So after work I stopped by Walmart to get a few things. As I was walking by the bakery area, they had some cakes set out for sale w/a gumpaste flowers on top. On the top of the plastic cake box was a warning sticker. It said that the gumpaste flowers were not to be ingested. I thought "Oh great, more "helpful" information for cake muggles!!

Ok, here comes the dumbest question ever asked on this site:

You mean you CAN eat gumpaste flowers?

Yes you can... although a lot of commercially produced gumpastes don't taste very good, they are still technically edible. The recipe I use for gumpaste flowers (Ron Ben-Israel's recipe) is actually not bad to eat and many people do wind up snacking on flower petals along with the cake.

You saw those TOO? What the..?! $8 bucks for an 8" round with a Gp flower!?

I almost snapped a pic with my phone (James Bond style), just for kicks, and to share with people who say "I can get those for $8 at Walmart", because most of these had the icing cracking at the top edges and FALLING OFF THE CAKES. But the GP looked pretty good...

*snicker!*

Although Gumpaste is edible and the colors are edible or non toxic, it's not really palatable. Which means gum paste generally doesn't have a flavor other than sugar.

Also take into consideration that floral tape and wire also add to the "ineditableness" associated with gum paste flowers.

Wal-mart has to put that warning on because they order their flowers from some place like Deco pac and they are put together with ribbon, tape, and wires so technically they are no longer edible decorations.

hope that helps.

I would so love to see this cake as well as all the other walmart cakes I keep reading about, but none of the walmarts near me have a bakery!! someone take some pictures! i wanna see! lol no really, please!?!

No...really...you don't want to see these...

I felt bad that they were even OUT for sale. I mean, they had a couple where the icing (it looked sorta like fondant, but maybe it wasn't?), had cracked at the top edge and actually slid down off the side of the cake, so there's this part of bare cake sticking out, and the icing is all bunched up at the bottom like a pair of too-long pants.

I wondered if you could take them to the counter and get a better deal, (than $8!?? LOL), like if you find a shirt on the rack with a rip, and they give you a bit of a discount because it's already damaged...?

Like Tim Gunn would say: "SAD"

I have never seen a Walmart with a bakery (I live in Canada) but as for the gumpaste decorations. My kids are famous for eating mine when I leave them out to dry. It is not uncommon for my to get up in the morning to find a bite out of each one. LOL And I've told them many times that they are not edible.

" It is not uncommon for my to get up in the morning to find a bite out of each one. LOL And I've told them many times"
Tanyamudge, that is so funny. I have to hide my fondant all the time. my kids are like vultures.

I WISH that my Wal-Mart had that! How funny.

My kids are always eating my fondant too. I get a lot of "Is that an extra one?" LOL!

The reason the icing is falling off those cakes is because they come in pre-iced frozen and as they thaw the icing slides off.

I have started to hide my fondant too. The worst was when I was taking a gumpaste flower course and had been making my flowers all month and on the very last day of the course when we were going to put them all together my kids decided to have a feast. I cried that day but I can laugh about it now.

I couldn't believe it either when I saw them. I should go back to take a pic. The icing was cracked........a few of them actually had the icing slide off the side altogether.....yet with a perfect orchid or stargazer lily right on top. The ones at my wal-mart were $6.95 and they had at least 40 to pick from. white or light pink?

My question is ..are they really gumpaste???maybe they are made in cold porcelain. Cause even though gumpaste doesnt taste great, it is edible..
Edna

I saw these cakes too...and most of them had cracks in the icing.

I made a cake for my cousin's birthday and it had gumpaste flowers. I told my mama to tell everyone not to eat the flowers and decorations. But when she came home she told me every bit of the cake was eaten. somebody even took the ruffle border I made out of gumpaste and ate it. I guess some people just like sugar LOL

I saw those too. My son who is 15 and I both stopped and laughed at the same time!!!

I have seen these cakes at my walmart, and I agree they look silly. This super simplistic cake with icing pretty much "slapped" on there, topped with this sugar flower of perfection .... it just looks super out of place. My 16 year old says they look like a diamond ring on a paper mache hand.

I saw the Walmart man wheeling them from the frpnt of the store to the backroom. So I don't know if they were just overstocked in the front, or if they are going to pick the gumpaste flowers out.

I saw those, too! Right next to the spring "sheep" and "chicken" "cakes". I wanted to take a picture, too.....perfect for cake wrecks! My 5 year old could probably do just as well, if not better on those!!!

I saw them too, you know that they get pre made flowers from a machine and not by hand. They probably get them for dirt too,... oh well.

Someone please take a picture of these cakes....I want to see one too...

I try to avoid Wal-Mart as much as possible (WAY too crowded for my taste), but now my curiosity is peaked.

Alright there should be a prize for the first person to post a photo.

...hhummm I wonder If I should buy a few of those cakes (I haven't seen them yet though) so I can store up some great looking gum paste flowers for a good price without shipping costs. What do you think? Will the flowers last a long time in strorage? The thought is growing on me. Maybe I'd better jump in the car and go take a look. Sounds kind of like a bargin on the flowers.

yes, please share this recipe. I saw these cakes last night and had to laugh too. They looked horrible. Perfect flower on top of a nasty colored cake. yuckie.

I just got back from wal-mart getting oreos, the ones here are 8.00 and cracked horribly, very sad little cakes, I feel bad for them! The sticker on the ones here are giant saying "do not eat"

I am headed thee to pick up contacts maybe I can get a pic with my phone