Love to eat cake? If so, chances are you are no longer unfamiliar with the flower decoration on the surface of the cake which, although it looks sturdy, is actually edible. What is that decoration made of? Most likely, the cake decorations or decorations that you have often seen are made of gum paste, a kind of icing or sugar fondant that is added with food coloring. Generally, gum paste is made from a mixture of egg whites, powdered sugar, and a safe-to-eat hardening powder called tylose, although many cake makers prefer to use gelatin instead of egg whites. Although gum paste can be purchased at various grocery stores and large supermarkets, actually making it yourself at home is not difficult, you know! Interested in trying it? Come on, read this article to practice your hand skills in making cake decorations!
Ingredients
Making a Basic Gum Paste Recipe
- 4 egg whites
- 1 kg. fine granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp. tylose
- White butter (for greasing hands)
Will yield: About 900 grams of gum paste
Making Gum Paste with Gelatin
- 120 ml cold water
- 2 packs (2 tbsp.) gelatin
- 2 tbsp. white butter + a little white butter to grease hands
- 80 ml corn syrup
- 1 kg. fine granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp. tylose
Will yield: About 900 grams of gum paste
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making a Basic Gum Paste Recipe
Step 1. Beat 4 egg whites that have gone through the pasteurization process for 10 seconds at high speed
Prepare 4 eggs, then separate the yolks and whites. Pour the egg whites into the mixing bowl, then attach the mixer provided. Then, beat the egg whites on high speed for 10 seconds, or until they are completely crumbly in texture.
- The mixer on the mixer is able to break down the egg whites evenly without making the texture too stiff when beaten.
- Since egg yolks are very rich in fat, make sure not to get any of the yolk mixed into the egg whites. Be careful, the fat content in egg yolks can prevent the egg white from hardening when beaten.
Step 2. Lower the speed of the mixer to the lowest option, then gradually add 875 grams of powdered sugar to the mixer bowl
If the sugar is poured all over immediately, the egg whites will shrink in texture and make it hard to harden. In fact, the main factor that can make the texture of gum paste feel supple is the egg whites which are a little stiff and harden when shaken. That's why it's best to gradually pour in the sugar, about 125 grams at a time. Wait until the sugar is completely mixed with the egg whites before adding the amount again.
- Sift the sugar and make sure the surface of the sugar is completely flat when measured in the measuring cup. Do that so that the end result of the recipe is always consistent!
- Set aside the remaining 125 grams of sugar for later use.
Step 3. Stir in sugar and eggs on medium speed for 5 minutes
Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed of the mixer and continue to mix all the ingredients until smooth peaks form when you lift the mixer. Ideally, the color of the dough will also look glossy white when this condition has been reached, approximately after the dough has been kneaded for 5 minutes.
The consistency of the sugar and egg mixture should resemble that of soft-serve ice cream or royal icing at this point
Tip:
Try adding 2-3 drops of food coloring to the batter if you want to make decorations of the same color!
Step 4. Sprinkle 4 tbsp
tylose, then stir the dough again until the texture is lumpy. Usually, it takes about 2 minutes for the tylose to harden the egg mixture. If the mixer starts to choke before the entire portion of tylose has been added, try increasing the speed. Once all the ingredients are mixed, the dough should be stiff and sticky, but still soft, roughly like stiff butter cream.
In some places, tylose is also known as gum tragacanth or gum-tex
Step 5. Grease both palms with white butter
Since the gum paste dough will feel very sticky at this stage, don't forget to coat your palms with a layer of white butter before kneading it. In addition to preventing the dough from sticking to your hands, white butter can prevent the dough from cracking when the texture starts to dry out.
Adjust the amount of white butter to suit your needs, but generally, about tbsp. white butter is enough to grease two palms
Step 6. Place the dough on the kitchen table which has been sprinkled with the remaining powdered sugar
Take the remaining 125 grams of powdered sugar, then pour it on the kitchen counter or other flat surface. Then, take the dough out of the bowl and place it on top of the powdered sugar. In this way, the sugar will be more easily mixed with the gum paste mixture.
To make the kitchen counter easier to clean later, try kneading the dough on a silicone mat
Step 7. Knead the gum paste until it has a pliable and hollow consistency
Once all the sugar has been mixed in, the gum paste should feel a little pliable when touched with your fingers. In addition, the surface of the gum paste will look a little pockmarked instead of smooth and even.
Add a measure of powdered sugar if the texture of the dough feels too soft or wet
Step 8. Put the gum paste into a plastic clip bag, then store the bag overnight in the refrigerator
So that the gum paste texture hardens and the consistency is right for decoration, please put it in a plastic clip bag, then remove all remaining air from the bag before closing it tightly. After that, store the container in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
- Let the gum paste sit on the counter for 30 minutes to cool it down and soften the texture before using it.
- Leftover gum paste can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for 6 months or more.
- Freeze gum paste if you want to keep it longer than 6 months.
Method 2 of 2: Making Gum Paste with Gelatin
Step 1. Combine cold water and 2 packs of gelatin in a heatproof bowl
Basically, gelatin is made of granules that must first be softened in order to dissolve in the dough. That's why gelatin needs to be mixed with water until it softens in texture, about 5 minutes, before being mixed into the dough.
- Generally, each pack or pack will contain about 1 tbsp. gelatin.
- If you soak it in hot water, chances are that the gelatin will expand too quickly. As a result, some of the gelatin will not be able to dissolve in the dough and risk ruining the final texture of the gum paste.
Step 2. Add the white butter and white corn syrup to the gelatin
To practice this recipe, you will need to prepare about 2 tbsp. white butter and 80 ml white corn syrup; both need to be warmed before being mixed into the gelatin. The easiest way to do this is to combine the two in a bowl, then warm the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds.
The warm temperature will help the corn syrup to mix more easily into the batter
Step 3. Warm the gelatin solution in the microwave for 20-30 seconds
After 20-30 seconds, remove the bowl and stir in the gelatin solution until all the ingredients are well combined. If the white butter has not completely melted, reheat the gelatin solution at 5 second intervals until the butter is completely melted.
Since the solution will only warm up for a short time, please use the most standard microwave temperature. Be careful, too long heating the gelatin can burn it and ruin the texture
Step 4. Pour 750 grams of powdered sugar into a bowl, then make a small hole in the center of the bowl
Measure out 750 grams of powdered sugar, and make sure the surface of the sugar in the measuring cup is completely flat before pouring. Once the sugar is in the bowl, use your hands to make a small hole in the center of the bowl.
Step 5. Gradually pour the gelatin solution into the holes, stirring constantly during each pouring process
Slowly pour the gelatin, white butter, and corn syrup solution that you prepared earlier into the hole you just made. After pouring in about 1/3 of the liquid, stop and stir all the ingredients until well combined. Then, add 1/3 of the liquid again and repeat the kneading process, before adding the last 1/3 of the liquid to the mixture.
Step 6. Mix the remaining sugar with 3 tablespoons of tylose on the kitchen counter
In this recipe, the tylose needs to be mixed with the remaining 250 grams of powdered sugar. Please pour the sugar and tylose with the recommended amount on the kitchen table, then mix it directly with your hands.
If you want, the remaining sugar and tylose can also be mixed in a bowl first, before pouring it onto the kitchen table
Step 7. Grease both palms with white butter, then remove the dough from the bowl
At this stage, the texture of the dough will feel very wet. That's why, you must first grease your palms with extra white butter so that the dough doesn't end up sticking to your hands when you take it out. Place the dough on top of the prepared powdered sugar and tylose mixture.
Step 8. Add the remaining sugar to the dough
Manually, push and roll the dough until the sugar and tylose are well combined, creating a pliable dough texture. The longer you knead, the texture of the dough should feel softer, pliable, and not too sticky.
If the dough still feels sticky after all the sugar has been added, please add a measure of powdered sugar, about 15 grams in one pour
Tip:
If the mixer is equipped with a kneading device, feel free to use it instead of kneading the dough manually.
Step 9. Wrap the gum paste with plastic wrap, then store overnight in an airtight container
Unlike the first recipe, gum paste dough without egg whites does not need to be left overnight in the refrigerator so that the texture hardens. However, you still need to let it sit for 8 hours to overnight in an airtight container, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Don't forget to put the container in an area with minimal distractions, OK!
