I am a going to make my dad a birthday cake and I want to put on top of it a standing FLAT sihlouette <sp> of a boat and the sun. I know how to do this in sculpey..haha..but I don't want that to go on his cake. So my question is what would be firm enough to stand <in frosting with picks if necessary behind>. Any suggestions?

Also in using the gumpaste recipe it says use the paddle on your mixer..well...I have the old style (but heavy duty) two blade mixer will that work for making gumpaste or get too gummed up? What about the bread beaters instead? Thanks a bunch!

I think gumpaste would be your best bet, or if you don't want to make gumpaste, a mix of fondant and tylose or gum-tex (but tylose is better). If you use fondant, plan several days at least for it to dry.

Which gumpaste recipe are you looking at? If it's the Nicholas Lodge recipe, it doesn't get thick until you add the tylose, so you could use the mixer up until that stage and then stir it in by hand, maybe...I haven't tried it that way but that's what I had to do with really thick cookie dough when I had a regular mixer.

I usually use a dough hook. No problem. I mix by hand first though. I personally would use gumpaste and let it dry a couple days (depending on the recipe). HTH

The Nicholas Lodge recipe is lighter and fluffier and stretchier than fondant with tylose added to it. It dries faster too.

Here's the smaller version of the recipe that I'd seen before: http://mycakedecoclub.forumotion.net/modeling-pastes-f13/tylose-gumpaste-recipe-t166.htm

Duplicate post, please see:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-658146.html

HTH