I've been working with the cricut cake and having some problems with the medium tearing when cutting delicate pieces... I use gumpaste and fondant and was wondering if anyone had tips, tricks, or advice on how to use this machine successfully... Any advice would be gratefully appreciated... Thank you all in advance...

check out thecuttingedge.com. can,t think of their names. this site should help you. hth

The fondant/gumpaste has to be rolled very thin. I have found, when I do it, if I freeze my mat (with the paste rolled on it) in the freezer for about 30min. and then cut, I get perfectly cut pieces. Of course, it is also important to learn the pressure and speed the works for you.

I originally used the expression for the fondant and then bought the cricut cake. For both of them, I found there were two factors that caused tearing for me, 1. Too much shortening on the mat and 2. Fondant not dry enough, didn't let it sit long enough. The two factors are related also, because if I had too much shortening on the mat, then it took longer for the fondant to reach the right stage of dryness. ALso, are you using the pasta roller to make the fondant thickness consistent? I don't freeze the fondant, I just let it dry at room temp, and you will get a feel for when it is ready.

I mix in a lot of tylose (about a tablespoon per cup of fondant) and then roll it out on the greased mat and let it sit out over night. This always works for me. Per the machines instructions tho' you have to remember that when using fondant to keep alphabets above 1 inch and intricate designs above 3 inches. HTH

Cat