How to Make Cake, Cookie and Coffee Stencils

To make a cake, cookie or coffee stencil, cut a simple single-layer design from food-grade mylar (plastic stencil film certified safe for contact with food), sized to fit inside the top of your cake, cookie or cup. Dust icing sugar, cocoa or cinnamon through it, or scrape royal icing across it. Wash it in warm soapy water before the first use and after every use. Never cut a food stencil from a cereal box, card or craft plastic.

Food-safe materials only

This is the bit that matters most, so I'll say it plainly: anything that touches food must be food-safe. That rules out a lot of what people normally make stencils from.

If a supplier won't tell you whether a sheet is food-grade, assume it isn't. And don't use spray adhesive, tape glue or anything else sticky on a food stencil.

Why food stencils should be single-layer

Multi-layer stencils are brilliant on walls. On a cake, they're a headache. Sugar and cocoa don't sit in neat flat coats like paint, so trying to line up a second layer usually smudges the first.

Keep it to one layer and design for it:

• Bold shapes. Silhouettes, lettering, simple patterns.
• No tiny details. Powders clump in small openings. As a rule of thumb, keep openings and gaps to at least 2mm.
• Bridges on every enclosed shape. An island (an enclosed shape, like the middle of an "O") falls out when you cut it. A bridge is a thin strip that holds it to the rest of the sheet. On food stencils, make bridges a little wider than you would on paper, because you'll be washing it.
• A solid border around the design so you can hold and lift it without touching the pattern.

How to size a food stencil

Cake stencils

Measure the top of your cake, not the tin. Cakes shrink a little as they cool and frosting adds width.

1. Measure the cake top straight across.
2. Make the design area about 2 to 3cm smaller than that, so there's a clean margin at the edge.
3. Make the stencil sheet bigger than the cake, so you can hold the edges without touching the top.

Common round cake sizes are 6, 8 and 10 inch (roughly 15, 20 and 25cm), so for an 8 inch cake you'd want a design around 17 to 18cm across.

Cookie stencils

Cookies spread in the oven, so measure a baked one. Keep the design about 1cm smaller than the flat top surface. For a batch, cut one stencil per shape and mark the centre on the border so it's easy to line up each cookie.

Coffee stencils

Measure the inside rim of your cup or mug. A typical cup is around 8 to 9cm across, but they vary a lot, so measure yours. Make the design a little smaller than the rim, and add a tab or handle on the border to hold it by.

How to make the stencil

1. Get your design. Draw it, or turn a photo or logo into a single-layer stencil. In Free Stencil Maker, set it to 1 layer and it adds bridges automatically. Adjust the detail down so there are no tiny specks.
2. Print it at full size. Download the PDF and check the size with a ruler before you cut.
3. Wash the mylar in warm soapy water and dry it.
4. Tape the print under the mylar on a cutting mat, taping only the paper and the corners of the sheet you'll trim off later.
5. Cut with a fresh craft knife, detail first, then the outline. My reusable stencil guide covers the cutting technique in more detail.
6. Trim off any taped corners so no adhesive is left on the stencil.
7. Wash it again in warm soapy water, rinse well and dry before it goes near food.

You can also cut food-grade mylar on a cutting machine; see how to make a stencil with a Cricut. If you're using a laser, check the sheet is laser-safe as well as food-grade, and wash off any residue from the cut edges.

How to use a cake stencil

1. Make sure the surface is firm. Fondant, a chilled buttercream crust or ganache works. Soft, sticky buttercream will pull when you lift the stencil.
2. Lay the stencil on top, or hold it just above the surface.
3. Dust through a fine sieve. Icing sugar on a dark cake, cocoa on a light one. Tap the sieve gently, a little at a time.
4. Lift straight up with both hands. Don't slide it.

You can also airbrush through the stencil with edible airbrush paint, or brush on edible lustre dust.

How to use a cookie stencil

1. Let the base icing dry fully. Flooded royal icing needs to be firm to the touch, often a good few hours or overnight, before you stencil on top.
2. Lay the stencil flat on the cookie and hold it in place with your fingers on the border.
3. Scrape royal icing across it with a small palette knife or scraper, in one or two smooth passes. Use a stiffer icing than you would for flooding.
4. Lift straight up, wipe the stencil clean, and move on to the next cookie. Wipe it every few cookies or icing builds up underneath.

How to use a coffee stencil

1. Make the foam first. A smooth, thick milk foam (like on a cappuccino) holds the powder best.
2. Hold the stencil just above the cup, close to the foam but not touching it.
3. Dust cocoa or cinnamon through a small fine shaker.
4. Lift straight up and serve.

How to clean and store food stencils

• Wash in warm soapy water after every use, with a soft sponge. No scourers; scratches hold food.
• Rinse well and dry flat on a clean towel.
• Store flat in a clean bag or folder, away from your craft stencils, so they never get mixed up.
• Keep food stencils for food only. Once a stencil has been used with paint, it's a paint stencil for good.

FAQ

What can I use as a cake stencil?

Food-grade mylar or a purpose-made food stencil. Don't use card, paper, cereal boxes or craft plastic that isn't labelled food-safe.

Can I put food stencils in the dishwasher?

Some purpose-made stencils say they're dishwasher safe; check the packaging. For thin mylar you've cut yourself, hand washing in warm soapy water is safer, as heat can warp it.

How do I stop icing sugar going under the stencil?

Dust lightly from close above, use a fine sieve, keep the surface firm and dry, and lift straight up rather than sliding.

Can I make a coffee stencil from a photo?

Yes, as long as you simplify it to bold shapes. Fine facial detail won't show in cocoa powder, so think silhouette rather than portrait.

Got a logo, a name or a silhouette in mind? Turn it into a clean single-layer design with bridges already added using Free Stencil Maker, then cut it from food-grade mylar.