I must face my "procrastinating" tonight and use gumpaste to make a shovel for a sand pail cake I've been working on.

Whenever I've thought of doing gumpaste however I just put it off! Why is that? I feel that maybe it's because of all the flowers and things everyone makes with it - perhaps I think it's more time consuming than fondant?

What's everyone's feeling on this? AND - how does everyone make their gumpaste? I bought the Wilton powder mix that you simply add water to (I think that's it...I'm at work at the moment so I can't look to double check) but I see there's a recipe for it on CC too.

I know that gumpaste dries more completely than fondant does and there are a number of pros and cons to each...

I will face my fears tonight! Da-daaa-dummm!!!

I only made it once so far and I just followed the directions on the gumpaste can. Very easy to make and a lot cheaper than buying it.
mary

I'm confused -
So did you make it or buy it or you've tried both and both are easy but it's cheaper to make yourself?

I always buy mine, it comes in a powder form and I mix water with it, just follow the instrucitions and knead it really well.
Flower paste is so easy to work with as it is stronger than fondant, it can stretch with out breaking and can be rolled really thin and still not break. In fact the thinner it is the easier it is to work with - so just give it a go, I'm sure you'll do fine!
cheers
Jan

if you work with fondant you can work with gumpaste. It dries out faster so keep the portion you want to use under a glass until you need it. its a little harder to knead at first but once its warmed up its good to go. good luck.

I would rather work with gumpaste than fondant. You can roll it thinner, it doesn't break as easy, and it dries faster, but you still have time to work with it. If you cover it with plastic wrap, it'll stay pliable. I buy the SatinIce gumpaste and think it's worth every penny.

Karen

OOO I am soo glad you posted this!!! Thanks! I have to make gumpaste headphones tonight! aaggg! i have been procrastinating too! (and having a crazy workload for the end of my semester)

Hi Mikkelpaige,

I'm just learning gumpaste (self-teaching) and have been trying different recipes to see what works best for my limited talents. I have tried Nick Lodge's recipe, CK powdered that you just add water to and a recipe I found In Lesley Herbert's book on Sugar Flowers. So far the Lesley Herbert recipe has worked better for me. I'm at work now so I don't have access to the recipe at the moment . However, it calls for both Gum Tragacanth and Tylose which you may or may not have access to.

It may already be posted in the recipes section of this site, I'm not sure what the rules are on posting a recipe from someone's book. Maybe another member can enlighten me so I don't do something wrong???

ladij153:

I'm interested in knowing what that recipe is if you have a chance to post it - there's only one gumpaste recipe on CC.

What is the...hmm....can't remember - not tylose, the other ingredient. Where do you find it? I think Joann's carries tylose.

I'm going home to Manhattan this weekend and I'm visiting a huge cake supply store on 20th street so I am thinking they'd have it for sure!

I tried the wilton gumpaste for an Easter cake that I did. I was so surprised at how easy it was to work with. I was having so much fun, that my DH came into the kitchen to make sure I was ok.(i usually get very frustrated when I decorate) The only thing I can think of to tell you would be that the can says you can keep the leftover for like 2 weeks and mine has been in the fridge since easter and is still okay.

So I tried the gumpaste powder mix Wilton makes...this morning...and it calls for 1/3 cup of confectioner's sugar. Well, I DEFINITELY had to add more than that, significantly more, for it to not be "sticky". And then I rolled it out thinly and wanted to make a shovel for my sandpail cake (see below) but it didn't dry nearly as quick as anticipated.

Has anyone else had a problem with the powder mix? Please help! I have to make more gumpaste "props" for a cake on Sunday and would love some helpful hints/suggestions.

Also, how long does it take to dry? Does it get rock hard?

Humidity is a *major* factor in the drying of gumpaste. Even the least bit of humidity will slow/stall the drying. Being as you are located in FL I bet that was your problem.
Until you really know what gumpaste is suppose to be like/how it should feel you cannot appreciate the different recipes. I have tried Wilton's, CK's Nic Lodge's and a few others. Nic wins my vote hands down.

Oh BTW: Wilton's 'gumpaste' really isn't gumpaste It is more pastillage. It doesn't have the stretch real gumpaste should have.

I love your cake! That is so adorable!!

Anyway, I've only used ready-made gumpaste - Wilton's. I did buy Beckle's but haven't tried it yet. I bought it because I remember reading in one of Colette Peter's books that that was her brand of choice for gp.

With the pre-made it dries very quickly (like others have already mentioned). I'd say within an hour it's pretty dry (depending on the humidity factor in your area), but it still needs to set for longer so that you are sure it's dried all the way through on the inside. The thinner you make it, the quicker it dries.

I realize you need this rather quickly, but when you have some free time try experimenting with different recipes and some of the pre-made brands to see which works best for you.

Good luck.

I use both fondant and fondant mixed with gumpaste powder. I don't know why I had that same fear of gumpaste. I took it upon myself to knead the instant gumpaste powder into some fondant. I made roses for a cupcake wedding structure. I was able to roll the petals out pretty thin and it wasn't imperative for me to work super quickly because of the petals drying too quickly.

I was trying to attach a pic of the rose cupcakes but my monkey paws can't figure it out . Anyway, you can see the flowers in my pics if you want to.

MikkelPaige,
Do you mean CMC or gum tragacanth?

is gumpaste edible. somebody told me its not edible and should not even touch the cake.Thats why i use fondant. somebody clear my doubt please.

It is edible, but not tasty.

I tried gumpaste last night and I DID NOT LIKE IT! The moment I added any color to it it became soo sticky and I felt like I couldn't get it back to it's original consistency. I was trying to use it to make the thin cords for the headphones but it just kept boinging(springing) back into place! I didn't like it and I couldn't get it to roll thin enough. I added some sugar and used the crisco like always but, it just didn't work. I went out and bought fondant today. I like that better.

It was advised I use gumpaste for a current project, my iffyness comes from needing it to be black. Tuxedo/midnight black. I have gumtex, but have never used gumpaste before. I will be using black fondant for other parts. What is gumtex? Is it the same as the instant gumpaste you speak of? Can I dye that black enough? Can I mix it with fondant?

They will be medium sized flat pieces stuck into the side of a cake. (like arms, but not) any gumpaste advice?

I understand what you are saying, and I am that way about trying something new too. It took me years to decide to try rolled fondant because I was intimidated by it. Now it's like an old friend, gumpaste will be the same for you. It takes having a good paste, whether that is a mix or hand made at home is up to you, experiment until you find one you like that works well for you. I use Nic Lodge's Tylose recipe and have good results with it, it can be rolled quite thin without tearing and dries quickly. It is fragile when dry so be careful how you handle flowers or you can shatter a petal.
http://www.nicholaslodge.com/gumpaste.htm