheet to deal with.
Icing sheets are made from sugars and glycerin that’s pressed onto sheets of plastic as a backing. They’re sweet as a result, but they’re plasticky and aren’t real icing.
They have a more opaque appearance, and are kind of like a fruit leather texture. You peel the sugar sheet off of the backing sheet before applying it to the cake.
Do wafer paper and icing sheets melt into the icing?
Neither one will truly melt into the icing that they’re applied to. They will both stay fairly integrated and it should be possible to remove them from the icing on a cake after they’ve been on it.
If they were attached to fondant using corn syrup or piping gel, it may not be possible to remove the edible paper because it will be adhered more securely than it would be to icing.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that the two types of edible papers will melt, but both are going to be noticeable on a cake if it’s sitting on buttercream.
People may or may not like them, but they can always be avoided and people can skip out on eating them if they don’t like the texture.
I personally dislike the texture of the icing sheets because they tend to be kind of like chewing a thin sheet of fruit leather. It’s not quite that chewy, but it’s definitely noticeable.
Wafer paper on icing will soften up, so it’s not always as weird as icing sheets.
You should be able to cut both with a knife when you cut the cake normally, and from there people can choose whether to eat them or not.
When either is attached to a fondant cake or to cookies, they won’t be as noticeable because they’ll bond with the cake or cookies.
Wafer paper doesn’t usually have a flavor, so it won’t affect the flavor of the cake. Icing sheets have artificial vanilla flavorings in them, so you might not like that.
Are icing sheets or wafer paper better for printing?
Icing sheets are more opaque than wafer paper, so it usually produces a brighter and more saturated print. Wafer paper absorbs some of the food coloring ink, and can be slightly less intense color-wise.
However, wafer paper does allow you to print bright colors, and it doesn’t smear as easily as icing sheets, which don’t absorb the color into the surface as quickly.
If you’re printing things like portraits or photos that have a lot of details, icing sheets will probably give you a better result because the details will be more obvious. The quality of the photo has a lot to do with this, though, and the printer settings also play a part.
I only print on wafer paper because I don’t like to deal with the backing paper issue of icing sheets, and I’ve never had a problem with getting a good, detailed print on wafer paper.
Another difference between the two is that wafer paper can have irregularities in the surface, which can make some spots on the paper print slightly darker. This usually isn’t noticeable unless you’re printing one solid color onto a piece of paper that has a lot of spots.
Icing sheets are usually more consistent as far as the color goes, but what I found when I used them was that you would come across sheets that had thin spots on them on a pretty frequent basis. Those sheets could be used for smaller prints, but not for full sheets.
So basically, you’ll always run across weird sheets that have flaws in them. It’s totally normal, but it’s aggravating and you have to plan for it.
To see how to attach wafer paper to buttercream, click here.
Can you make decorations from wafer paper or icing sheets?
Both wafer paper and icing sheets can be used to make decorations, but they’re not good for the same things.
Wafer paper will keep its shape and often be stiffer when it dries, so it can be used to make wafer paper sails and other decorations that extend off of the cake.
Icing sheets can be cut and used for bows and ruffles, but because it doesn’t stiffen, it isn’t as useful for other types of decorations.
You can make a workable sugar clay from icing sheets by adding water to shredded sheets and kneading it into a clay that will dry firm yet still slightly flexible.
Honestly, that seems to be a lot of work to me, but if you want the petals to be less rigid than gumpaste, it would be one type of sugar clay to try out.
Wafer paper can be manipulated with wafer paper conditioner and other liquids to form into petal and other shapes, and makes flowers that can be very realistic because it’s thin like real petals.
Wafer paper is a good choice if you’re looking for a way to make flowers quickly because it dries really fast.
For ruffles, wafer paper will dry pretty stiffly, so a lot of wafer paper ruffles on a cake will look nice but won’t taste good.
Icing sheets will look more like fabric ruffles, but won’t stay stiff and hold their shape on their own as well. Icing sheets can be cut up and formed into bows, but they’ll need some support to keep a crisp look.
You can also combine wafer paper and icing sheets to create different effects. I’ve seen flowers that were made with both, and it works pretty well.
If you look at wafer paper and icing sheets as two additions to your cake decorating arsenal, you’ll be able to use whichever one works best for the purpose you need at the time.
Wafer paper supply list:
Shop for materials to make wafer paper flowers on Amazon (#ad):
- Wafer paper, white or colored
- Silicone flower center molds
- Petal veiners
- Petal dust
- Floral wire
- Tylose glue
- Fluffy paintbrushes
- Flower former
- Craft scissors
- Liquid Food Coloring
- Food-grade glycerin to make wafer paper conditioner
- Corn starch
- Flower paper punches
- Steamer to shape wafer paper
