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Swear By: Scratch Gumpaste vs. Pre-made Gumpaste

post #1 of 17
9/10/12 at 6:00pm
Thread Starter 
I've been starting to use gumpaste more often and now I am faced with a slight problem.
When I started out with cakes, I bought Wilton Gumpaste (obviously, who didn't XD) I realized how unrefined and hard it was to work with, so I started making my own using Nicholas Lodges' recipe (yours basic gumpaste) but it is extra labor + inconsistent in results.

My question for you guys, do you swear by scratch gumpaste or by premade gumpaste? Maybe a doctored fondant?
I've heard great reviews of Massa Gumpaste, please share which gumpaste you use and why. Is it worth to spend the money and cut the labor out?

Thanks for your contributions! I appreciate it!
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post #2 of 17
9/10/12 at 6:33pm
Thanks for posting. I am going to try gumpaste leaves soon...and wondering what everyone's favorite recipe is as well.

I've only made marshmellow fondant pieces....would love to get a "delicate" look.
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post #3 of 17
9/10/12 at 6:43pm
I buy ready-to-roll fondant (Bakels) and mix in tylose powder as advised buy my local cake supply shop. Easy to work with and does what I need it to do. icon_smile.gif
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post #4 of 17
9/10/12 at 7:27pm
I love the Wilton pre-made gum paste for items that I want to dry very hard & very fast & I like being able to keep some on hand in the freezer for emergencies.

I love Nick Lodge's recipe for flowers & leaves.

For very delicate items, I love Platinum Paste because it dries almost translucent and stays flexible longer so that flowers can be positioned very naturally.

I love ChocoPan gum paste to mix with any pre-made fondant. It creates a beautiful product for draping and thin bows.

I love Wilton fondant with 1 tsp. of Tylose per pound for making figures and thicker decos that need to have supports or stand on their own.

I love Albert Uster's new fondant, FondArt. It, too, can have tylose mixed in (about 3/4 tsp./lb.) when needed.

Rae
I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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post #5 of 17
9/10/12 at 7:27pm
I make Nick Lodges or wilton premade(not the can). Teach with this at Michaels and the students love it and do great with it. Sometimes i mix Nick's and Wilton premade. Love it.hth
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post #6 of 17
9/10/12 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
The problem I run into with nick lodges gum paste is that when I attempt to thin out a petal with the ball tool on the wilton sponge, it does not roll over the surface, it rips right through. Anyone else experienced this?
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post #7 of 17
9/10/12 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dantherex

The problem I run into with nick lodges gum paste is that when I attempt to thin out a petal with the ball tool on the wilton sponge, it does not roll over the surface, it rips right through. Anyone else experienced this?



I don't really recommend the Wilton sponge for any specialized work.

It's OK in a pinch, but I really prefer the 2 sided yellow Cel pad. It's closed cell foam & non-stick.

http://order.nicholaslodge.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&zenid=56d689ffa864fb50bcfda53777ae7311&keyword=celpad

I guarantee you, it's not your paste, it IS the pad. Also, a metal ball tool is your best friend--much kinder to the paste than a plastic tool.

HTH
Rae
I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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post #8 of 17
9/10/12 at 8:26pm
Personally I use the Wilton pad currently, and I always had the same experience with the Nick lodge gumpaste. Exact same. Finally got fed up and switched to the Linda McClure gumpaste, and I never looked back!
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Prayer + Preparation + Perspiration = Success
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post #9 of 17
9/10/12 at 9:00pm
Yep, the pad makes all of the difference when working with Nick's paste.
No doubt that it's a delicate paste, but it yields great results.

Linda's recipe is very nice, too, but it is more complicated to make.

Rae
I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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post #10 of 17
9/11/12 at 12:59pm
Such great info on gumpaste. I tried figures with the wilton recipe for gumpaste. For my VERY first time working with gumpaste, I guess it went okay. I don't have much experience to measure against....

Since I still have the ingredients...maybe I'll give the wilton recipe another go for the leaves. I don't think they are too technical - - I should be fine.

But, thanks for all the tips & OP thanks for posting the question! Always something new to learn...
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post #11 of 17
9/11/12 at 1:55pm
I make my own and have tweaked the formula enough that it stays workable longer and isn't super fragile when it's dried, so I only use that. I used the Nick Lodge recipe in pastry school (it's just a traditional recipe I think) and tried it again recently. It's really nice to work with, but IMO it's too brittle when it dries. But I'd only use homemade, I wouldn't use commercial gumpaste. It's so much cheaper to make it yourself.
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post #12 of 17
9/11/12 at 6:48pm
I swear by Wilton pre-made gum paste for everything that needs to dry light, hard, and fast. I will mix a bit of fondant in to make figures because it dries so quickly and the fondant keeps it from doing it too fast. But I swear by it. It's especially great for bows.
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post #13 of 17
9/11/12 at 7:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlakesCakes

Yep, the pad makes all of the difference when working with Nick's paste.
No doubt that it's a delicate paste, but it yields great results.

Linda's recipe is very nice, too, but it is more complicated to make.

Rae


I used Lodge's GP for the first time 2 nights ago and it was a fragile mess. I used the celpad and a metal ball tool, no bueno. Whenever I tried to thin out the petal it would tear. Rolling it thin (with a rolling pin) was not a problem. The problem came when I tried to use the ball tool to thin out the petal.
Not sure what I did wrong. Maybe I need to add more PS when making the GP.

P.S. For the Celpad, when do you use the foam side vs the dark 'fabric' side?
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post #14 of 17
9/11/12 at 7:25pm
I soften petal edges on the light colored/softer/non-fabric side.

As long as the paste is properly made & rested, it should be fine. Try dipping the ball tool in some corn starch before using it.

If it's humid, cold, or the paste is sticky, it will tear. The corn starch helps to stop that.

Rae
I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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I love you, but your emergency is not my crisis!

They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it is not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance.--Terry Pratchett (b.194
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post #15 of 17
9/11/12 at 7:46pm
If you don,t have the cel pad, etc. You use the fun foam( michaels, etc. ) I teach with that at michaels. I don,t like the thin pink foam in the kits. I get different thickness. Really great to thin and stretch and ruffle, etc. any petal. The students work with the wilton paste and the fun foam great. I furnish fun foam for them and give it to them, until they want different. They have no trouble with the ball tool. Nick uses wilton ball tools in his class also. If it is good enough for NIck, it is good enough for me. lol!!! So try the fun foam for working your petals, leaves, etc.
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