Gum Paste is a pliable mixture that can be used to shape flowers, favors, and all kinds of fancy shapes. These confections are very hard so they are not often eaten.
Once again Wilton is the company that makes the ideal gum paste mix. This is very simple to use. You simply prepare the mix, tint it with food coloring and then simply put it in a cake bag and use it to create use create that resemble seashells, daisies, roses, lilies, holly, ivy and hundreds of more cake decorations.
To prepare the Wilton gum paste mix, combine 1 lb. of mix and 1/4 cup of water in a large bowl. Stir until well mixed. Dust your work surface with confectioners’ sugar; turn out mixture on surface and knead like bread dough until mix is well worked in.
Place in a tightly sealed plastic bag and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature. Turn out on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Knead for about 5 minutes, gradually working in 1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Mixture should be smooth and non-sticky.
Use at once, or store at room temperature in a tightly sealed bag in a covered container.
1. Prepare a smooth work surface — formica, plastic or glass. To be sure the gum paste does not stick while you are rolling it, grease the work surface lightly with white vegetable shortening.
2. Break off the amount of gum paste you need (see directions for the decoration you are making). Keep the remainder under a glass or plastic container.
3. Knead the piece of gum paste with your fingers, knead in color. Form into a ball about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
4. Roll out the gum paste ball to about 1/2″ thickness. Pick up the piece, turn it over and give it a quarter turn on the work surface. Repeat this procedure 2 or 3 times until the gum paste is about 1/16″ thick.
Will keep up to 6 weeks. Refrigerate if storing longer than 1 week. Makes enough for 50 roses or 100 daisies.
To tint this type of gum paste you simply add a dab of food or icing coloring with a toothpick. : With your fingers, knead the color into the gum paste until it is evenly spread. Repeat until you reach the desired color.
Wilton also sells a world famous kit for making gum paste cake decorations. These consist of little molds and cutters that can help you cut out petals and other forms so you can make flowers fast. Otherwise you roll out the paste by hand and cut the shapes yourself. In fact you can mold gum paste the same way you mold modeling clay. It is different that decorating with cake icing because it is simply not put in a pastry bag or squeezed through a specially designed tip or coupler as icing is. It is a totally different cake decorating material altogether.