I am just beginning to attempt a try at fondant. But was wondering what is the difference between fondant and gumpaste???

And which application is best for each???

Thanks,

cakeymom

gumpaste dries hard an is not recommended for covering cakes. it's used for things like flowers and other stuff that you want to be rock hard.

fondant is used to cover cakes...you can eat it. it too dries, but not rock hard like gumpaste.

Thanks Diane. Sometimes you think you know the answer, but you want to just double check.



cakeymom

what is the difference between fondant mixed with tylose / CMC so that it hardens, vs gumpaste?

Gum tragacanth used to be used to make gumpaste, so it can have more "gum" than tylose gumpaste. They are essentially the same. I use tylose mixed with fondant to make my gumpaste. When I need large amounts I will use Nick Lodge's recipe. It's a little soft for me, but it is a good recipe. It makes a LOT, so I usually only make half a batch.

HTH

Michele

i was hoping you'd reply michele.

the only fondant i've used ever, is yours. i've never seen tylose sold here (maybe it's somewhere, but we didn't cross path :p ), the only next available thing is CMC.

i've tried making bows with your fondant mixed with CMC. no matter how much i added the CMC to the fondant, it never dried rock hard. my bows however, tend to crack in some areas, so i really had to handle with care, and sometimes had to do some quick fixes to them once they are on the cakes as they looked like near to breaking.

does that mean i have to keep adding more & more CMC to it?

Since I can't see the consistency of your gumpaste I'm just guessing here. My first thought is maybe the gumpaste hasn't been allowed to "cure" before using. I usually let it cure over night before I use it.

When I use my fondant for gumpaste I use fondant that does not have butter or cream in it. I will make a batch using water and shortening to replace the dairy products.

To be honest, I use commercial fondant to make my gumpaste. I do this mostly because it is so white and makes coloring flowers more true to life.

Good luck.

Michele

oh ok, michele.. thanks for replying. i think it might be because i was using the original fondant recipe with butter & milk in it, so it somehow did not behave as i was expecting it to.

i'll keep in mind about the tip to omit the milk & butter, or better yet, like what you did, buy the ones off the shelf!

thanks!!