I'm a newbie at cake decorating and I have just made some Mexican Gum Paste recipe:-
Ingredients:
- 250g icing sugar mix (Confectioners sugar)
- 15ml gum tragacanth or tylose C1000P superior grade
- 5ml liquid glucose
- 30ml cold water
- 1 tsp vegetable fat- copha (Crisco)
Method:
1. Mix the gum tragacanth and icing sugar together and add liquid glucose and water.
2. Put copha on hands and work into the icing sugar mixture. Work well and leave for 24 hrs to get best results.

I wrapped it up very tightly in cling plastic wrap and put in in a zip plastic bag and it seems to be very dry, in fact it was hard as a rock after the 24hrs. so I put it in the microwave for 30sec to soften it up, which it did and I could knead it after it was softened.

What can I do to make it more pliable. It tends to crumble quite a bit. I tried making some roses and I couldn't get the edges very smooth.
Can anyone help?

Just wondering why you're creating flowers out of Mexican Paste? I took a class on making Mexican Paste at an ICES show but the teacher was using it to roll out sheets of paste to create castle walls with. From what I remember when I made some for a birthday castle, it was very non-elastic. Can you make your flowers from gumpaste instead. Much more forgiving and is actually edible. Mexican paste is nasty to eat.

As I said I'm a newbie. What should I be using for flowers? Do you have a home made recipe as purchase fondants & pastes are very expensive here.

I always use gumpaste. They hold up well in humid weather. Busy making flowers right now so I can't take the time to give you my recipe but you'll find several in a google search.

Here you go:

http://www.make-fabulous-cakes.com/gum-paste-recipe.html

http://www.make-fabulous-cakes.com/gum-paste-flowers.html

Hi ToottiFruitti, if you're still interested in reviving your Mexican Paste, you could try adding small amounts of gum (Tylose, CMC, whichever you're using) until it begins to behave, as that's the element that gives your paste stretchability, and then maybe a few drops of glycerine if you have some on hand, as I believe that helps keep your paste moist. Maybe a couple drops of water, too, and/or a couple drops of glucose or corn syrup if the crumbliness is simply from inadequate hydration.
This is my best guess. Does anyone more knowledgable want to weigh in to help this adventurous newbie? If your flowers are on the simple side and you don't try to get your petals too thin, this just might work!

There's also this link at CC.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-6869418-.html&sid=7bb449e430f51b256f5dbc660ec48a72

I've heard great things about Mexican paste. I will try it one of these days.

Thank everyone for your comments. I will try each and every one of the tips.