Ingredients for cake design
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With the right ingredients for cake design, fondant, icings and sugar figures become supple, stable and beautifully glossy. This category brings together the essentials no cake workshop should be without: glucose syrup and dried glucose, royal icing, modelling paste, flower paste, CMC/Tylose powder, edible glue, meringue powder, isomalt, gum arabic, glycerine and Crisco shortening.
Which ingredient for which job?
- Glucose syrup keeps ganache, icings and sugar pastes supple and stops sugar from crystallising. It comes in sizes from 230 g to 1 kg and in a tube, with dried glucose as a powder.
- Royal icing in 450 g, 900 g and 4000 g is ideal for biscuits, lettering, lace work and gingerbread houses.
- Modelling paste, for example from Saracino Pasta in white, black, brown, red or pinkish beige, holds its shape for figures.
- Flower paste rolls out wafer-thin and dries hard, perfect for sugar flowers.
- CMC/Tylose powder, gum arabic and xanthan gum firm up or bind mixtures.
- Isomalt is used for crystal-clear decorations such as gems or water effects.
Tips for working with them
To model figures from ordinary rolled fondant, knead in a little CMC/Tylose powder, roughly one teaspoon per 250 g as a guide. The paste becomes firmer and dries faster. If fondant is dry and cracking, a little glycerine or Crisco makes it supple again and stops it sticking to your hands and tools. Join pieces with edible glue.
Mix dust and metallic colours with Sugarflair Rejuvenator Spirit to make a paint that evaporates quickly. Meringue powder lets you make royal icing without fresh egg white, and edible glaze spray adds a lovely shine at the end. You will find rolled fondant under Fondant and gum paste, more pastes under Gumpaste and matching colours under Food colouring.
Frequently asked questions about ingredients for cake design
What do I need glucose syrup for?
It makes ganache, icings and modelling pastes supple and prevents sugar from crystallising. Use dried glucose when a recipe calls for a powder.
What is the difference between modelling paste and rolled fondant?
Rolled fondant is soft and stretchy and used for covering. Modelling paste is firmer, holds its shape better and dries faster, ideal for figures.
How do I store mixed royal icing?
Cover it straight away with cling film or a damp cloth, as it dries quickly in the air. Keep unopened packs in a dry place.
See also: Sugar & glucose · Fondant tools · Edible decorations