Gum Paste Tutorial

So gum paste was probably the best invention ever when it comes to cake decorating. You can mold it, but if you leave it to dry it goes rock hard. You can pre-colour it, you can paint it, you can airbrush it, and you can even dust it. This recipe was given to me in my wedding cake decorating class by Chef Klara Johnson. She swears by it, and it works perfectly everytime for me so I really wanted to share it. I took some pictures to go with it so I could create a step by step tutorial. Enjoy!

In a small bowl measure out 50g (1/4 cup) of warm water.

Add 8g (1 tbsp) of meringue powder. Set Aside.

In a separate bowl measure out 25g (2 tbsp) of cold water.

Add 7g (2 1/4 tsp) of gelatin to the cold water. Set aside and allow to bloom.

Measure out 425g (3 3/4 cups) of icing sugar, 30g (1/4 cup) of cornstarch, and 10g (1 tbsp) of gum tragacanth.

Sift them together into your mixing bowl.

Attach the paddle attachment to your mixer.

Measure out 15g (1 tbsp) of shortening.

Measure out 15 g (2 tsp) of liquid glucose.

In a double boiler heat the gelatin mixture until clear, be careful not to overheat.

Add the shortening and liquid glucose to the melted gelatin. Return to the double boiler if needed.

Turn your mixer on and keep it on from now on till the end. Add the gelatin mixture and 3 tbsp of the meringue mixture. Continue to mix the ingredients till they have become incorporated. If the paste is too dry add more of the meringue mixture. Increase the speed and mix for 3-4 minutes until the paste seems stringy as it comes away from the side of the bowl.

It should look something like this once its done mixing.

Remove the paste from the bowl and kneed in a small amount of shortening until the paste has smoothed out.

Cover with plastic wrap and put it into a zip-lock bag. Refrigerate for 24 hours before use, it needs to cure.

Directions for Use:

- Bring to room temperature and knead the required amount of shortening until soft and pliable.

- Roll out thinly on a non stick board lightly dusted with cornstarch.

- Use paste or gel colours to tint.

Storage:

- Refrigerate unused portions.

- Keeps for three months in the refrigerator.

- Freezable for up to six months.