Gum Paste recipe

This post is long over due especially to the member of my website. I have sent the recipe to some of you by email but did not get a chance to publish this post as promised.

I personally love to use the gum paste recipe by Nicholas Lodge. I was introduced to it by Edna De La Cruz of Design me a Cake. She has a  video on you tube showing how to do it too.

It works great in summer and dries really hard too. The drawback with that 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 mad hunt for an edible gum paste recipe. I tried almost all recipes that are available on the internet. The most common complain I had was that due to the heat and high humidity in Israel the gum paste would stay soft and some times form molds or sticky after 2 to 3 days.

After several experiments I came up with this recipe and have now settled with this recipe that works great for me. It still used the same royal icing as a base but it's edible so I don't have to worry about any one eating it.  I use it for every thing that calls for gum paste. I even do my sugar model and figures with this gum paste.

I'm happy to share it with you all.

Ingredients
450 grams /4 cups Powder sugar approximate (1 pound)
2 tbsp Tylos / CMC
1 tbsp meringue powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tbsp vanilla or almond extract
3 to 4 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp veg shortening.

Method:
Have all your ingredients ready.

In a bowl  place 2 cups of powder sugar. Add the Tylos/CMC, cream of tartar and meringue powder.
Mix well.

Add 2 tbsp of warm water to the light corn syrup and mix thoroughly.
Add it to the sugar mixture and mix well.
The mixture might get a bit sticky and difficult to work but continue to work the meringue powder and tylos well.

Then add the last two cups of powder sugar.

If necessary add another tbsp of water.

 Continue to knead well. Do not add more water unless necessary.

 Eventually you will have a dough like so.

 Next, rub in the vegetable shortening until you have a nice smooth dough.

 Once you feel you have a smooth but elastic dough you can stop kneading.

 Its best to rest the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours before yo use it. It will firm up quite a bit.

Always wrap well in plastic wrap as well as in a zip  lock bag. Label and store in a sealed box.
Unless I need a large batch like this one; I divide my gum paste into 250 grams portions and store them separately. That way I use one portion at a time.

Storage

Like fondant, gum paste too should have a long shelf life if kept properly. This gum paste if sealed properly 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.

Having said the above, as a cake decorator I use my supplies faster. As a practice; I never store my gum paste or fondant for long at room temperature especially in summer.
I portion my stuff and bring one or two out from the fridge and it is usually used up in a day or week. So if you do store it for long please be kind and share your experience with my visitors.
Thanks in advance.

 Tip to using gum paste.

• take only what you need and keep the rest covered under plastic away from air.
• use vegetable shortening to knead and make it pliable before rolling, that way you won't have cracks. 
• Avoid using too much corn flour into your gum paste while rolling; it will make it brittle.
• when drying gum paste, do not touch too often wait for at least a day before you switch sides. Delicate flowers and figures can break with over touching.
• when coloring gum paste always use small amounts of gel paste with a tooth pick.

Have fun with gum paste. Its an art in itself.