WHERE I STAND: Though I have used gum paste many times in lots of ways-for mostly show cakes, Pwd sugar (Earlene Moore) is THE authority for this decorating medium. She has GOT to be better at it since she uses it practically daily. But, I have used gumpaste to the point that my flowers DO have a realistic look. I have used gp to make dolls to resemble my daughter Joyce and her husband for their wedding cake. I also made gum paste dolls for the graduation cake for daughter Sue. Sue's graduation cake is featured in the Wilton Celebrate V1 on page 73 (out-of-print). For the grad cake, I won first place in a contest from Wilton for this book and received $250.00. That cake IS a great grad cake idea. I'll try to scan it in and put it on my web site by graduation time.

Pwd Sugar: Gumpaste is really hard to give you how to's with text only. Wish I could put you all here in my kitchen so I could really share with you. Gumpaste is so much fun - and sometimes it is a lot of work.

• Dolores777: Hi Winbeckler...nice to see you in the kitchen
• Pwd Sugar: Hi Winbeckler - glad to see you tonight
• (From Dolores) "Winbeckler" Is Marsha Winbeckler who authored the book on Rolled Buttercream, Wafer Paper Uses GRAD CAKE: You could make my grad. cake using plastic dolls and a plastic stairway too. I made a 3-tier and a 10-inch with a gp stairway between. It was "the story of her life to graduation time." I made a gp baby in cradle on the 10-inch, and on the gp stairway, a little girl with dolly and a teenager with roller skates. On top of the tiered cake I made a graduation girl holding her diploma with a gp banner "You've come a long way baby."

Personally, if you have never-ever worked with gum paste, I recommend the Wilton gp KIT ($15.99 from Sugarcraft), which contains lots of cutters and a book too. You can get a lot of $'s invested in tools, but just to start out, this is sufficient I feel. Try it, then if you love it like we do, start adding tools to your collection as you need them.

Pwd Sugar: The kind and size of the flowers determines how many you can get out of a batch 

**My favorite Gumpaste recipe **

See a photo of a cake I used Gum Paste flowers on Great for GP dolls at my web site under RECIPES. Also see this GP recipe under SPECIAL TECHNIQUES on this web site

• 1 Tbsp. Gum Tex *
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 teas. lemon juice (Makes gp smell wonderful)
• 1 teas. glucose
• 1 lb. Confectioners' sugar (or to the desired consistency)

How to color gum paste Once you've made the gum paste recipe, you can tint it any color you desire, or divide the mixture and tint it several different colors. To color gum paste, apply small amounts of liquid or paste food color with a toothpick. Then with your hands, knead and work the color into the gum paste piece until the tint is evenly applied. If you would like a deeper shade, you can add more color a little at a time, and re-work the gum paste until you achieve the desired shade. Remember, you can always darken a color easier than you can lighten one.

Pwd Sugar: When you color the gumpaste - it needs to be the softest shade in the flower or leaf you are making - then dust with color or airbrush your darker shades

How to roll out gum paste <<<I don't do this-I spread a very thin coating of Crisco on my surface or my hands instead>>> Always dust your work surface with cornstarch first! This is standard procedure for rolling out gum paste to cut any floral shape. After your work surface is adequately dusted, take a small I piece of gum paste, work it awhile with your hands and then place it on the cornstarch-covered area. Now dust more cornstarch on the surface of your rolling pin and roll out gum paste until it's the thickness you desire - this is usually about 1/16-inch for most flowers. Remember, roll out one small piece of gum paste at a time to avoid drying; and cover every petal and flower cut you make.

How to hand-work gum paste When you remove gum paste from a plastic bag or covered container, you will need to re-work it with your hands until it's soft and pliable once again. If the gum paste has been stored for some time and seems a little bit stiff, add a small piece of freshly made gum paste and then re-work it with your hands.

Important reminders: ALWAYS dust work surface, rolling pin and your hands with cornstarch when handling gum paste and flower cuts. (my note: Instead, I often grease my hands AND the work surface lightly with Crisco - especially when I'm making very tiny and delicate flowers. They won't dry and crack nearly as soon.) ALWAYS keep gum paste and flower cuts covered to prevent drying...your class practice board works great. ALWAYS add food coloring in small amounts until you achieve the gum paste tint you desire ALWAYS re-work gum paste before roll it out to cut flowers and, if the gum paste has been stored for sometime, add a small piece of freshly made gum paste and re-work until pliable. 

MY NOTES: Mrs. Barloca stressed when making dolls or figures that need longer to dry that you always make fresh gumpaste. If you use older gumpaste and their is a little fermenting in the gumpaste you figures can as she said "explode". Believe me they aren't very pretty if this happens. I DO NOT like the pre-made gum paste you can buy when making dolls. Mine did not fry as hard as they did when using the above recipe. I like for my gp to be pretty stiff...so the thin petals stand like I want...or for dolls too. From an out-of-print Wilton Gum Paste book. 

• Pwd Sugar: Egg white will also help bring it back to life
• Dolores777: I like egg white for headlights etc too

• PHISNPHULE: Dee, I though the mixture had toset for a while before working with it
• Dolores777: sometimes...it usually does set
• Pwd Sugar: Some receipes of gumpaste can be used immediately other need to rest
• Dolores777: Mine is the beginner's stuff:: Pwd's is high tech

• MSatHome: I hate to be rude but can I interrupt with a near emergency? What tip is closest to a 133? I am doing a cake Sat and don't have one
• Pwd Sugar: Do you mean 233?
• Winbeckler: Some companies call them 133 others 233. We have 133's that are just 233's.
• MSatHome: No 133 I think it is like a rounded star
• Pwd Sugar: I have never used that - Winbeckler have you see that one
• DaffyDayto: all i see in the book is a 233. I don't see anthing close...there's a 234 but I don't think you'll get the effect you need
• Pwd Sugar: 234 holes are about double the size of the 233 tip

DOS: Our 2-day Day Of Sharing and demos went super smooth. On Sat. night after dinner, we had round-table demos too. We could mill around wherever we liked. A highlight of the whole thing was that Karen Garback asked demonstrators for our hand-out sheets ahead of time then bound them for us into a book along with the usual schedules and other info. GREAT way to keep things together. We had people from 6 states and Canada too. The Canadians were great to share with us all that they did. My wedding cake demo went smoothly. I had a sale table and sold ALL my new wedding cake books! Our last demo was on pulled sugar and lasted over an hour. Rosemary Watson shared her ideas for her pressed lace concept and had her molds there to sell, plus her videos. That was a DOS NOT to be missed!

I decided that since Earlene is the REAL expert on this subject, she should have the honor of some of HER photos on this chat too. Here are 4 photos she has shared - Just click the picture to view it.

Earlene's 1 Earlene baked this cake for her own daughter's wedding. It was covered with rolled fondant, brush embroidery added, the flowers and leaves are made of gum paste and the bride and groom are also gum paste

Earlene's 2 Gum paste flowers and leaves on fondant

Earlene's 3 Lace overlay with over-piping. Gumpaste BOW, silk flowers, fondant icing, lace hanging from top 2 tiers is fine royal icing lace.

Earlene's 4 One of the Jacksboro style cakes 

• Dolores777: Pwd:::do you make the dolls with the mix?
• Pwd Sugar: yes -I use this mix for just about everything now. One reason I like it - it never changes consistency. You put it up - and a week later you get it out and it is the same texture

• Sift 2 C. pwd. sugar into a well greased bowl.
• Warm in the oven at a low temprature and mix in
• 2 t. gum tragacanth (tylose pwd is a good substitute).
• Dissolve
• 1 t. gelatine in
• 2 t. cold water (in a 1 C. glass pyrex measuring cut) and place the measuring cup in hot water to dissolve the gelatine. Add
• 2 t. liquid glucose and warm until the glucose is a thin liquid.
• Do not overheat or the gelatin will become stringy.
• Make a shallow well in the center of the warm pwd. sugar mixture. Add
• 1/2 t. lemon juice to an egg white and stir well.
• Add this egg white to the gelatin mixture.
• Pour the liquid into the well in the pwd. sugar.
• Gently stir the liquid mixture pullin a smal amount of the pwd. sugar into the liquid until you have gradually worked all of the sugar into the liquid. Leave this dough very soft to store.
• When this mixture becomes to thick to stir, grease your hands with Crisco and knead and stretch the dough until pliable. Form into golf ball size balls and lightly coat with Crisco.
• Wrap twice with Saran wrap and place in an air tight container and let the dough rest for at least 12 hours before using. Gumpaste can be refrigerated or even frozen if you will not be using it for an extended period of time.
• There are several people now experimenting with simpler ways of making the gumpaste.
• When I find one of these that for sure works I'll let you know.
• That was the homemade receipe that I made several years ago. Now I use a mixture of Bakels and Country Kitchens Gumpaste. Why? It is much faster and easier. It keeps its consistency.
• The above receipe will get very firm overnight. Then you must warm it up and knead it to get it back to a usable dough. Bakels gumpaste is ready to use and very slow drying. For beginners it is great because they usually need more time to work on a flower, plaque, figure and etc. In high humidity areas I have had some people tell me this gumpaste never dries.

• Country Kitchens gumpaste is a dry mix. I grease my Kitchenaid mixer bowl, pour the
• 1 lb of dry gumpaste mix in, add
• 1/4 Cup warm water minus 1 T. of the water to this mix. Reserve that 1T. of water - you may need some or all of it. P
• ut the paddle beater in and let it mix. If the beater accumlates a wet mixture on it clean it off and mix until you get a mixture that is crumbly. When that is reached and you no longer have a big wet glob on your paddle beater. Add a small amount of the water you have reserved (maybe 1/2 t. at a time) until it all comes togeather and makes one mass. Remove and grease your hands with crisco and knead until thoroughly mixed. The mixture that seems to work best for me is 1 lb. of Country Kitchen dough and 1/2 lb. of Bakels dough. Knead these togeather and form into golf ball size balls . Wrap twice with Saran wrap and place in an air tight container. Let rest overnight and it is ready to use.

Body Chemistry - We each have a slightly different body chemistry. There are some medications that affect the moisture in our hands and our body chemistry.

Heat of Hands - I have a friend that must leave her gumpaste very soft because her hands are always cold and a firm gumpaste just crumbles in her hands. I have very hot hands and I must work with a very firm gumpaste or it won't hold its shape.

Humidity - If you work in a very humid area you may need to work cornstarch into your dough. You may also need the cornstarch on your working surfaces and your hands. I live in a very dry area. I work most of the time with Crisco on my hands to keep it from drying out to quickly

Temperature - Cold temperatures keep the dough cold and if your hands are cold the gumpaste may be difficult to handle. Hot temperatures are at the other end of the extremes. You just learn what works for you in different circumstances with time and experience. This instructions for gumpaste flowers is extremely hard to give you with no graphics. By the way I am teaching my granddaughters some of these techniques using play dough. Then they can transfer that technique to real gumpaste later. But here goes. If you don't understand please ask at the end and I will try to clarify it for you. Here is a basic finger flower to start you off without requiring a lot of extra specialty equipment. You will need gumpaste, tiny scissors, toothpick and a modeling tool or paintbrush.

Blossoms - Make a ball about 1/2" in diameter. Make a teardrop. Insert a pointed 3/8 inch dowel (well greased) into the ball on one end. With a tiny pair of scissors make 5 equal cuts around the hole made by the pointed dowel. Flatten each of the 5 petals with your fingers. Now you will need a modeling stick, handle of a paint brush or something similar. Holding the pointed end of the flower lightly between your thumb and first finger, lay one petal on the side of your finger. Roll that petal thinner with the modeling stick on the side of your finger. Continue with all the petals. Insert the pointed dowel or modeling stick into the center of the flowers and push up slightly from the bottom to open the center of the blossom and give it more depth. With a spinning motion insert a toothpick into the pointed end of the base of the flower and neaten the base. Let this flower dry and dust lightly with your accent color.

There are several flowers that can be made with a minimum of equipment investment. Daisies, Stephanotis, blossoms of all kinds, small orchids, freesia, hydrangea's, and many more. Once you learn a few basic techniques you can make lots of flowers.

There are two things that I think are basic can't do without equipment. One is the non stick modeling tools (CC104) and the other is the Cel-Pad (CC101?) with no holes in it. Both of these are available from Nicholas Lodge. 1-800-662-8925 The International Sugar Art Collection. Of course there are many cutters and lots more equipment available for the more complicated flowers. Stamens, dusting colors, color pens for detail, veiners and the more flowers you do the more stuff you accumulate.

Gumpaste can also be used to make plaques, dolls, cactus, and whatever else your imagination can come up with. It is a versatile, fun, sugar medium that you can get very creative with. 

Shavkin: My I make a suggestion for rolling out petals. To avoid elephant ears, roll out gumpaste between clear plastic upholstery sheets (small).

• Naya100: Pwd and dolores - do you place your flowers in styrofoam to put on the cake or do you put the top of the cake? I wondered if this was very professional!!!!
• Pwd Sugar: One of my pet peeves is cakes that have flowers flat on the cake so toothpicks allow us to get some elevation in the flowers with no graphics. By the way I am teaching my granddaughters some of these techniques using play dough. Then they can transfer that technique to real gumpaste later.
• Naya100: I agree. I think thats one of the reasons I like the gumpaste. You can add lots of dimension.
• Dolores777: Dust them with petal dust and they come to life
• CAKESUP: Dolores, petal dust is great. You should see what it can do to tropical gp fish. It depends what I am doing. I like both but for different applications. I used luster on my tropical fish today and it look like scales, shimmering.
• Pwd Sugar: I only like the lusters on things that are supposed to be shiny such as some leaves - stephanotis. Too many flowers with that on there and they all look plastic.

• Dolores777: Pwd:::which doll molds do you prefer now?
• Winbeckler: Pwd: Have you tried the people molds by CK? I haven't tried them, but a lot of people use them. They've been out for about 3 years. Shirley Jackson designed them.
• Pwd Sugar: DO THEY LOOK NICE
• Winbeckler: Yes, there is a man, woman, and child for both toddler & about 10.
• Pwd Sugar: I still have the original wilton molds. then i reshape the faces slightly. I also have a cute baby face for daisy centers or Babies that I got from Eleanor Rielander Of the flower petals - shaping the flowers and etc we used the palm of our hands for that before the cel pads.
• Naya100: oh, I went to the fabric store and got cushion pads and they work great
• CAKESUP: Unless something has changed. Nick doesn't have cel pad right now. I called for the last week.
• PHISNPHULE: How big are the molds?
• Naya100: what is cel pad?
• Pwd Sugar: A cel pad is a dense sponge pad that you use for thinning the edges

• PHISNPHULE: when molds are uses, does it require solid GP or hollow
• Pwd Sugar: SOLID
• PHISNPHULE: how long does ti take to dry
• Dolores777: my dolls didn't dry using the CK mix...had to redo them with scratch gp
• Pwd Sugar: The CK mix didn't dry? Dolores777: Right, dolls never did dry. It was July...our driest month. I thought that the CK mix was the driest thing available.
• PHISNPHULE: As a mold dries, does it crack?
• Pwd Sugar: If your gumpaste is right it should not crack. Be sure and place the molded. Piece where air can get to it from all sides. If it is a thick piece you may need to insert a skewer in a place that will not show to let some air inside
• PHISNPHULE: will air brush make the GP soft?
• Dolores777: No - Air brush won't add that much color
• Pwd Sugar: It shouldn't unless you get too much color on it

• Boile: Why can't I get deep colors like red and black in my buttercream?
• Dolores777: Boile:::use SUPER colors ...not wilton brand...I like Baker's Preferred brand
• Boile: Can a light cake handle the weight of buttercream and royal icing decorations?

• Acdtourist: Does anyone know where I can order wooden cake dummies
• Dolores777: no - Acd...but i heard there were some
• Pwd Sugar: They were shown in one of the articles in the last Sugarcraft magazine from England.
• DB4MB: What advantage is there to using wooden dummies?
• Pwd Sugar: Acd - I will check on the issue and who is doing the article for you.
• Pwd Sugar: THen maybe you can contact them.

• Pwd Sugar: If you want gumpaste to shine - steam it instead of the shiny dusting pwds. Steam lightly - or you will melt the leaves or petals. Of course they must thoroughly dry between steam baths LOL For leaves that retain their shine I usually steam them multiple times.

• Naya100: Do you use the luster dust or petal dust. I didnt like the luster. It glitters to much
• Dolores777: dust:::I use what type will go best att he time

SWhittClk: I am making a jungle cake for my daughter's first b-day. Any ideas for me?

Pwd Sugar: Is there anything besides chocolate you can't use the air brush on? Love that Air Brush

• Pri95: Did you see the beautiful cakes this month in Country Living Gardener magazine? June issue
• Pwd Sugar: No - where do you get that magazine

• Dolores777: Tiered SW...make the pillars TREES
• DaffyDayto: there is some cute jungle animal molds that Wilton puts out
• Dolores777: Make monkeys in the petite doll pan...good for the top - with balloons P
• HISNPHULE: re: molds can GP be used with candy molds
• Vitty Z: You may get some plastic figures too or pipe them maybe
• DaffyDayto: Wilton also has some hard candy-type jungle animals...the heads
• Dolores777: can make animals with fondant or choco-pan or anything

Gumpaste Recipe (by Diane Shavkin). I have a good gp recipe for people who cannot use stiff gp recipes due to cold hands. I also have a good pastillage recipe for woodgraining , plaques, rocks, etc. BRB want to make sure I do not leave anything out.... Got it. Didn't want to think so hard....just have it in writing so that's easier.. Shavkin:

• 1. Place 3 Tbsp glucose into glass measuring cup (not metal).
• 2. Add warm water to 3/4 cup line. 3. Place this into a hot water bath. (I use the sink so that when you are done using the hot water to melt your dish water all ready to wash the items used and you can place that sticky glucose spoon right into the dish water).
• 4. Heat a glass bowl under hot running water (as hot as you can stand).
• 5. Dry the bowl, and grease lightly with shortening.
• 6. Into this hot bowl, place 1 lb. 12 oz. powdered sugar, which has been sifted with 3 level tablespoons gum tragacanth. Make a well.
• 7. Pour liquid mixture into well, and stir till well-blended(gradually stir the sugar in with a wooden spoon). Mixture will be rather soft.
• 8. Over this mixture sprinkle 4 oz powdered sugar (sifted). Cover bowl with a damp cloth and let sit for 45 minutes. (The mixture should be very very soft and not difficult to stir. It will NOT look that the gp finished product at all). I sometimes keep (let it sit) for 2 hours).
• 9. Knead well, cover with plastic wrap ad place in covered container. Allow to sit at least 24 hours before using.
• 10. Rework before using. And, rework every 2-3 weeks so that your gp does not get ruined and not usable.

• Shavkin: My Pastillage recipe for wood gaining is simple. Just leave out the glucose in the recipe I just gave u. If someone would like my gumpaste and my pastillage recipes, just e-mail me at shavkin@aol.com. I will send you the recipe that I always have on hand for handouts when I demo. On the other side of the sheet is a wonder "Rolled Fondant" recipe by Betty Mackewich. This is great to do my "Gumpaste & Fondant Embroidery" with it.
• FDS425: Shavkin, I would like to have your recipes also.. They sound great. Fondant embroidery and rolled fondant, we just buy it in large containers

• Pwd Sugar: Did you guys notice earlier that our famous Dolores has just completed another book -
• Naya100: what"s your book?
• Dolores777: all about cake decorating MY LIFE on paper
• CLOWN12663: Dee, is this your WEDDING CAKE Book?
• Dolores777: yes but it turned out to be much more LOL 200 pages I think!

• Pwd Sugar: I was talking to Carol Webb last night and she said some of the gals up there are making gumpaste out of egg white, pwd sugar, lemon juice and that is all - Sounds interesting - and less expensive to make tylose pwd.
• PSTRY 8: Earlene what is tylose pwd Pwd Sugar: It is a substitute for the Gum Tragacanth
• CAKESUP: Sugar the tylose powder makes super gp. That is what Lodge teaches now.
• Pwd Sugar: I here that many people are using that now = less expensive
• Winbeckler: Adrian Westrope uses the tylos also known as CMC.
• CLOWN12663: Is Winbeckler here?
• Dolores777: yes CLOWN she IS!
• CLOWN12663: WOW! I'm honored.
• Vitty Z: I am honored too CLOWN WOW A WORLD RENOUNED ROOM I LOVE IT

• CEEGEETEE: Shav oh wait isnt that for petit fours?
• Shavkin: No petit fours is a poured fondant. This is a rolled fondant. That u roll out like bread dough. In the US we are known for our buttercream work, but many countries use the rolled fondant instead of covering the cake with buttercream.
• Pwd Sugar: After 22 years they are finally beginning to accept the fondant in our area. My price starts at $2.50 per serving and with gumpaste flowers it could go up a lot

• CLOWN12663: Pwd. sugar do you mean to learn technique using playdough?
• Pwd Sugar: Yes - girl scouts, brownies, etc can learn some basic skills with play dough

• CLOWN12663: Dee, The choco-pan molds looked intriguing
• Dolores777: I know - Joyce is really putting them to good use! It tastes good too
• Dolores777: FD: Look in your ICES newsletter ot the RBA mag for more places...cheaper and different
• CLOWN12663: That's what Sue said. Does it come as a mix ?
• Pwd Sugar: Public doesn't - but I know the difference. Sometimes I wish I didn't. Wish the choco-pan wasn't so expensive
• Dolores777: me too Pwd::I can't retail it at all - told them so...they really wanted us to buy it
• CLOWN12663: Wish I could sell it. Sue said it goes for 10.00 serving
• (From Dolores) Sue said Linda Shank (who makes it - at DOS) told Joyce this is what it goes for. Sue said it retails for 4 lb $32.00...5-10 days for delivery. She says it only has 6 months shelf life. Said Rosemary Watson charges $10.00 per serving for her lace embroidery cakes too.
• CLOWN12663: I really thought she said Wedding Cake with Choco-pan lace was 10.00 serving.
• (From Dolores) - you were correct Barb, I have checked with Sue and Joyce
• Dolores777: she would have to BEG hard if I did that LOL
• Pwd Sugar: Sounds good Dee - maybe you are making more money than you thought LOL

• FDS425: Dolores, we get our flowers from sugar petals
• Dolores777: We do too FD but others too, public won't know any better
• Pwd Sugar: Those look great for commercial work
• FDS425: You have a candy store?
• Dolores777: We sell LOTS of candy material and I teach it - the cooked kind is what I teach

• Pwd Sugar: If anyone is interested in buying a cake shop - An owner in Albuquerque is interested

• FDS425: Dolores, I'm looking for a company that may be in the Chicago area that produces Peppermint
• (From Dolores) I asked and my daughter got that from Bloomingdale's of NY...but it was shipped from Tennessee. Was a catalog she got in the mail. Bloomingdale's may have a web site. I don't know....how to contact them at all.
• FDS425: We sell them in our store but I'm trying to locate another supplier

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