• Woody

The Sweet Stamp REVIEW

Updated: Feb 15

For months I have been looking forward to this moment. The moment I finally had the chance to purchase and actually use my Sweet Stamp. Honestly, it is a simple concept and is really just a stamp. However, the introduction of gorgeous fonts, the ease of use and the compatibility makes it a vital tool in every cake decorators kitchen.

Okay, so let’s begin at the choice of font. There are a few different styles you can go for including Stylish, Handwritten, Curly, and Elegant. I chose the Handwritten set. The curly set is a lovely font for events like Baby Showers etc. The Stylish, Handwritten and Elegant sets are actually quite similar, and would look great on any cake. However, I chose the Handwritten set because it was the most versatile set, that will add a pretty flair to any cake. I also loved the calligraphy style, and how it looked like you truly did just write onto the cake. It’s also advised to purchase the ‘Sticky Block’, and the brushes. I bought the ‘Sticky block’ but not the brushes (my biggest regret of Cake International). The ‘Sticky Block’ is essentially just the base of a stamp, that then sticks to the letters in whichever way you arrange them.

The use of them is fairly self explanatory, so requires little instructions or explanation. They also came in a significantly low amount of packaging, which stands out in a time when we are using too much plastic and producing too much waste. The letters come attached to a board and they just drop out when you open the shrink wrap (apart from a few which I teased out with my Dresden tool). Surprisingly, it is extremely difficult to determine which letter is which, when they aren’t in a word, due to the cursive style font. Therefore, make sure you keep the plastic they come in so you can refer back to each letter when needed.

So you’ve removed the letters and are ready to start decorating. I used them with Couture Fondant, simply because it’s my favourite to work with. They do not require any modelling paste or tylose to be added to the fondant, which also makes it quite cheap. I rolled out some fondant as if I was making a plaque, however you could use them straight onto the side/top of a cake or the cake drum.

From my experience, I would advise arranging the the letters on a non slip material, like a chopping board or silicone mat. I arranged them straight into my table (I have a really slidy table) and this made it hard to stick them to the ‘sticky block’ without them moving. You don’t have to arrange the letters backwards etc. due to it working as a stamp and not a mirror image. Arrange the word(s) and place the sticky block on top allowing the letters to attach. However, I would say the only real problem with them is that you only get one of each letter in each set. This makes it more difficult to accurately arrange the letters in the way you would like, because you are missing some and have to go back and do them singularly. Although, this is doable, upon first try it was a little daunting. Obviously, you are more than able to purchase more than one of each set, however this could be very expensive.

Once your letters are attached to the sticky block, it’s time to stamp. I found this extremely scary, and didn’t really have any idea how hard I should press. In the end, after experimentation, I found out that you only want to press very lightly (and evenly) to create a very shallow crater. Originally, I pressed far too hard creating a quarry that was difficult to paint into cleanly. Remove the stamp after pressing and you have your word.

Next you need to paint it. I’d advise using quite an impressive colour, compared to a light colour. This is because you really want the writing to stand out. I used a Colour Splash Rose Gold powder mixed with vodka (or any other clear, high percentage alcohol). I learnt from experience that you want the paint quite thin. In the beginning I tried to paint it with a far thicker consistency, almost mimicking acrylic paints. This created a really messy, unprofessional finish that looked garbage. Therefore, I decided to treat it more like I was painting with water colours. Ever so lightly just paint the paint into each letter. I used a very fine brush, because although the lines are thick in places they can also get really thin, where using a thicker brush would cause you to go out of the lines.

And there you have your finished word/phrase. Overall, the Sweet Stamp is something I know I will use on cakes constantly. The simplicity is great, and it’s clear that it will be a very quick process to complete after a few practices. Although, at first it has a price tag that is slightly more expensive than other options, it gives you a far better finish, than other options including cutters and moulds.

I would also like to mention, although I haven’t seen this anywhere, to me it seems like it would work with sugar cookies. Obviously, I haven’t tried this, however I think that if you pressed it into a soft sugar cookie before baking it, the stamp will leave you with a template. With this template, you would then be able to use a it as a stencil when piping and flooding your sugar cookies with royal icing. If anyone has seen this, or gives it a go, please tell me how it goes!

Therefore, you definitely shouldn’t hesitate to purchase your Sweet Stamp. The versatility will ensure that this piece of equipment will be in constant use, and a vital component to your baking toolkit.

Talk later ✌️

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