I was just reading Earlene's info on how to make fondant pearls and was wondering if anyone has ever made them from gumpaste and how they turned out.

I've always done mine with fondant. I imagine that gumpaste would be very hard and not very tasty.

I make them with fondant, and I hand roll them, I don't use the forms. I like them because they hold their shape and they still don't get rock hard and keep for a long time, I have some from a year ago that are still fine.
Hugs Squirrely

The ones that I made for my son's wedding cake I also hand rolled no mold, and they are so beautiful. I started months in advance as I have a full time job, and need to get ahead of the game.

O.K. so I see fondant is the better choice here. Now I am wondering has anyone made these with MMF?

Well, all I have heard about marshmallow fondant items, is that they do harden up more and that they do not store as well for as long a period of time. I don't make things from it unless it is for within a week or two, perhaps others will comment.
Hugs Squirrelly Cakes

The only time I ever worked with MMF was for a Mothers Day Cake for my Mom, what a disaster (I thought). My mom loved it and thought that it look very good, but Mom's have to say that. I haven't used MMF for pearls. I hope someone here on this site will tell of there experiences.

hi! i've tried making pearls by hand using marshmallow fondant and it was ok...i made them the same rday i decoated the cake, haven't tried storing them for a long time 'though...would probably be ok.

I haven't made MMF yet but I want to do this soon ... I don't see why it couldn't be done... if you use some cornstarch and not shortening on your surface, they should dry for you ... I've heard of some people who roll their fondant out using a rolling pin with guides on the ends that would get your fondant all the same level (Wilton makes a small one like this) then using a round decorator tip, like a 10, 11 or 12 as a cutter then rolling them from the circle you cut out ... you get a more even look to all the pearls... there are also molds available that you could use too

This is what I do all the time and it works perfect..I used this on all my cakes, as you can see on My Photos... do it,, it will work for you too..
and it's really easy

It will work, no question there, just how long can you store them? Many of us have found that marshmallow fondant items don't store as long or as well as regular rolled fondant. Plust it tends to get really hard. Or sometimes it slimes out after a period of time.
Hugs Squirrelly

I'm sure regular fondant would work fine .. I'm sure any fondant would get kind of hard after sitting up if done too far in advance... since it's such a small piece of fondant to begin with, I think it would probably be hard when it dried out whether it was MMF or regular fondant though .. good luck with whichever one you choose to use

I've made a lot of things from MMF. Never had it get hard enough to break your teeth on. Just kinda gets tough and chewy more than anything else. I don't know how pearls would be over a long period of time but I think I will experiment with it and see. Never hurts to try.

Thanks, ntertayneme for what sounds like a great way to get uniform pearls and other balls. I never would have thought of that!

Ali

Okay, kind of a strange question/idea.  Has anyone tried "stringing" their hand rolled fondant pearls?  I was thinking if I string them, then they will be easier to place and remove.  Thoughts?

I did a cake with a bunch of strung gumpaste and fondant pearl and jewels, and it can be done. use a quilting needle or a beading needle because they're thinner than a regular sewing needle, and let the pearls set up a little but so that they don't get distorted. If you use a really soft material to make them they'll end up getting squished if you press on them while you're stringing them, so you have to be careful.

Here's a link to a photo of  the cake...This was done on buttercream and it was a %&^$ to set up. If you string beads do it for a fondant cake unless you're just going to put them around the base of the tiers. The strung beads get heavy and will dig into the edges of the tier when you put the string on it if the cake is covered in buttercream. https://www.facebook.com/acaketoremember/photos/pb.92855088670.-2207520000.1416608269./10152144756253671/?type=3&theater

Thanks!

AI once made a rosary for a baptism cake for my niece and I used a 50/50 gumpaste and fondant mixture. I rolled it out and used the circle cut out so they would all be uniform size then I rilled them into little balls. I left them to harden for a few minutes on a foam pad and then went back and poked a hole through with a brand new needle. Once they were fully dried I rolled them in a container with some luster dust and strung them together using fishing line. It worked perfectly.