How to Transfer an Image to Fondant/Gum Paste without an Edible Printer

If you bake and decorate cakes for your family and friends most likely you don’t have an edible printer or an inkjet printer with edible ink and edible image transfer sheets / wafer paper. In this post I’ll teach you how to transfer an image to fondant/gum paste without an edible printer.

You will be hand painting (with some support) so the image you choose can be as detailed as you think your steady hands can handle. I chose a simple image of a lady’s face for my Lady with a Hat cake I made for my birthday.

You can transfer the image to gum paste as it dries out faster. If you don’t have gum paste, you can also use regular fondant mixed with a bit of Tylose or CMC powder if you want your decorations to hold their shape and dry out faster. If not, regular fondant works too.

Ingredients/Tools

drawing or image of choice
gum paste or fondant mixed with Tylose or CMC Powder (e.g. for 250g fondant mix in 1 teaspoon of tylose powder)
rolling pin
corn starch or powdered sugar for dusting
X-acto knife or a very sharp knife
gel food colours + 1 drop of Vodka that needs to be mixed with each color you use – I used black and red colours
thin brush for painting or food-safe markers
A fondant/gum paste modelling tool that has a pointed end – e.g the dresden/veining tool, a small frilling tool that has a rounded end and a pointed end; if you don’t have any of these, use a skewer or the painting brush handle if it has a thin and round tip

Directions

Firstly, draw or print out the image you chose to transfer to fondant. I used a lady face image I found online and enhanced it by drawing eyes and eyebrows to make the cake I envisioned.

Cut out your image.

Knead your gum paste or fondant mixed with Tylose Powder until it has a workable consistency and it doesn’t feel and look dry. I used white gum paste mixed with a drop of Ivory Wilton gel food colour.

Dust your working surface with cornstarch and roll the gum paste around 3mm thick.

Place your cut-out image on the fondant. Cut out the outline with the X-acto knife.

Then, use the pointed end of your fondant tool to trace over the outline of your drawing and every single detail. Press just enough so that it leaves a mark on the gum paste.

Then, use the pointed end of your fondant tool to trace over every line of your drawing, pressing just enough so that it leaves a mark on the gum paste.

Another way to do this is to use a pin and prick through your drawing, spacing the pricks 2-4mm apart. Later on you will paint the outline by connecting the dots you made.

Now the only thing you need is a steady hand to paint over the outline you created!

Paint over the outline you traced using black gel food colouring mixed with 1 drop of Vodka. Or use a black food-safe marker to do this if you find it easier.

Paint all the details of your image. Let it dry for at least 12 hours if you want your decoration to hold its shape.

Because I wanted my gum paste image to be wrapped a bit around the cake, I placed it right away on the cold cake. My cake was covered with this ganache buttercream frosting but it can be covered with ganache only or buttercream only.

Brush a bit of water on the back of the gum paste image so that it sticks to the cake safely. Place it carefully without touching the outline you just painted.

I added the final touches, by painting the lips red, after I attached the image to the cake.