Hi,
So...this has NEVER happened to me yet but now I have a problem. The weather this Spring has been wet, wet and wet!!! I guess the house is full of moisture. I prepared a gumpaste bow and some numbers, teddy bear for some upcoming cakes and they have been hardening for the last 2 weeks. I checked on them this weekend and everything is soft and not even close to being hardened. The numbers are almost limp and there is no way they will be stong enough to stand on top of the cakes! How do I fix this? Will they ever harden? Will I just have to redo everything? I am not sure what to do. I thought I was organized WAY ahead of time and I am nervous that I will have to do everything over again?
Can anyone help?
Thanks so much!

What kind of gum paste are you using? We've also had a lot of humidity, but the gum paste I use dries with no problem. I use Wilton's pre-made gum paste and I always buy it at Michaels with a 40% off coupon.

You might try putting the decor on a tray with some parchment paper and putting them in your oven with only the light on for a while and see if they start to dry. Or put them in a box and cover with corn starch. If none of these solutions work, it might be your gum paste for sure.

Have you dusted them generously with corn starch??? I live in Fl...land of humidity and I have to use corn starch on anything I want to harden.

GL let us know if you figure it out!

It is actually fondant & tylose. I usually harden things on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it. Within a few days things are usually completely hard. The items that are drying now are all from different batches and different colours. I have been doing this for 18 months and this has never happened. Put them on the same cookie sheets, same parchement, same spot in the house. Only difference is this wet Spring weather. I will try the cornstarch and see what happens!! Worth a shot!

I have also had a lot of problems with heat, humidity and dampness. I usually do everything in advance because I'm slow and need the extra time. I checked my work and it was not close to being set. Even my icings are too soft and not crusting.

I placed my gum paste items (on the standard cookie sheet dusted with corn starch) under a ceiling fan on high. That seemed to help speed up the process and worked for me here in Georgia.

I'm a beginner and find that I have to try any port in a storm until I learn from the postive and the negative side affects.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Yes..I am a beginner as well and try and plan as much as possible ahead of time. Good thing too!! With this happening...just upsetting to know that all my time I put into things before hand may go to waste. The rain is in the forecast for the next few days as well...need some sun and dry weather! Good old Canadian weather...!!!

Funny you should mention this problem. I'm making peonies with a new bag of Wilton's gumpaste. I've never had problems before but this batch just takes forever to dry (3 days and still not hard when in the past it's been 8 hours). It's not been particularly humid (yet) and my kitchen is nicely air conditioned. I've dusted them with corn starch to little avail. Perhaps it's just a sign of the end of days! (enter smile emodicon)

For faster drying I would use regular gumpaste. I think it is much faster drying and stronger than fondant/tylose. I put mine in a food dehydrater when I want to speed things up. It is rock hard overnight.

Knock on wood...It may of worked!!! I rubbed some cornstarch on them, left them on the baking sheet with parchment paper. Covered them with a clean dry tea towel and put them on the coffee table in front of the bay window this morning. They seem much harder. I have now moved them back where they were, still covered. I am hoping they will stay hard. I didn't want to leave them in the sun and have the colours fade. Will keep a close eye on them over the next week.

I broke my gumpaste flower once (lesson learned to make extra) but I made a new one day of and turned on my oven... around 100 degrees and let it dry out in there. I checked it constantly because I was paranoid but it turned out great!
good luck!

Fondant and tylose doesn't hold up well to humidity.


I use Nicholas Lodge's gumpaste recipe. It works a lot better than fondant and tylose during humid weather. You can also work it a lot thinner if you need to.