Hi all!
New to the forums here and looking for some advice... I'm having some trouble with my gumpaste. No matter what I do, after I form/make my decoration, let it dry, put it on the cupcakes, put them in the boxes, the gumpaste droops!
I've tried putting it in the fridge but once removed, it droops. I've tried leaving it out overnight, in a delivery box, and it droops.
What am I doing wrong?? So frustrating!
I live in South Eastern Massachusetts and it's incredibly hot and humid right now but I DO have central a/c in my home....
Thoughts???
TIA,
Caroline
AI'm in Massachusetts too. Things have taken more time to dry in this weather but I haven't had that problem. What kind of gumpaste are you using. I use the Wilton mixed with my MMF fondant. I have found that if I put it in the oven with the light on it helps them dry a lot quicker.
AThat is strange. I have never had a problem with Satin Ice. Maybe you got a bad batch? I have never put gumpaste in the fridge.
Maybe that's it. Maybe I shouldn't be putting them in the fridge at all?? Although, these last decorations, I didn't at all and they were droopy this morning. I dunno. Thanks for your input, everyone. Looks like someone's getting a discount on their cupcakes today! ;)
I'm using "Satin Ice"??
Even if they're completely dry when I put them on my cupcakes, it still happens. I can make them, put them in a baggie and put them in my fridge and they stay fine. Once the decorations are on the frosting, they droop. :(
Don't ever store them in the refrigerator. Are you holding them there after their completed, than taking them out into room temp. to put on your cakes and than re-refrigerating? If you live in a high humidity area you can't do that. Keep the gum paste out of the fridge completely.
The wilting in the cake box at room temp. could be because your cupcakes were cold and humid when you put the flowers on and closed the box. You sealed in the humidity. Let the cake get to room temp. before putting on room temp. gum paste décor, than put it on your cake and close the box.
You'd think your air conditioning would help but it doesn't always. The thing is you've got sooo much humidity nce that your cooler can be almost damp inside. Having a lot of produce/fruit/veg.s adds to the moisture level in your cooler. The cooler is far more damp/humid than your air conditioned house.
Yep, making, putting in the fridge, removing and putting into cupcakes, usually returning to the fridge for storage until client picks up and THEN removing once again.
Cupcakes/cake are usually room temp when I put the decorations on. But I see what you're saying. From now on, I will not put my gumpaste/fondant decorations in the fridge.
Now I have a follow up question: is it ok to leave cupcakes out over night (in delivery boxes) with gumpaste decorations? I feel like they need to be refrigerated overnight prior to pick up.
Can you tell I'm new to using gumpaste? LOL....
AThat would explain it! I rarely put cakes in the fridge, never cupcakes. It is either room temperature or freezer. I find the fridge to be the destruction of good cake.
Cakes and cupcakes only need to be refrigerated if they are perishable. The fridg. doesn't prolong their shelf-life at all. Keeping them well sealed is what keeps them moist. Most butter cream frostings are shelf stable too.
If you want to keep them refrigerated over-night, wait and put décor on last minute.
Sugar is hygroscopic, which means that it attracts moisture to itself. If you put gumpaste on a cake in a box the gumpaste will pull the moisture from the icing right into it and it will get saggy, regardless of whether the cake is at room temp or cold. It's worse in the refrigerator because that's a more humid environment than an air conditioned room. it's also worse in humid or rainy weather, because there's just going to be more moisture in the air. If you wait to put the gumpaste on until as close to delivery as you can it should be fine. If it's not sealed up in a box there would be more airflow around it, and it might not sag or be as likely to sag as much.
There are so many recipes for what people refer to as "gumpaste," it's hard to tell which ones will hold up. What I've found is that if they have gelatin or egg white in them they'll hold up better than the commercial ones that are all gums. I don't think that SatinIce has anything other than gums in it, so it's probably more susceptible to moisture.
This has happened to us as well! We think it was due to humidity. We also use Satin Ice...
couldnt have said it any better. I read somewhere that unless you purchased one of these fridges with humidity control its going to be the most humid place in. you home or bakery. putting it in the fridge will only make it worse. I live in a humid country by the seaside. all store bought gumpaste softens even without rain even if i make it stiffer with tylose and more cornstarch. even fondant sometimes softens up on an all shortening buttercream. it is really a challenge. i'm yet to make gumpaste from scratch
The only gum paste I use is the Wilton's premade stuff. Since gum paste is not really made to be eaten (though it is edible...it tastes like bleh), I don't spend a lot of money on it. I use the 40% off coupon you can usually find at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I have never had a wilting problem with an item if it is completely dry. But then I've never kept them very long on a cake in the fridge.
There is no reason to refrigerate your gum paste flowers or figures. Make them well in advance and keep them covered (away from bright direct light --especially fluorescents if you are using bright colors). Once a gum paste item has dried it is light and very hard and they keep forever.
Becauses colored gum paste can dry lighter than say fondant or your buttercream, I will go over them with a mix of lemon extract and gel color to deepen and match any colors that need to be matched. (Had to do that with a purple ball cap brim to match the purple buttercream).
Anyway, that's my Gum paste 101 crash course. Love the stuff. Oh...and that tip about keeping them in your oven with just the light on does work...just make sure your husband doesn't come in behind you and turn the oven on to 350! Not pretty!
I only use wilton or nick lodge recipe. sometimes i use half wilton and half nick lodge. I love both. Never , never have a problem with wilton. No one eats hard g/p. at least i never have. don,t wont to break a tooth or whatever. I just put my decos in front of fan and soon they are dry. I have put fondant/g/p peices in oven on low and get them to dry faster. good luck with your projects .
really?? wilton doesnt work where i live. then again its a mystery as to what works because ive bought flowers from the US completely dry and they melt within two weeks of being here. if i make anything with gumtex bet you bottow dollar it turns to syrup lol. they few pieces i see that work here the baker wont give the recipe or tips to get it to work. everything is different here. sucks
I only use wilton or nick lodge recipe. sometimes i use half wilton and half nick lodge. I love both. Never , never have a problem with wilton. No one eats hard g/p. at least i never have. don,t wont to break a tooth or whatever. I just put my decos in front of fan and soon they are dry. I have put fondant/g/p peices in oven on low and get them to dry faster. good luck with your projects .
The Nic Lodge recipe that he has on Craftsy isnt his original one. It's closer to a pastillage, which is more brittle. I found a recipe that he used in the ********** book we used in culinary school, and it's a more traditional one that has gelatin in it. I like it better than the Craftsy one, and it dries harder than fondant with tylose in it. I made some seashells from fondant with tylose and some with the original N.L. recipe, and put them in the same container after they dried. It's been really humid here, and when I went to get some of them the fondant ones had totally softened up to the point where I had to put them out on a tray again to re-dry them, but the N.L recipe ones were just as hard as they had been to begin with.
oh for pete's sake, I hate that little censorship, it makes me look like I'm cursing up a storm. The recipe was in his book called the International School of Sugar Craft but with the last word one word not two.
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