I need to make two hands cupped, one atop the other for a cake topper for a corporate cake whose logo involves white glove service. I modelled the hands out of white clay but they are quite soft. In hindsight I should have used fondant. I sprinkled them with ps and they are drying on an apple crate cavity dusted with ps. How can I get these to harden enough to hold their shape, like the fingers curled up. Any ideas? I made the clay 2 days ago and it is soft, it barely needed any kneading to make it pliable. Cake is due tomorrow! help!

Did you squeeze the fat out of the clay before you let it rest?

If not, it just may be too soft to hold such a heavy shape. Even if you refrigerate or freeze them, once they come back to room temp, they'll go soft again. White chocolate melts at a low temp--like 81-82 degreesF.

At this point, I'd suggest making more white modeling chocolate, squeeze out most of the fat after mixing in the corn syrup, and let it set up in the fridge, covered. You'll need to nuke it for less than 20 seconds to be able to knead it on cornstarch. Recreate the hands and let them set up in a cool area.

HTH
Rae