Which Is Best? Candy Clay, Fondant, Gumpaste?
Decorating By moptop Updated 26 Feb 2007 , 3:57pm by cheftracy
Hi all,
I'm looking to do a bday cake for my daughter with figurines, etc on/around it. I was going to decorate the cake with buttercream as I've heard it tastes better (not to mention I've never covered a cake in fondant before *grin*). My question to you all is - what should I make the figurines out of? Candy clay? Gumpaste? Fondant? Is there a reason to choose one over the other?
Thanks for your input! As always it's very much appreciated!
I've never worked with candy clay before so I couldn't help you there but just keep in mind that fondant doesn't dry totally hard. It has gelatin in it which keeps it from getting rock hard (that's by the way is what I use for all of my figurines. Gumpaste on the other hand is great when you need something rock hard like a sword in a figurines hand, fences, etc. The girly horse cake in my photos is a good example of what I use the different mediums for.
I haven't tried figurines before, BUT, have done some babby rattles, blocks, etc. with fondant and was happy with the results. I also like candy clay, mostly because I can buy the colors I want without fussing over trying to get the fondant colored. Since I am probably going to be a WMI I need to increase my knowledge of gumpaste. I'm kinda "limited" in that area. I've done ONE count 'em ONE gumpaste bow and a couple of iris'. But, it does dry nice and hard so I doubt you would want that for figurines.
Beth in KY
If the figurines are of a shape that doesn't need support, I'd use fondant. It's easy to make, works like play-doh and is cheap. But, figurines don't dry for days and days and days. If the pieces might tend to sag, fondant's out if you're short of time. I made some fondant rabbits that needed lots of propping up with waxed paper balls. And they took maybe a week to dry well enough to sit on their own.
Gumpaste dries harder and faster, but...your saying "today" makes me think you're doing this sorta last-minute. Gumpaste and fondant figures should be made days before the cake, really.
Candy clay is good, but in my experience, it has to sit overnight before it can be used. You might have better luck, but that's been what I've run into.
If you're doing this within a day of when you need the cake...have you considered piped figures? Or an FBCT. That would give you some "wow" factor, and it can be done within an hour or so of applying to the cake. Same thing with a chcocolate transfer.
I have never used gumpaste(as of yet=), but I love using fondant for molding figures/items. But the truth is....it does take a LONG time to dry, length depending on the size of you figurine/items. Gumpaste(from what I have read here) dries much quicker. I have also heard of using 50/50 gumpaste/fondant...so you get the best of both worlds. Jen
I use fondant mixed in with some gumpaste and it works great, easy to shape, and play with. If you look at my pics, you can see some little giraffes I recently made. They were a hit!
I just realized, I didn't upload them! I will in a bit...sorry about that!
I do may figures with fondant mixed with Tylose powder. They take several days to dry but quicker than plain fondant. I also use bamboo kabob skewers or wire to stabilize taller or heavier figures. I used both for the guys in my Wiggles cake and just toothpicks in the JD tractor in my photos.
I used fondant to make a mermaid figurine and it took days before it was strong enough to sit on its own. If I had added gumtex it would have dried faster.
Adding gumtex to fondant will make it dry faster but adding gumtex to gumpaste strengthens the gumpaste, allows it to stretch more and also makes is less fragile. I made a peony (lots and lots of petals) and I dropped it, I was afraid to look, but due to the gumtex it didn't break... well, it broke the second time I dropped it. 
I made it in class and dropped it trying to get it home.
I would use fondant/gum-tex mix as it dries faster and harder than fondant alone...it doesn't sag as much.]
I often use a toothpick or part of a bamboo skewer for the "backbone" of any figurine. I have a number of fondant/gum-tex figures in my photos so you can see
I use gumpaste for flowers and leaves..I think you can roll it out thinner than fondant.
I haven't used candy clay but I have done tootsie roll roses and bubblegum roses..which were fun. You could probably make a tootsie roll teddy bear or a basic shape but nothing too detailed.
HTH..
I've never worked with candy clay before so I couldn't help you there but just keep in mind that fondant doesn't dry totally hard. It has gelatin in it which keeps it from getting rock hard (that's by the way is what I use for all of my figurines. Gumpaste on the other hand is great when you need something rock hard like a sword in a figurines hand, fences, etc. The girly horse cake in my photos is a good example of what I use the different mediums for.
well, gumpaste paste geletin in it as well - I believe it is the gum tragacanth that makes gumpaste dry hard, quickly
wow - thanks everyone for the info. As always I can count on CC folks to provide the info I need!
After I posted this I decided to just fiddle with some pre-made Wilton fondant I had purchased with my Michael's coupon while waiting for replies and did an Elmo figurine.... I now know what you mean about fondant not drying quickly and sagging.... poor Elmo was looking so good when I put him together. Shortly after he looked liked he had aged 30 years!
I do have some time to work with (I'm a planner, to an extreme sometimes *chuckle*) so I think I'm gonna give the fondant mixed with gumpaste a try. Sounds like it'll be the best of both worlds...
That leads me to my nextset of questions - Is gumtex the same as gumpaste? and what proportion of the fondant/gumpaste(gum-tex) should I try? 1/2 and 1/2?
I'm excited to see how my ideas turn out.... I'm doing a Sesame Street themed cake for my daughter (turning 2) and am also considering doing a cross country runner theme for my son (an avid runner who turns 15 a week later!)
thanks for all your input, folks!
I've never worked with candy clay before so I couldn't help you there but just keep in mind that fondant doesn't dry totally hard. It has gelatin in it which keeps it from getting rock hard (that's by the way is what I use for all of my figurines. Gumpaste on the other hand is great when you need something rock hard like a sword in a figurines hand, fences, etc. The girly horse cake in my photos is a good example of what I use the different mediums for.
I had to take a peek at the horse cake - ADORABLE!
I use fondant mixed in with some gumpaste and it works great, easy to shape, and play with. If you look at my pics, you can see some little giraffes I recently made. They were a hit!
I love those! hmmm..... I'm doing a baby shower for my best pal this summer and will be doing the cake. Might have to show these to her
I do may figures with fondant mixed with Tylose powder. They take several days to dry but quicker than plain fondant. I also use bamboo kabob skewers or wire to stabilize taller or heavier figures. I used both for the guys in my Wiggles cake and just toothpicks in the JD tractor in my photos.
I forgot to ask in my response - is Tylose the same as gumpaste, gum-text, etc?
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