Edible Gum Paste for Cake Decorating
A Gumpaste recipe is a must have a recipe on hand for every cake decorator because of its many uses. This edible gum paste recipe can be used to make cake toppers and other cake elements that may be eaten because it uses meringue powder, not egg whites. I use it for kids cakes all the time.
What is the difference between gumpaste 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.
I have two recipes for gumpaste, Why?
As you can see on this blog I have two recipes for gumpaste one with egg white and one with meringue.
The first recipe is adapted from Nicholas Lodge Gumpaste recipe using 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.
Homemade Gumpaste Recipe for Sugar Flowers – Gum Paste
The drawback of the first gumpaste recipe for me is that it is made with raw eggs and I do not get pasteurized eggs. My first Castle Cake was made with this gum paste. As a cake decorator when I saw all the kids at the birthday party eat the towers it really freaked me out.
After that, I went on a hunt for an edible gum paste recipe. I tried almost all recipes that are available on the internet. The most common complaint I had was that due to the heat and high humidity in Israel the gum paste would stay soft and sometimes form molds or sticky after 2 to 3 days.
After several experiments, I came up with my own recipe and have now settled on this recipe. I use it on cakes where the gum paste may be eaten. All my kids’ cakes that need hard objects are made with these recipes. All my cakes made for pregnant moms use this recipe.
Which gumpaste recipe should I use?
Meringue powder can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. So if you need to use gum paste for an item that will not be eaten such as sugar flowers, use the gumpaste recipe made with raw egg whites. If you need edible gumpaste that might be eaten use this gumpaste made with meringue powder.
What gumpaste should I use for hot humid weather conditions?
If you live in hot humid weather than the first gumpaste recipe made with egg whites is the best for sugar flowers and this edible gumpaste for cake decorating would be ideal for other cake projects.
The presence of egg whites in both these helps dry and keep the projects hard.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Egg White or Meringue Powder – my gum paste recipe is made with meringue powder. You can use it for making sugar flowers but it will be an expensive paste. So I use it only when I need a gum paste recipe that may be eaten. 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 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.
Baby Booties Baby Shoes Cake Toppers
Step by step instructions (pin)
- Dry ingredients – In a mixing bowl place 2 cups of powdered sugar, Tylos / CMC, cream of tartar, and meringue powder – mix well.
- Wet ingredients – Next, add 3 tbsp of warm water to the light corn syrup and mix thoroughly.
- Combine the wet to the dry ingredients and combine well for at least 2 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary.
Tip – powdered sugar needs very little water to dissolve so resist the temptation to add too much water. - The mixture should get sticky and that is what we are looking for. If necessary add a few tablespoons of water.
Tip – the meringue powder in the powdered sugar will make it sticky similar to egg white this is exactly what we want otherwise the gumpaste will be crumbly and difficult to work with - Next, add the remaining powdered sugar. Continue to knead well. Do not add more water unless necessary. You should be able to form a ball of dough.
- Next, rub in the vegetable shortening until you have a nice smooth and pliable dough.
Tip – I divide my gum paste into 250 grams portions and store them separately. That way I use one portion at a time. - It’s best to rest the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours before you use it. It will firm up quite a bit.
Tip – Always keep gumpaste well-wrapped, first in plastic wrap then in a ziplock bag. - Label and store in a sealed box so you know when you made it.
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 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 40 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.
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 too much 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.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the ingredients used in gumpaste are all edible including the gums like CMC, tylose or gum tragacanth. Though not very tasty especially when it gets hard.
Make sure to use pasteurized egg whites if you using it directly on a cake. Or use my edible gum paste for cake decorating recipe.
For many things, yes.
You can use fondant instead of gumpaste in many cake decorating projects. Make a quick modeling paste like I have shown below with CMC added. This can be used for cake toppers and other free-standing cake cutouts. Not recommended for sugar flowers (see next question)
You can but the fondant with CMC does not roll thin so you can’t get lifelike flowers and take much longer to dry. Additionally, due to the presence of gelatin and glycerin in fondant it never really dries hard. In hot humid weather, it absorbs moisture so stays much softer.
Place the items in the oven. Keep the oven turned off but leave the light on. The direct heat from the oven light does a great job of drying gumpaste quickly.
With edible gel food colors or edible powdered colors. Never use water-based food colors.
In most cases, gumpaste will dry out in less than 24 hours. When making sugar flowers the individual petals will take just a couple of hours while a bigger item can take longer. In hot humid weather, it can take more than 24 hours too.
How to make a quick modeling paste
If you enjoy good weather the simplest way to make a quick modeling paste would be to add CMC or Tylose to your fondant. A tsp of CMC to 250 grams of fondant works great. You can make cake toppers such as animals and this Birdhouse cake with just a simple modeling paste.
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Homemade Gumpaste Recipe (Edible)
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 gum paste recipe at home is a simple, easy and effortless process and I have given you two recipes here that will be the answer to all your cake decorating and gumpaste flowers.
Ingredients
- 450 grams Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Tylos / CMC
- 1 tbsp Meringue powder
- ½ tsp Cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp Light corn syrup
- ½ tbsp Vanilla Extract or Almond
- 3 tbsp Water warm, up to 5 tbsp
- 1 tbsp Veg shortening.
Method
- Dry ingredients – In a mixing bowl place 2 cups of powdered sugar, Tylos / CMC, cream of tartar, and meringue powder – mix well.
- Wet ingredients – Next, add 3 tbsp of warm water to the light corn syrup and mix thoroughly.
- Combine the wet to the dry ingredients and combine well for at least 2 minutes. Adding a little water if necessary. Tip – powdered sugar needs very little water to dissolve so resist the temptation to add too much water.
- The mixture should get sticky and that is what we are looking for. If necessary add a few tablespoons of water. Tip – the meringue powder in the powdered sugar will make it sticky similar to egg white this is exactly what we want otherwise the gumpaste will be crumbly and difficult to work with
- Next, add the remaining powdered sugar. Continue to knead well. Do not add more water unless necessary. You should be able to form a ball of dough.
- Next, rub in the vegetable shortening until you have a nice smooth and pliable dough.Tip – I divide my gum paste into 250 grams portions and store them separately. That way I use one portion at a time.
- It's best to rest the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours before you use it. It will firm up quite a bit.Tip – Always keep gumpaste well-wrapped, first in plastic wrap then in a ziplock bag.
- Label and store in a sealed box so you know when you made it.
Notes
- 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 as the shortening combined with tylose 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.
Hello! I’ve tried this recipe for the first time, and it’s still a bit sticky after taking out of the fridge after a few hours. How do I make it less sticky?
Thanks! 🙂
Anne, knead with vegetable shortening on your hands as it strengthens elasticity, and then add as little as necessary powdered sugar.
Thanks for your advice Veena! My gumpaste actually became very firm when I made it too. So should I use less icing sugar next time? Or add more water ?
First, knead it with veg shortening. Then use damp hands – in most cases that’s all you need to do.
I wish there was video too ?
I love watching your recipes videos
But thank you for sharing
Hi Veena thank you for sharing your recipe and tips I believe there was video on YouTube and now I can’t find
Can you please tell me where can I find ?
The video is for the gumpaste made with egg whites, not with meringue powder.
Super recipe
It’s very educative
Question:
Once the flowers are made and dried, how long are they good for and what is the best way to store dried sugar flowers?
Gumpaste flowers can last a few years but it depends on the weather. Here in the middle-east, the humidity is too high so they don’t last more than a few months and in rainy weather not more than a few weeks. Hope that helps. The best way to store them is to put them in breathable cardboard boxes. I use shoe boxes
This recipe turn out too hard, I don’t know what I did wrong. Was I suppose to add all the remaining sugar even if the gumpaste was already hard??
Hey Karen. Was the gum paste was hard when you made it or later after storing it?
As the recipe states, you will need a few tablespoons of water to keep it pliable.
And you need to ensure you store it properly wrapped, so it does not get hard.
You can still knead this with moist hands to make it pliable. If necessary place it in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it a bit.
Hope this helps.
It was hard when I made it. I added 3 tbsp of water and still hard. Can I add more water?
You can add more water but I highly recommend you knead with vegetable shortening instead. That will make it stretchy and give you more pliability. You can use a few tablespoons of water as well. Sorry, since I can’t see it I’m not sure what to suggest.
Is it crumbly? if you break it – does it crumble?
Reason is – I’m afraid that if the powdered sugar is more, the CMC might be less.
Mine was also incredibly dry before I even added half the sugar. The only illustration I saw was for the recipe with egg whites which were wetter from the beginning due to the egg whites. similar illustrations with this recipe might be helpful. I’m just going to stop adding sugar and do some vegetable shortening. This is totally experimental as I don’t know if I have the ability to make the butterflies I was going to try anyway. All my cakes are for practice anyway thanks to my friends letting me practice for their special occasions. I will come back to comment how it turns out after sitting over night. Also, since you have mentioned that the gum paste once made into shapes won’t do well in the fridge, do we just add these last minute to the cake? I appreciate the help with high humidity conditions as I live in the southern US and struggle to get figures to maintain their integrity.
Joy, you can add a little more water if necessary. The most important is to make sure you have a sticky mixture, which activates the meringue powder similar to egg whites powder. I just updated with a few more tips. Thanks for brining this to my attention.
Can we replace the corn syrup with liquid glucose.
Yes, Elaine. You can use liquid glucose instead of light corn syrup