Can I Make Gumpaste Using Fondant And Gum Tragacanth?

Decorating By shelbell2482 Updated 31 Oct 2010 , 10:00pm by Coral3

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shelbell2482 Posted 29 Oct 2010 , 12:36pm
post #1 of 6

I want to make a black looped bow for my neices birthday cake in three days time.

I have never made gumpaste before, and I have read that using a 50 / 50 mix of fondant and gumpaste is the way forward.

I have the black ready made fondant (as making black from scratch is a nightmare) and some gum tragacanth.
Is there any way of making gum paste with these? I really didn't want to have to make the gumpaste from scratch, as not got the time, correct ingredients and having to colour it etc.

Does anyone have any ideas how to help me?? Is there any way of just rolling the gum trag powder into the ready made black fondant??

Thanx

5 replies
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snowshoe1 Posted 29 Oct 2010 , 12:52pm
post #2 of 6

Yes - you can add a little bit of gum trag into your fondant and it will dry nicely. I've done this in a pinch (I normally use mexican paste with gum trag as it dries so much nicer). You don't need to add much, just knead in about 1 tsp to a 1/2 lb. of fondant - IMO its got more power than tylose so you need to work faster.

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shelbell2482 Posted 29 Oct 2010 , 12:58pm
post #3 of 6

Excellent !

Thank you so much will give it a try and get back to you with results!!

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Ladyfish74 Posted 29 Oct 2010 , 1:06pm
post #4 of 6

shelbell,
I wouldn't use a 50/50 mix for a bow. It's great for figures but not for delicate things like bows or flowers. You can add gum trag to fondant to make gumpaste although it takes 24 hours to cure and tinges the fondant with a slightly yellow color. Use a pre-made fondant as homemade usually contains egg whites and will dry too fast, especially if you aren't experienced. I use Wilton mixed with Tylose. Tylose cures faster (10 minutes) and it's cheaper and doesn't tinge the fondant. I use it for bows and it works fabulously. I flatten the fondant to about 3/4 of an inch thick and then sprinkle an amount on the fondant that covers the top but not thickly. I knead it in with a little shortening, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. I test it by pulling it apart. It should make a popping sound. If it's still stretchy, I add a little more Tylose and let it sit again. Can you get tylose anywhere? It's just my personal preference for gumpaste. Since you don't have much time, I would let the bow loops dry on the rack for the first day and then slide them off and set them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or silicone paper. Be sure you set them down on their edges. Put them in a very warm place like a gas oven with just the pilot light on. Don't put them in a warm draft or they will collapse. This is what I do when I'm in a hurry and I always get compliments on my bows so I guess I must be doing something right. Hope this helps icon_smile.gif

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shelbell2482 Posted 31 Oct 2010 , 2:39pm
post #5 of 6

Snoeshoe: Tried the mix, seemed to work well, although I think i should've left them a little while longer (left them overnight) as a few of them broke when I moved them, but managed to salvage it.

Ladyfish: I was doing a black bow for a halloween birthday cake, so always buy the black as a nightmare to make. Think my local shop has tylose powder, will see next time I'm in there. I may have made them a little to thin, which would've also added to them being so fragile. Will definitely try your way next time. Thank you.

When I made my loop bow I realised that I should've shaped them more into points to enable it to have bow loops all over, as when I began to place them, they didn't seem to flow over (like a rainbow shape ) as they were pretty much horizontal loops laid on top of each other!! (Hard to explain without picture, will add the photo today so you can see what I'm on about!) Ended up having to put a well placed pumpkin on top as couldn't get the bows to go all the way over. But the end result was ok, and cake still looked nice.

Thanks for you help and tips, much appreciated.

A well earned lesson for next time x

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Coral3 Posted 31 Oct 2010 , 10:00pm
post #6 of 6

I regularly mix gum trag into fondant at about 1tsp per 500g of fondant, more if it's for a bright colour (softer) fondant. Just let it stand a few hours before using it so you actually get the benefit of the gum.

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