I receive many questions about Fondant, Gumpaste and how to work with it, how to store it and so on, as well as what I use to create my very popular sugar figurines so I have taken the most asked question and given the answers to them. I am not saying I have all the answers to everything but I am willing to share what has worked for me and what others are doing. Please know that being a cake decorator it is all about finding your style and what works best for you, so use my answers as a guideline and experiment for yourself to see what you like and whats best for your style of cake decorating and sugar sculpting. There are also many questions in the comment section below this article I, always try to answer those questions personally so check those out too. If you still have questions feel free to leave a comment with your question and I will answer just as soon as I can, but be aware I do not always get them answered right away so be sure not to ask about a cake you are doing in the next 24 hrs since I may not answer for a week or two and I don’t want anyone to think I am ignoring them. Its just tough sometimes with all the questions here, via email and life on top of it all.
1.What is Fondant? Fondant is a sugary substance and when cooked certain ways can take on many different forms such as a dough that is rolled, a pourable form, and even candy centers. Those awesome little chocolates with a creme center that come in those pretty valentine heart boxes is one form of fondant. The gooey juice that gushes out of the middle of a chocolate covered cherry that most of us love to eat is yet another form of fondant in addition fondant is used as a traditional topping on French petits fours and then finally one of the most popular forms is called rolled fondant and is the smooth silky covering that is seen on many of the wedding and specialty cakes that have become very popular over the past several years. Fondant, as you can see, is used in many of the sweets we have grown to love.
2. How do I attach fondant pieces to fondant, such as when making a figurine how should I attach things to the body? When attaching any fondant pieces including when making figurines I use just plain water and I apply with a clean paintbrush. If you prefer you can also use Gum Glue which is very simple to make at home to see the recipe click here.
3. How do I attach fondant to my cake board? Piping Gel is a great way to attach fondant to your cake board. Piping gel is a multi-purpose transparent gel that adds shimmering accents, colorful highlights, and sparkle to cakes. It can also be used for applying decorations to fondant cakes and holding the fondant secure to the sides of a cake. I use Piping Gel to write on my cakes for a different look, the great thing is that it can be colored just like regular icing. You can find piping gel at many different cake supply stores locally and online. I usually purchase piping gel at www.fondantsource.com if you are interested in giving it a try. You can also use Royal Icing to attach fondant to fondant and I also use it to attach sugar roses to my cakes. To see a few Royal Icing Recipes click here.
4. Why do I get soo many cracks on my Gumpaste? Gumpaste is made with gum ingredients as well as others to get it to dry quicker and harder and this can cause cracks in your pieces. Another reason for cracks can be caused from not kneading your paste enough especially when you purchase it pre-made, it needs to go through the process of kneading to get it to a pliable state. It does help somewhat if you use shortening when you are working with gumpaste to keep it pliable. When creating figurines with fondant or gumpaste you really need to roll the paste in your cupped hands with some pressure and this will help work out some of the cracks. If you having alot of cracks in your pieces you can use a 50/50 mix of equal amounts of fondant and gumpaste together, this seems to give you a much better consistency for working with figurines, bows and other objects than just gumpaste.
5. What is the difference in Gumpaste and Fondant? Gumpaste has gum ingredients in it such as gum tragacanth, cmc powder, gum tex or tylose powder. It dries much harder than fondant does. Both gumpaste and fondant can be molded, rolled, and sculpted but fondant taste much better than gum paste does and is usually used to cover a cake. Because of the gum pastes ability to be rolled very thin it is widely used to create sugar flowers. Fondant is used to create borders and different designs on cakes. If you need to create something for a cake that will retain its shape sometimes it may be best to use a form of gumpaste instead of just fondant which can be softer.
6. What is Tylose Powder used for? Tylose Powder or cmc powder is a gum ingredient that is used in making gumpaste. I use tylose powder on a regular basis. I use the tylose powder and add it to my fondant to create a sort of instant gumpaste I guess you could say. I do not really measure how much tylose powder that I put into my fondant, so I will give you an example of what I do. If I am creating a figurine, I use Wilton or Satin Ice Fondant. I start will the ball size of fondant that I will be needing to create my figurine then I add a small amount of tylose to the paste. Once I start kneading the fondant I can tell if I used enough tylose powder, If I did not I will add a little at a time till I get the consisitency that I am looking for. There have been times that I have added way too much it can make the paste too dry, so in that case I just add a little more fondant. To make a quick version of gumpaste just add 2-3 teaspoons of Tylose powder to 1lb of fondant. In areas with dry humidity use less Tylose, in areas with high humidity use more. FYI: Cmc powder, gum tex, and gum trag are used in the same way as the tylose powder so if its not available check to see if you can find these others that I have listed they are all gum ingredients.
7. Where can I purchase Tylose Powder?I purchase tylose powder online, it is available at most of the cake decorating supply stores as well as online. Here is a link to a site where I purchase it Tylose powder. CMC Powder as well as gum Trag can usually be purchased online and at some specialty cake supply shops. Gum-Tex is made by Wilton and is more readily available than some of the other gum ingredients are. I know that Joanns, Michaels Craft stores and some Walmarts carry it.
8. How should I store my unused fondant or gumpaste? Any unused portion of fondant/gumpaste that you would like to save should be wrapped very well in saran wrap and then placed inside of a ziplock baggie. If you just use a ziplock baggie only, the air will still get to it and dry it out. Once wrapped in a baggie I place it into a container with a lid to preserve it.
9. How do I store my sugar flowers and how long will they last? Sugar flowers should be stored in an air tight container. You can use a plastic contaier with a lid and store them on a shelf in a closet. You can keep sugar flowers indefinately, I have sugar flowers that I have had for over a year and they look like I just created them. Since sugar flowers do not do well with moisture keep them away from water. Regarding how far in advance you can make sugar flowers, they can be made up to months ahead since they are not usually eaten, just store them in a cool dry place until they are needed….I usually place them into a cardboard box that has a piece of foam on the bottom so it is soft and they dont get broken, also I wrap the larger flowers in tissue paper before placing in the box or container.
10. Is there anything I can do if my fondant has hardened up? Yes there is. If the fondant is not too hard just try adding some shortening to the paste and see if that will take care of it, if not then use some glycerin but only add a little bit at a time until it becomes pliable. If it is very hard and you want to get it pliable again just put into the microwave at 10 second intervals.
11. Can I store my fondant after it has been tinted or colored, and then re-use again at a later date? Yes, you would store it the same way that I described in question #8 above. I
12. Can I use Fondant to make figurines, and other objects? Yes you can, fondant is great to make sitting animals, people and such, but if I were making a person that is standing or and animal for that fact I normally add a gum ingredient to it such as the tylose powder or even the others I have listed for you above in question #5,they will make the fondant into a quick form of gumpaste and add strength, or I could use a gumpaste that is pre-made or from a recipe. Fondant is great for making bows, fish and other objects that you may want to create for a cake.
FYI: This is my rule of thumb when deciding whether to use fondant or gumpaste for objects and such…….
If it will be eaten along with the cake it must be made in fondant….Example– the cake I made in the past that is a little girls sun dress that is laying on top of the cake, I would use fondant since it will be a part of the cake that will be eaten and the same goes for a cake with bows, a pattern, or an underwater scene with fish all over it and so on.
Now if it can be removed off the cake then I can do that in gumpaste……Example– my sugar animals, kids shoes, high heels, tiara and people are made to sit on top the cake or around the cake and are usually removed before serving so those can be made in gumpaste if I choose since they will not be eaten.
13. What should I use to keep my fondant from sticking to my work surface when rolling out? This is one of those questions that can have many answers. I will share with you what works best for me since there are many people who do it different ways.
I was told in the beginning to use corn starch to cover my work surface, however my fondant never seemed to roll out like others did. It was so dry and I had all kinds of tears and rips. Then I was told to use powder sugar(also called icing sugar in some areas), and that worked but not every time, then I decided to use shortening rubbed all over my work surface, now this did work at times very well but, to be honest not every time, at times my fondant would separate underneath which is a sign that too much shortening has gotten into my fondant. But the times it did work were great because my fondant was not all dried out and falling apart. So I have come to the conclusion after many experiments that it all depends on the weather. So I really cannot give you a clear-cut answer on this question. I included all the ways to do this so that you can experiment and see which way works best for you.
FYI: I will tell you my little way of deciding which method to use and how to know……..If the weather in my area is very wet and rainy or we have high humidity then I will use the powder sugar sprinkled on my work mat to roll out my fondant.
If it is dry and low humidity then I rub shortening all over my work mat and roll out my fondant on that. By using these guidelines I have come up with a nice little system that I can use to decide which method will work best for me and my location….test this out and see what you come up with, try each method and see what kind of results you get. Now I will tell you to do this experiment I used a dummy cake so that I did not mess up a nice cake that I was working on. It is always best to experiment when you are not doing a cake for an order, just in case things don’t go so well.
Another tidbit of info for you…..a word about using corn starch, I do not ever use just corn starch to roll out my fondant since it can cause your fondant to dry out, turn brittle and at times seems to change the texture too. There are some who use a mixture of half powder sugar, half corn starch. I have tried this and feel that just plain powder sugar works best, but please know that there is nothing wrong with the 50/50 mixture I just did not like the results…….but as always it is up to you to check it out for yourself!!
14. Can I use marshmallow fondant to make figurines? I have tried this, but it was not a pretty sight, lol my figurines looked like a melting snowman, therefore I was not at all happy with the results that I had, so I only use the marshmallow fondant to cover cakes and thats it, really it should only go on cake since it tastes soo great!!! Now I will say that there are many decorators who are using MMF to create their figures and have no issues, but it is my personal choice to use a pre-made fondant….You could use one from a recipe, homemade marshmallow fondant or a pre-made brand. So I would advise you to give it a try to see how it goes for you. Just because I do not do something a certain way does not mean it is not the correct way of doing it. We all have our own style of how we create our cakes and other sugarcrafts. Some have written me and said they tried the MMF and it worked for them and they were happy with the results, so there ya go. It is up to the person!!
15. What kind of fondant do you use to cover your cakes? I get this question everyday it seems like….when I first started I was like many of you I scoured the internet reading all that I could, trying to figure out what to do and how to get started working with fondant. I ended up so confused about so many things to be honest. I read it was always best to make your own fondant from recipe since store-bought tasted soo bad, then I would read to use this or that….ugghh it was crazy. So here is what I chose to do. I started off making and working with marshmallow fondant which tasted soo good and people like it. Then I wanted to make objects and figures but as I said the mmf just did not give me the results I was looking for so I decided to use a recipe to make my own and it was great. I had a good strong fondant and it tasted good. As time went on I got soo busy and having to make fondant each time was wearing me out quick, along with all the other things we do as cake decorators even though people think we just bake a cake and slap icing on it, ohh how I wish it were that easy, lol….
So to make more time I purchased different brands of pre-made fondant…..I got the Wilton, Satin Ice, Bakels Pettinice and Fondx so that I could test them all and see what worked best for me. Well right away after testing the Wilton and having many others taste it, I knew there was no way I would ever put that on a cake with my name on it…uggh it was nasty, I added flavorings to it and still, it was not good at all, so on to the Bakels Pettinice. Ohh I really liked the taste of this one as well as everyone else I had try it, and it seemed to cover cake pretty well but the issue in the end for me was that it was more expensive to purchase and I would have had to add it to the price of my cakes. So on to the Fondx, it tasted pretty good, but not as good as the bakels was to me, and the issue was I did not like to working with it, I seemed to have to put alot of work into getting it to look great on a cake. Then finally the Satin Ice, it tasted great, and the best thing I liked about it was that it was soo easy to work with I must say, I put it on a round cake and square cake, it just seemed to go right into place with a little help not alot like the Fondx brand. So from that point on I have used the Satin Ice brand of fondant to cover my cakes and everyone has very happy with the taste and texture of it.
My motto is to find what works best for you….take these guidelines that I have shared and give them a try to see what you think, then you can decide what works for you and what does not, that is what cake decorating is all about. Doing it your way!!
Hopefully this helps answer some of your questions, there is soo many variables in dealing with fondant/gumpaste so it can be tough to answer every different situation. I wish you all the best as you venture into the awesome world of fondant and or gumpaste……to be honest it is my favorite medium to use!
Happy Creating
Tags: Cake Decorating, cake decorating tips, coloring fondant, gum tex, gum trag, help with fondant, how to use fondant, how to use gumpaste, jody lane, most asked fondant questions, storing fondant, tylose powder, using royal icing, what is cmc powder, what is fondant, what is piping gel, working with gumpaste
My queston is when your makeing marshmellow fondant it sais to use crisco if i didnt have it at the time could i use shortening or pure lard for backing its all the same isn’t it??
Jennifee
Yes, you can use shortening, which is the same thing as crisco (sorry I should have specified). It is best to NOT use pure lard it just does not turn
out too well as far as the taste and consistency when using the lard….
I have really learnt with the question and answers.you are doin a great job
Can I make flowers with butter cream ahead of time and than store then for decorations. And how long can it be kept? Or is it better to make flowers with icing?
Afia…you could make your buttercream flowers up a few days ahead but any sooner than that I feel that they are not their freshest. The best thing for making flowers that can be stored and used later are those make with Royal Icing….I spend a week and make many kinds and store them in plastic containers with wax paper in between them for use when I need them.
Hi, I’d like to know if your cake has to be leveled on the top or can it have a slight denture when you’re going to apply the fondant? If it does have a dent, should I cut the dome off at the bottom or should I add extra frosting to level the cake?
If I do it the frosting way, I’m afraid that the buttercream will melt and bulge from beneath the fondant from previous experience.
Please advise,
Thanks.
Asma,
It is always best to begin with a leveled cake. Just cut the dome off so that you have a nice level cake to begin with so that when you apply the buttercream and then the fondant you will have a very nice looking cake in the end.
Hi I am trying to make a turkey cake topper for thanksgiving. Unfortunately I can not get the body of the turkey from leaning/ sagging. I have tryed just fondant at first, the 50/50 fondant & gumpaste, & lastly just gumpaste. I also tried puting toothpicks into the figure. Nothing has worked. Was just wondering if I could get some info/ tips for fixing this problem.
Thanks much!
Hello Katie
Katie
Well I am just getting to answering your question and it is after thanksgiving so It may be too late for what you where doing, but I will go ahead and answer your question so that you will know what to do in the future when making figurines.
It is always best to start with fondant that had some tylose powder or cmc powder added to it for strength and also helps to dry better. Or you can use gumpaste. The reason your piece is sagging is that it sometimes needs up to a week to setup and dry before you go to adding to the body with things such as the head and arms or legs etc….It is always best to create the body add toothpick and just let it set for a few days then check to see if it had dried emough, if so then you can procede with adding the head, arms and so on. If if is still too soft then allow a few more days until it is strong enough to hold the head and such.
I hope this all makes sense and will help you in the future Katie and anyone else that reads this!!
eh i make marshmallow fondant twice and did not turn out what i expected
is it the type of marshmallow i use will affect the fondant ? it was very sticky … i used the powered sugar but after awhile when i touch it with my hand it was very sticky again … 
please help ..
liwenyoona
Sounds like you are on the right track, this is normal for the fondant to be sticky. try adding a little more powder sugar, them after a while if it is still sticky then just add some vegetable fat (shortening as I call it) to your hands and knead the fondant it should cut down on the stickiness for you. Good luck my friend!
Im making a sesame street cake for my sons first birthday – I want to use a buttercream icing but fondant decorations (numbers, Elmo, etc). How do I stick it to the icing and will the buttercream change the texture/look of the fondant?
Hi Joyce….
to add your fondant pieces to the buttercream cake just add a small amount of water to the back side of the fondant piece and attach to your cake, you should not have any issues doing this…I do it all the time and my fondant addition added to a buttercream cake do just fine. Sometime there is an issue when adding gumpaste flowers to a buttercream cake since they are made thin and absorb the moisture from the icing but with what you are making you should be just fine my friend!! All my best to you.
Hi!
I’m working with gum paste for the first time. I bought a pouch of Wilton gum paste. My first question…when I roll it into a ball (after kneading it), it’s never a smooth ball. There’s always a big crack/fold in it. I’ve worked around it and put that part of the ball where you can’t see it, but can you tell me what I’m doing wrong?
My second question…can I glue pieces of gum paste together after they’ve dried, or do I have to do it before then.
Thanks!
Betsy
The problem you are having is the wilton gumpaste….I have tried using it and it just does not want to work properly. It is best to purchase the satin ice gumpaste or just use fondant with the tylose powder added to it and this will give you a quick form of gumpaste that works great for most things. Another idea is to use the wilton fondant with the tylose powder added to it….but dont use the wilton fondant to cover cakes and such since it taste so nasty…it is only good to make objects and figurines.
It is best to glue your pieces together while they are still soft.
After checking out your website I was inspired to make my son’s 5th birthday cake with baseball players made out of gum paste. The party is next week. I have all the figures made (they are adorable). I want to make two single layer sheet cakes (12×18), place them side by side and then frost the cake like a ball field. My question is – there are about 13 5″ gum paste figures that I will be putting on this single layer cake – is this a mistake? Will the cake crack? Should I have support rods (like pretzel sticks or rods) in the cake under each figure? Please help! Thank you (your work is so amazing!)
Hello Grace!!
I am soo happy to hear about your figures that you made that is soo awesome and I am sure that your son is going to love his cake…..Putting a pretzel rod or even a drinking straw pushed down into the cake under each figure will definately help to provide support so that cake does not crack. I use plastic dowel rods that wilton sells usually under my figures when they are on top of a cake and this usually takes care of the support….but like I said you can use drinking straws too. The pretzel rods may change the taste of your cake with all the salt on the pretzel rod, but you could use a knife to scrape all the salt off of the pretzel before inserting them into your cake. I hope that all goes well and that this is just the beginning of you creating your own figures……I wish you the best Grace and thanks for your sweet comment on my work!!
Thank you so much for your prompt reply – you are the BEST!!! Quick follow up question – do you ever have a problem with placing the gum paste figures onto buttercream frosting. The cake will be frosting with buttercream “grass” and the gum paste players placed on the field. Does the buttercream effect the gum paste (make them wilt or anything)? Normally I finish decorating the cake in its entirely before going to the bed the night before the party. Should I wait until morning to put the players on the cake or do you think it would be okay to put them on the night before. Thank you again!!!!
Grace your soo welcome!! No I don’t usually have an issue with adding figures to a cake decorated in buttercream icing…now I will say those who are planning to use gumpaste flowers can sometimes have an issue with softening when up against buttercream icing. But with figures being thicker and stronger they usually do just fine, however there have been times when I have added a small piece of wax paper pushed against the buttercream icing and then place the figure on top of that for those who want to save the figures to be used for displaying purposes later, which some people love to do.
I put the figures on my cakes the day of the event. For times sake if you want to put them on the cake the night before they should be just fine. It is up to you how you want to go about it. Either way your cake and figures will be fine.
FYI….for those who want to preserve and display gumpaste figures, you can spray a clear laquer on them, it seals and keeps them looking nice. Also be aware that moisture can cause them to droop…I have some in a display cabinet that have been there for at least 2 yrs. I have my air conditioner on during the hotter months and they do fine during the winter months. Sometimes the colors fade over time and they get lighter especially when near lots of sunlight. If the figures have been in contact with buttercream icing make sure to use a damp paper towel to clean the icing off the bottom of the figures.
How do I dry satin ice gumpaste and how long does it usually take?
Stephanie……….the best way to dry something made with gumpaste is to let it set out and dry on its own, there is not set time that I could say it will take for it to dry because that is all dependant upon the weather in your are as well as the humidity, if it is rainy it will take longer due to the moisture and humidity. So really it all depends to be honest. When doing a figurine sometimes it can take up to 2 weeks for mine to dry as an example for you. Good luck to you!!
Hello Stephanie
Sorry to just be getting to your question!! The best way to dry gumpaste or fondant for that matter what I do it sit a small fan (purchased from the dollar store) in front of whatever you are trying to dry….this should take care of it. As far as a time frame that is very difficult to answer since the humidity and the weather can have a major effect on any sugarpaste that you may have used for your project.
All my best to you!
Hello,
I just completed my first gumpaste stilleto. Am I correct this is to air dry? I won’t be using it on a cake till the end of the month. One web said give it at least 2 weeks to dry, but did not state if it should be placed in a box or simply leave it on the counter. It’s far from perfect but I think my daughter will appreciate it. Somehow a red stilleto for her 45th b-day cake seemed like a good idea. I also purchase sprinkles but I don’t know how to get them to adhere. SHall I take a small brush and dampen the finished shoe to add these?
Thanks so much for your advise!
Ellen
Ellen, Yes you must allow the shoe to air dry, if not needed for a few weeks I will sit it in a box so that it does not get dusty, Yes, just use a damp paintbrush with water to attach any sprinkles that you want to add, Don’t worry that your shoe is not perfect, each time you create something you will get better and better, I am sure it will be very much appreciated!
hi..i wanted to ask that i made my fondant flowers with a cutter…how long will they take to dry out?and wat is the correct way to cover my cupcakes with rolled out fondant…thanx…ur reply wud b a blessing!
Namra the best way to cover a cupcake with fondant is to add a thin layer of buttercream icing to the top of your cupcake and then use a circle cutter to cut out a circle of fondant to cover the top of your cupcake, the buttercream will help the fondant to stick. Your fondant flower may take a few days to setup and dry but to be honest alot of this depends upon the weather in your location and the humidity as well. Good luck to you!
I am attempting to make a fish coming out of a cake for a birthday. Question what do I shape the fish out of before covering with fondant, AND how do I stabalize it on top of a full sheet cake which is only about 3″ thick? The fish will stand up about 8″?
Hello Carolyn…….I would shape the fish out of rice krispy treats this is a perfect medium for this sort of thing. One you have shaped the fish out of Rice Krispy Treats, make sure the bottom portion of the fish which will be againt the cake is flat and position it on top of the cake where you want it, then use either wooden or plastic dowel rods to drive down into the fish all the way into your cake and this should take care of it for you. Good luck my friend! I am sure you are going to make and awesome cake.
I did it!! The Rice Krispy Treats did not harden and when I tried to insert the dowel it began to spread out and crumble the fondant. I know now that I should have inserted the dowel BEFORE the fondant. My solution was to insert 4 small PVC pipes into the cake level with the top of the icing. I placed a cardboard cutout a litte smaller than the bottom of the fish on top of the PVC pipes and set the fish on top. It looked like it was resting right down on the icing. Since the fish turned out so well, I decided to use it for my step-son’s groom’s cake. He had requested a Trout cake and I came through!! It took a lot of handling and survived. Thanks for the help!!
Carolyn…………
Yeahhhhhhh sooo happy for you my friend, I loved hearing how things turned out for you…… There is nothing like doing a project yourself, I can explain how it should be done but when you do it yourself you find out what does not work and what does. In addition you learn new techniques that can come in handy when doing another cake project. Thanks for letting me know how your cake turned out!!
Hi Donna,
I’m planning on using your suggestions for mixing tylose into my fondant to make trees and figurines for my childrens’s birhtday cake.
My question is do I color the fondant first and then add the tylose or do I add the tylose to white fondant and then add my color.
Thank you!
Hey Christi…..
You can do the Tylose first and then just add your coloring, I have done it both ways so it really is no big deal but start with the tylose first so that it gives the tylose time to mix in well. Good Luck!!
Hi I’m making sunflowers, gerber daisies, and daisies, and I am using gumpaste is that ok? And how long do they take to dry? And how long do they last? Should i put them into an air tight container before or after they dry?
Thanks!!!!
Lexi…….Sorry to just be getting to your question….Yes you always use Gumpaste when making flowers…..Drying time depends on your location as well as the weather, if it is hot and humid it takes longer to dry. Flowers will last quite a while I have some that are a few yrs old but I keep that away from humid, moist areas. The air tight comtainer is used for those who want to keep and store them after they have dried.
hi there
how and where can i store un-used fondant so i can use it again later to mould something new?
thanks
Gemma to store your fondant or gumpaste to use later put it in a baggie and wrap it up then place that into a container with a lid….it should be good to use later to make something else!
Hello! I just discovered your website. There is so much wonderful information here, thanks. I have a quick question. I am trying to make a firetruck cake for my son’s birthday. I made two ladders out of gumpaste and let them dry overnight. When I went to move them into an airtight container they fell apart. The rungs of the ladder all came loose. I need to find a way to stick it all back together again. What is the best way in general to get gum paste to stick?? Thanks so much1
Hi Stacey…….
I normally use water to stick fondant and gumpaste pieces together, you can use a sugar glue which I have a recipe here on my blog. Something you may use that is very good at holding things together is taking a small ball of gumpaste and put into a small bowl and add a few drops of warm water and mix real well, this mixture will be very sticky……if you need more water you can add more a drop at a time. I think this would be your best way to get the rungs of the ladder to stick together much better than plain water.
I did the gumpaste in water trick and it worked like a charm. Thanks so much for your help!
YEAHHHH….so happy it worked for you and you got things handled, that is awesome!!
Hey! I have some questions that I cant figure out on my own.. After making a figure out of MM Fondant, do I put it in a container then the freezor? Or just leave it out? So confused. Also fondant I plan on using later, does that too need to go into the freezor or fridge?
Other Question, when my cake comes out of the oven, Do i leave it out for or place in the fridge for 24 hours before placing fondant on?
Hope you can help! Thanks!
Whitney
Hey Whitney……
After making a figurine, don’t ever put them into the fridge or freezer….when drying out a figurine you can allow it to sit on your counter to dry and setup. If you intend to store your figurine just place it innto a container/box just make sure it is in a dry place, because humidity and moisture will affect the figurine and can make it get soft, droop and eventually cause it to fall apart.
When your cake comes out of the oven allow it to cool on the counter, once it is completely cooled wrap it in foil or I often use that press and seal wrap for my cakes alot and then put into the fridge until you are ready to put fondant on it…..now if you have already iced your cake in buttercream just put it into the fridge without covering it until you are ready to put fondant on it.
Good luck to you Whitney, if you have any other question just let me know!!
Hi! THanks for all of the helpful advice! I want to make cupcake toppers (all types, flowers, monograms on circles, etc….not 3d figurines) and I am still not sure on what is best to use. Do I just use regular fondant, do I use a mix of fondant and gumpaste, or do I just add a little bit of the powder you were talking about to the fondant? Thank you so much!
Hi Lacey….
To do flat items such as letter, circles, and such then just use regular fondant for those items since they are sometimes eaten along with the cupcakes……I usually try to use only fondant for cupcake toppers since they are eaten alot of times, now if I am making a 3D Rose to put on a cupcake I will use a mixture of 50/50 fondant and gumpaste….or fondant with tylose powder. So to make it plain it is best to use fondant on flat items and gumpaste/fondant mixture for anything that is 3D. I wish you the best!!
Hi! I am making a birthday cake. I am making a two tiered cake, white cake, vanilla icing. However, since I want to make the cake unique I was going to make flowers out of fondant to place onto the cake.
I guess my questions would be:
Is there any way to place the flower onto the side of the cake without them falling or sliding down?
And… If i need the cake for Friday night, when should I make the cake?
Also How should I store the cake?
Thanks!
Zealy the best thing to do is put the water on the flower, dont use too much though…..then let the flower set for a few minutes, this allows the water to create a stickiness and then attach the flower to the cake, but you will need to hold the flower in place for a seconds. If the room you are workimg in is too warm then this could make the flower slide down the cake even more.
I would bake the cake on Tues, if it is needed for Fri. Once it is baked I allow to cool and store in cling wrap and place in the fridge until I am ready to ice and decorate. I would then decorate the cake on Thursday and place the cake in a cardboard box until needed! (Do not store in the fridge if you have fondant on the cake)
Thanks so much! The cake turned out great! Its was both beautiful and tasty! :O)
AWESOME!!
Hi there,
if you can help you will save a lot of time and money!
I made a cake about 3 months ago… I had some gumpaste that I had tinted left so I stored in a zip lock back in a cool dry place. Tonight when i pulled it our it was rock hard. I tried to kneed it with some shortening and it didn’t help. It was not plyable at all. I put it in the microwave for 10 sec and it just made it look all cracked and the stretched the colour and made it bleed through the gumpaste (not sure if they are the right terms)
My questions are
Can left over gumpaste be use?
Am I storing it incorrectly?
Thankyou for any help you can give
Tracey
Hello Tracey…
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time with your leftover gumpaste……Gumpaste that is stored will ususally get very hard that is normal. Once it has been put into the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds you will then need to add a little shortening to it and knead it to get it pliable again. Yes the color does seem to bleed but once you knead it again it should mix back in for you.
For your info gumpaste is used for making suger flowers and other items that you decorate a cake with. Fondant is a sugarpaste that you cover your cake with and once it has been stored you would do the same thing with it as you do with the gumpaste to get it pliable again.
When storing fondant or gumpaste it is always best to wrap in saran wrap and then place it in a ziplock sort of bag so that is will not get as hard while storing.
I hope I was able to answer your questions and make sense to you:)
Hi Donna,
I recently made a cake for a baby shower after following your video on making a baby boy from gum paste. The cake was a hit and I got lots of comments. I wish I could upload a picture for you. Thanks for your tips and I am a regular visitor of your website.
I always use home-made MM fondant to cover my cakes. I feel like MM fondant is bit elastic and difficult to roll out thin to cover a cake. I added home-made Wilton gum paste, about 1/10 the size relative to the size of my MM fondant ball, rolled it out and covered the cake. I could see tiny cracks in my fondant cover.
Do you think if I added Tylose powder instead of gum paste to my MM fondant I could roll out thinner and give the cake a very thin cover ? My friends complain that my fondant cover (3/16 inch) is too thick.
The cake for the baby shower was my 3rd fondant cake. I would really appreciate your advice on this.
Have a good day !
Hello Ravi
your right MM fondant can be a bit elastic to roll out, however I do not think that adding tylose powder will make any difference for rolling out since the tylose powder is for making your sugarpaste setup and dry quicker, in fact it may make your fondant worse to rol out. The reason you had cracks when you added the gumpaste to your MM fondant is because the gumpaste dry real fast and when it does it causes cracking alot of times.
Question for you…..are you using cornstarch to roll out your mm fondant?……this can also cause issues it tends to dry out the fondant faster as well….maybe try wiping a bit of shortening on your work surface and roll out your mm fondant on that and see if you are able to get your mm fondant thinner.
I hope this helps!!
Hi im a decorator that mainly works with buttercream only, but I wanted to do gumpaste flowers for my daughters first birthday. I seen some people use shortning to roll out their flowers and some use powder sugar. I dont like the shinny look I see on some gumpaste flowers I think it makes them look fake
but sometimes the powder sugar can make them dull looking, any suggestions?
Thanks
Hello……to answer your questions regarding doing sugar flowers, sometimes that shine your seeing is from those who steam their flowers and may not at all be from using shortening to roll out your paste. I soo agree with the dull look that powder sugar leaves its so unappealing to look at those flowers that way! So I would say my suggestion would be to roll your paste with the shortening and know that it will absorb into the paste and will not leave that real shiny look you do not like. You should end up with a flower that you will be very pleased with. When doing my sugar flowers I always add a little shortetning to the gumpaste as well as cover my silicone rolling mat with shortening to roll out the paste on and have never noticed that very shiny look on my flowers. Good luck to you, maybe do a small simple flower this way first to see if you will be happy with the end result.
How far in advance can a cake be made? With fondant on it?
Hello Amanda thanks for stopping by……
I would not go beyond 2 to 3 days in advance for a fondant covered cake! Note: this is for cakes that do NOT have any perishable fillings and such.
When I read that you cant put fondant in the fridge I was confused because Ive seen Buddy on CAKE BOSS do it several times. What will happen when putting a cake in the fridge?
Amanda I understand what you are saying there is much confusion regarding putting fondant in the fridge that is already been applied to a cake…..the reason you see Buddy from the Cake Boss doing this is because he has a special made commercial freezer and fridge that have been made with very low to no condensation in them which is what causes the problems with a fondant covered cake! Now if you are doing a cake that for example has a cream cheese filling that must be refrigerated then you should place the cake into a cake box and then put in your fridge, when you take the cake out of the fridge take it out of the box and allow it to come to room temp, it helps to put a small fan near it to dry it to that you don’t end up with condensation issues on the cake. I hope this info helps!
how do you store fondant? can you store it overnight?
thanks
-sarah
Yes you can store fondant overnight….I have fondant that has been stored for several months, however it depends upon if its commercial, homemade and so on. Commercial usually has a expiration date on it. Home made will nornally tell you to store it in the fridge or not to! I put my fondant in a ziplock baggie and then into a container with a lid to kee it fresh.
thanks for very clearly answering the questions. thanks for sharing your knowledge. i appreciate it so much. I made my fondant this monday to be used this coming saturdy for my sister’s birthday and baby shower
i am happy i got the answer to my question on how to store fondant and everything else u mentioned 
thank you! i hope i can get ur website where i can see all your beautiful creations 
more power to you!
Elaine…..
You are soo sweet my friend, thanks sooo much for all the kind comments I am soo happy that you were able to find answers to your question here on my site!!
Have a wonderful week and be blessed!!
I need to make numbers for a birthday cake around 3-4 inches tall. Would you recomend that I make them in fondant, gumpaste or a 50/50 (gumpaste & fondant)? Thanks
I would make the numbers out of 50/50 Gumpaste and Fondant so that they are stronger…..
I wish you the best my friend!!
I would like to use Fondant or Gumpaste figurines on a cake frosted wtih Buttercream. I have heard that the Buttercream will cause them to get soft or mushy. Is there a way you have found to avoid this?
Thanks
You can place a cake board on the top of your cake then place your figurines on top of that so that it does not touch the buttercream icing.
I have made fondant /gumpaste flowers and am using butter cream frosting on my cakes. How long before the cake is needed can I add the flowers to the buttercream icing?
Hello Donna
I would wait till the last minute to add the flowers since the grease in the buttercream does tend to absorb into the flowers over time.
Hi, I have a question about gum paste. After I put the unused gum paste back into the bag—where do I put it–in the fridge or on the counter????
Gumpaste should be stored on the counter just make sure that you store it in a ziplock baggie and then into a container with a lid…..it should never be put in the fridge.
Once a figurine has been made with sugarpaste and stored in an air tight box, how long can it be kept and still be edible. I have read that some sugar decorations set so hard that you can not eat them.
Also does professional sugarpaste go off as it has a best before date on the packet.
What is your recipe for Sugar dough? My gum paste figures always crack. Your figures look amazing. I would like to try sugar dough. Thanks
I’m looking for a DVD or video on making gum paste “people” and “animals”. I want to beable to use this DVD or video with my tv; NOT ON A COMPURTER. Can anyone help me please? Thank you.
The dvd’s I have on http://www.gumpastefigurine.com can be viewed on a regular dvd player with your tv or on a computer that is up to you!! There are how to dvd’s for people and animals check them out when you get a chance!!
Hi I want to know if I can mix fondant & gum paste together? Will it still harden.
Thanks,
Tiff
Yes it will still harden for you!!
How long would a 50/50 gumpaste/fondant flower (5 inches in diameter and about 1/8- 1/4 inch thick) take to dry, approximately?
Thanks!
hello i have a question i have made home made fondant, for my sons birthday on june 24th 2011 and butter cream for cake. question 1 is i wont like to do a mario bro theme, and i try making some of the piece in advance so they would dry for cake, because we would be out doors, but i am in a dilemma i know from previous experience fondant can drub or slide, so i was considering adding gum paste to fondant to make pieces, but i didnt want cake fondant layer to be to hard to eat. so should make regular fondant layer and to 50/50 fondant and gum paste for flat figures? also how soon should i bake/ ice cake i did want it to dry out before party
thanks for tips
dreama…….
i hope this reply is not too late! I would not add anything to the fondant decorations that are going to be flat your correct it would not taste too great, what i would do it make your cake a day ahead of time and decorate it so that everything will setup……if the flat figures are glued on to the cake with water a day ahead of time they should stay in place I have never had any issues.
I don’t like the taste of fondant because of the marshmallows. Is there an alternative to fondant that works pretty much the same way??
There are many recipes online for fondant that do not use marshmallows, try doing a google search for fondant recipes….
Yestreday i made a home-made fondant. It contains: confectioner’s sugar, unflavored gelatin, cold water, light corn syrup, glycerin and pure vanilla extract.
A made a figure just after it was made. Every pieces of my figure stick verry well, but today i tried to make another figurine and the pieces just don’t stick together
What should i use to make it stick together? Simply water?
Thank’s
I purchased Wilton’s Gum Paste mix which you just add water too. I followed the directions and then let the gum paste set up and then kneaded powdered sugar into the gum paste. The canister said to roll out with powdered sugar. I tried to make an elephant figure for a baby shower cake I am doing. It dried out very quickly and now a day later the elephant, which I have been drying in tupperware, is sagging and the ears have broken. What did I do wrong? Should I have used more powdered sugar in the kneading process? IN the book the elephant dis not loss his shape. Why did mine? Should I use fondant instead to make the figures for the cake?
Please help. I only have four days until the shower. Thank you!
When I applied my fondant to my cake and when it was time to be served…the fondant was very, very hard and had tiny cracks in it. Can this be prevented???
I emailed you directly, thanks
I am making a nativity scene with gum paste, and I have never done any sculpting with gum paste or fondant before. I bought Wiltons gum paste mix. in the ingrediants on the back of the box it doesn’t say that it has gum tex or tylose powder in it. Will it still work for making my figurines. Also on the container it say’s its for making flowers. I am assuming that I can make whatever I want with it. Am I right.