Cake Decorating

Martellato Sugar Dress Review: Edible Lace Appliques Made Simple

A hands-on look at Martellato Sugar Dress, a two-part mix for creating delicate, sturdy edible lace appliques for cakes.

Martellato Sugar Dress container with vial, silicone lace mat and palette knife on marble

Introduction

Edible lace appliques are one of those details that instantly elevate a celebration cake, but getting them right depends heavily on the mix you use. Martellato Sugar Dress is a two-part product designed specifically for this job, promising lace pieces that are thin, sturdy, and easier to handle than many alternatives. After repeated use, this mix has earned a permanent spot in the decorating toolkit, and here is what you should know before buying.

What Is Martellato Sugar Dress?

Sugar Dress comes packaged in a small pail with two components: a bag of powder and a small capped vial containing a liquid. Directions are printed on the outside of the packaging, so you do not need any prior lace-making experience to get started. The concept is straightforward: combine the powder with water, add the liquid, and mix until smooth. That simple formula is what sets it apart from more fussy lace methods.

How Sugar Dress Works

Once mixed, the paste is applied to a food-grade silicone lace mat. A palette knife is all you need, and it takes very little mixture to fill a mold. The key is to spread a nice, even application so the lace sets uniformly.

Smooth lace mixture being spread onto a round silicone lace mat with a palette knife

Good food-grade silicone mats are important here, and a simple round lace mold works beautifully for decorative accents on cakes and cookies.

Drying and Removal: The Part That Matters Most

Lace pieces take about six to eight hours to dry, and smaller pieces can finish sooner. That said, patience pays off: give them the full drying time before peeling them from the mold. Thicker areas, such as larger spots in the pattern, take longer to set, and pulling pieces out too early can tear them.

Finished edible lace applique being carefully peeled away from a silicone mat

Because these lace pieces are very thin, they are naturally fragile when unset. If you want to speed things up, the packaging includes directions for drying the pieces in a low oven. For most bakers, planning a day ahead is the simplest approach.

Practical Tips for Better Results

One of the most useful features is that leftover mixed product can be stored in the refrigerator or cupboard for up to seven days. If you are decorating a large cake and need multiple lace pieces from the same mold, you can make a batch, let it dry, remove the pieces safely, and reuse the same molds over several days.

Edible lace applique pressed onto the side of a frosted celebration cake

This reuse approach keeps your mold costs down, which matters if you are building a full set of appliques for a tiered design. It also means you never feel pressured to mix and use everything in a single session.

Is Martellato Sugar Dress Worth Buying?

For anyone who regularly makes lace appliques, this product performs consistently well. Compared with other brands that have been tried, the resulting lace pieces are noticeably sturdier and easier to peel out of the mold intact, which is the difference between a smooth decorating session and a frustrating one.

A set of silicone lace mats and finished lace pieces laid out on a work surface

The main trade-offs are the waiting time and the need for patience during removal, but those are inherent to edible lace rather than flaws in this particular mix.

Conclusion

Martellato Sugar Dress is a dependable choice for cake decorators who want beautiful, delicate lace appliques without unpredictable results. The two-part mix is easy to prepare, works with any good food-grade silicone mold, and produces sturdy pieces that release cleanly when fully dried. If lace work features in your decorating plans, this is a product that rewards the small amount of planning it asks for.

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Further reading

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