Homemade Gumpaste Recipe for Sugar Flowers

Sugar flowers are made with a special sugar dough called gumpaste recipe made with edible gums such as Tylose or CMC. These make the petals hard enabling us to roll the paste really thin thus creating lifelike sugar flowers. Making a gum paste recipe at home is a simple, easy and effortless process.

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Now whether you call it a gumpaste recipe or gum paste recipe for sugar flowers they both are the same. Gum paste is also referred to as modeling paste, flower paste.
I think in the US it’s often referred to as gum paste while in the UK it’s referred to as flower paste or modeling paste. Often it’s made with either tylose or CMC, which is an edible gum. In Mexico, they have something similar called Mexican paste and it uses Gum Tragacanth.

What is the difference between gum paste and fondant?

• Fondant is used to cover a cake. We prefer fondant to be nice and soft so we can mold it around the cake with ease as well as it’s soft on the pallet to eat.
• Gum paste unlike fondant is similar but had added edible gums in it. This edible gum helps make the paste tough and can even dry rock hard.
• The purpose of gum paste is to use on decoration that can hold their shape. Like in this Frozen theme cake the spikes are made of gum paste because they are hard and can hold their shape.
• You would not be able to use fondant for these spikes as it will not dry hard as this.
• And you can also make sugar flowers, sugar figures and such for cakes using gum paste
• Adding CMC to fondant to strengthen and stiffen the fondant. But flowers are still best made with gum paste.

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Ingredients and substitutes

• Egg white or meringue powder – The Nicholas Lodge Gumpaste recipe uses egg whites and I use that almost all the time to make my sugar flowers. Sugar flowers made with wires are not meant to be eaten so they can be made with egg whites.
• Powdered sugar – There are many different brands on the market some made with beet sugar or cane sugar. I always recommend using powdered sugar made with cane sugar for cake decorating. Having said that, for gum paste it really does not matter if you use either. What’s important though is that your powdered sugar is fine, not coarse (yeah I get a brand that’s not really fine hence the mention).
• CMC / Tylose – This is edible gum and is the MOST IMPORTANT ingredient in this recipe. While there are other gum paste recipes this one uses either CMC or Tylos nothing else. These can be found at any cake decorating store near you or online. It’s not really expensive and has a long shelf life.
• Clear vanilla extract – The purpose of the clear vanilla extract is to prevent the gum paste from getting an ivory tint from the vanilla. Having said that, often, I do not have clear vanilla just my homemade vanilla extract. So, I often use rose extract for my gum paste recipe.

The original gumpaste recipe

Personally, I love to use the gumpaste recipe by Nicholas Lodge for my flowers. I use it to make my sugar flowers. It works great in summer and dries really hard too. Honestly, it’s the best gum paste recipe for sugar flowers.

This original recipe for this gum paste is by Nicholas Lodge with my method. I find that with the high humidity my method of not whipping the egg whites into a meringue works better. Having said that, I have shared his video here so you can see how he makes it.

While I use the same recipe the process is slightly different as in, I do not whip it like royal icing. I believe my gum paste is a bit denser and handles this hot and humid weather better.

Watch both videos then decide which works best for you and your weather.

How to make gumpaste recipe (my recipe)

• In a bowl mix 2 cups powdered sugar.
• Make space in the center and add egg whites, salt and vanilla extract.
• Mix well until no lumps.
• Add tylose or CMC powder.
• Mix for a minute or two until sticky.
• Now add more powdered sugar – until you are able to form a ball.
• Do not add too much powdered sugar as the gum paste can dry out.
• You can transfer the mix to a working board to mix well.
• Next, knead in the veg shortening.
• You want the mixture to be soft, slightly sticky – you can add more powdered sugar later too.
• Divide the paste into small portions and wrap well in plastic wrap/bag.
• Then, place them all in a ziplock bag and into an airtight box.
• Let rest in the fridge overnight.
• Next day – let rest at room temperature.
• knead with a little veg shortening if needed powdered sugar too.
• Use as needed for any project.

Storage

Like fondant, gum paste too should have a long shelf life if kept properly. Sealed properly, this gum paste can be kept at room temperature for about a month. You can also leave it in the fridge for about three months or even freeze it for a bit longer. Just make sure you bring it to room temperature before you need it.

As a cake decorator, I use my supplies fast. I never store my gumpaste or fondant for long at room temperature. Especially in summer, as the temperature can go up to 45 C. So, use your judgment when it comes to food safety. I portion my gum paste and bring one or two out of the fridge and it is usually used up in a day or week.

Tips for using gumpaste

• Always keep gumpaste wrapped in plastic – Take only what you need and keep the rest covered under plastic away from air.
• Avoid cracks – Use vegetable shortening to knead and make it pliable before rolling, that way you won’t have cracks.
• Do not use too much shortening. When combined with tylose, shortening makes the gumpaste too rubbery (stretchy but stiff), and you won’t be able to roll it very thin.
• Gumpaste dries easily – Avoid using too much cornflour into your gum paste while rolling; it will make it brittle.
• Let it alone – when drying gum paste, do not touch too often wait for them to dry try to switch sides so they dry faster.
• Excess powdered sugar – Delicate flowers and figures can break with over touching or if the paste had excess powder sugar.
• Work in small batches – When coloring gum pastes always use small amounts of gel paste with a toothpick.
• In winter gumpaste can become too stiff – give it a 5-second start in the microwave so you don’t work too hard kneading. 5 seconds in the microwave is a lot for gumpaste so don’t overheat it.
• In humid conditions it’s best to dry gumpaste items in the oven turned off but with the light on
• Brushing the flowers with confectioners’ glaze can prevent gumpaste from absorbing too much moisture during rains and humid weather.

Troubleshooting

• My gumpaste is too dry or too hard? It can still be used. Just heat it in the microwave for 5 seconds then knead it really well with some vegetable shortening. Once it’s soft and pliable it’s ready to use again.
• My gumpaste is too soft? When made fresh gumpaste appears too soft avoid adding extra powdered sugar and let it rest a few hours. If it’s still soft after resting then you can add more powdered sugar until it’s pliable.
  If the gumpaste is too soft because of excess kneading, again just let it rest for a few hours and it will stiffen up again.
• Can I put gumpaste in the fridge? No, unfortunately, gumpaste does not like the fridge. The gum tends to break down so when you take it out of the fridge the condensation will melt the gumpaste flowers or gum paste projects.
• How do you attach gumpaste? Unlike fondant, the gum in gumpaste creates a coating that does stick well with just water. It’s best to use edible glue made with CMC or Tylose and water.

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Frequently asked questions

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