I would like to experiment with candy clay, but I'm not really sure what applications it is best suited for, or what to expect when working with it. I made some this weekend that turned out way too gooey (1 lb candy melts:2/3 C corn syrup). I added another 1/2 lb candy and it is much firmer and somewhat workable but stills seems a bit soft. Oil keeps oozing out of it as I work with it. Is this normal?? Will it ever harden like fondant or gumpaste, or does it remain soft? Any tips, recipes, or ideas for uses would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I like the candy clay for making great tasting flowers, pearls, etc... For me its not as easy to mold as fondant or GP. I also now mix it into fondant to make it taste better based on a tip I got from CC.
I've never used candy melts for making clay so I'm not sure what the results are. I do find when using white chocolate you will get a lot of more oil. A tip I found helpful from the book Creative Cookies is when using white chocolate to make the clay, first pour the chocolate/syrup mixture onto newsprint and let sit for a few hours, pull off the newsprint, and let 'age' in the fridge for 24 hours. The newsprint will absorb some of the excess oil. You can get newsprint at most craft stores,
Here's the recipe I use along with instructions and what it should look like.
It does harden but doesn't become rock hard. I have several cakes in my gallery that have candy clay figures on them, you can see how it works for me
hi, i make that same recipe.... i got it from a wonderful person at the ices convention... mari senego(something like that).... that is all she does is work with chocolate... i teach cake decorating at a community college here and taught that 2 weeks ago... the students loved it.. it is harder working with it in the summer though... it was especially hot in the room we were in... but it went well... i let it sieze overnight..... in a cool room ... then wrapped it the next morning before class.... gave each of the students some to take home and play with.... i made a pretty rose to show them... it did harden up as it sat in front of a small fan in class.. i also use a small fan here if i need to... hth
According to Wilton this recipe is good for 3 weeks. Just to test it, I made the recipe, then made some things 2 weeks before I needed then and saved the leftovers. After 3 weeks the consistency becomes harder to work with, it's more crumbly, but the taste doesn't change. So yeah, make ahead, store it in an airtight container and it will be fine.
Thanks for the compliment on my video I have several more posted if you're interested!
Of course, I am interested, as I am sure others are. I liked the video because I could watch what you were doing without all the background noise that most of the YouTube videos have... it enabled me to concentrate on what you were doing.
Okay, now let me get this straight... the candy clay will stay "pliable" for approximately 3 weeks, but the roses or whatever form you have made can stay (under cover) for a longer period.... how long would that period be? I have a couple of weddings in September and I would like to make these now before the rush happens.
Yes, the clay will stay 'workable' for 3 weeks. I haven't tested how long the decorations are good for, sorry about that 
I want to say for at least 6 weeks, me and the kids were eating those leftovers for awhile 
No extra tips. But, I LOVE candy clay. It was one of the first "mediums" other than buttercream that I worked with. For a while around here, we had candy clay in all colors! LOL
I use it to make "picture frames" for my edible images. I use a woodgrain tool to give it a realistic look. Got that idea from Jacque Torres.
HAVE FUN!
Beth in KY
edited for grammar
I use candy clay for all the decorations on top of my cupcakes. I love it. It's easy to work with and very versatile. If you are getting too much oil, it is because you left it on the heat too long. The best way to melt the chocolate (I use wilton discs) is to let the water boil in a pan, turn off the heat and then place your bowl with the chocolate on top. Let it sit till it starts to melt then stir it. It takes awhile to melt since the heat is not on, however it will get there. After it's ready, I usually tint it whatever color I'm using and roll it out and cut it into shapes using mini cutters and you have an instant decoration for cupcakes. I will also make 3-d designs out of it as well. Check out my pictures to get an idea.
Since I tend to make things at the last minute, I made the candy clay and just wrapped it in paper towels, and then blotted the grease in different towels until it was no longer greasy. It was then still warm and very pliable. (I made it for the holly leaves and holly berries for the Santa cake in my pix.) I did not mix the whole recipe since I didn't want to have any waste...I just tried to use the Karo proportionately and it came out fine.
I'm trying to make a slide for my daughter's birthday cake - she wanted a playground cake. I'm thinking I can just rest the slide from the top of the cake to the base, so I don't need to deal with supporting it so much. I tried making it out of gumpaste (my first time trying gumpaste), but I didn't do well, the surface is very rough. Would the candy clay be sturdy enough for this? Or would I be able to mold it over the gumpaste slide to provide the structure but make it look a little nicer? Thanks in advance for any advice!
I'm sure you could, I roll mine out sometimes, you could do that and just roll up the edges some to make it look more like a slide. You want it thick enough though that when it hardens it won't bend.
I just got Jennifer's DVD's and she uses candy clay and chocolate fondant all the time. I am definately giving this a try. It looks so easy and stable to use.
Her dvd's are well worth the money IMO. She tells you how to make her recipe, store it and use it. YUM!
Not affiliated just a happy customer that wants to toot her horn. They don't call her the cakebabe1 for nothing!
http://hometown.aol.com/cakebabe1/jen.html
http://sugardelites.com/
I use candy clay alot... I use 1 lb to 1.3 cup it is soft and I knead and squeeze as much of the fat out as I can you will get a much better product if you do other wise it tends to get soft to easy...
Then stick it in a baggie over night it will be hard in the morning. almost too hard you will think do not put it in the microwave the heat of your hand will do what you need. take it and push down hard on the counter and then start kneading it in your hand.
If you want dark colors I would start with the colored wafers as too much color makes it too soft.
The only problem is in the summer it will soften up if it gets in a warm room...
Wrapped well it will keep in the fridge for months I wrap tight in saran wrap and then in a zip lock bag or even better the jar from my bag sealer thing that sucks out the air
as far as a slide it will prbably get soft but maybe over thick well dried gumpaste.
I did a pool cake from a magazine once and they used some sort of taffy Air heads ?????
Thank you for all of the help! Serious_Cakes - the video is very helpful! I'm hoping to practice the roses next - so I'm sure I'll be reviewing it again
lorrieg - thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to look into the dvds. Her cakes are beautiful - I loved the Princess Lily shoe.
Ms Meg - thank you! I tried the Candy Clay for Modeling recipe (by admin?), 14 oz with 1/3 c last night. It is quite stiff, though I did use quite a bit of color and started with white wafers, too, so it may be softer than it should be. I'm also relieved to hear that the extra oil is normal. There was a significant amt of oil pooling on the bottom of the bowl. Then kneading worked some out and I used snowshoe's tip and let it sit on the paper. At this point (not having tried shaping anything ) I'm really excited about it. It's perfect for the plastic playground slide! I'm looking forward to seeing how it works!
Will the gift type bows hold up or will the candy clay be to soft? How long will it take to dry?
I'm not sure about that. I know Jen says the candy clay takes longer to dry but it definately looks "firmer" when she's using it.
I'd love to know this. Bows and I do not mix well. It might be the humidity here but it might just be my thorn in my side. 
I want to say that if you make it the same way as a regular fondant or gumpaste bow then it would work, maybe allow it to harden for an hour or so.
I made these little steam curls about 20 minutes before I needed them and they held up fine:
i have just done bows with choc clay and they look good, nice and shiny and firm too. i dont think you'll have a problem. i also used foam to support my larger loops until they dried a little.
i didnt get a lot of oil, but i used dark choc, but the oil in it helped me roll out the paste. white choc has a hideously high fat content!
i do microwave mine just for a few seconds to soften it, its winter over here so it set like a rock! and have had no ill effects
Serious Cakes, how did you get your clay to be such a pretty color? Mine almost looks like a light (very light) beige or a dark white, not cream at all
Hmm, it might be because I don't usually use Wilton candy melts, I can't remember the brand but in my video you can see what the bag looks like. Mine isn't super white either but it's a nice kind of eggshell creamy white.
i noticed a comment on youtube asking about ingredients for the uk. just to let people in britain and australia know, our closest equivalent to corn syrup is liquid glucose, the thick stuff. and compound chocolate in place of candy melts. white dark or milk.
I don't know if you have cream of tartar, but here's a recipe for corn syrup. http://www.recipezaar.com/74080
Thanks to all who replied! I was going to try to use this to make grape leaves for an upcoming cake, but I just found out the reception site is an open picnic pavillion, in the middle of July, YIKES!! I don't know what they are thinking! It is just a short casual reception, the couple already eloped last month, and it is a second marriage (actually the second wedding cake I'll have done for this bride, in less than 3 years).
Anyway, I will definitely need to stick with gumpaste this time, but I can't wait to try the candy clay for something else, when the conditions are more favorable. Thanks again!
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