Gum paste serves as an edible, clay-like medium for making flowers and embellishments.
A specialty sugar dough, gum paste is used to create decorations and embellishments on cakes and other pretty desserts. Gum paste flowers are especially popular, and culinary supply vendors carry a wide range of molds and other materials for making them. Making your own gum paste flowers provides you with a tasty craft project that will beautify special desserts and edible gifts.
Instructions
1. Scoop a 1 oz. chunk of gum paste and roll it into a ball with your palms to warm it and get it ready to be rolled. Place it on the sheet of waxed paper and roll it flat with the rolling pin.
2. Select a flower-shaped gum paste cutter. Place it firmly over the surface of the flat, rolled gum paste. Press down to cut out the gum paste in its shape. Repeat this step using the same floral cutter.
3. Place one of the flower cut-outs to the side. Use a small, sharp knife to cut the center and petals from the second floral cutout.
4. Fill a 4 oz. glass dish with lukewarm water. Dab a paintbrush into the water. Sweep the moistened paintbrush on the backside of each cutout petal from the second flower. Attach them gently to various parts of the intact floral cutout for a 3-dimensional effect. Attach the center of the cutout flower to the intact flower in the same manner. Let it air-dry for about two minutes before you continue.
5. Add a teaspoon of colored sugar dust to each empty receptacle of an ice cube tray. Use a different color in each hole. Add 1 oz. of water to each hole containing colored sugar to create a concentrated colored sugar dye.
6. Use the paintbrush set to create colorful effects on the gum paste flowers. To create attractive shading and texture, use a sharp knife to create the creases in the petals, and then sweep the paintbrush over the entire surface of the flower in the colors of your choice. The color dye will drip into the creases and darken to create a shaded effect. Let the gum paste flower dry for 10 minutes.
Tags: colored sugar, cutter Place, each hole, floral cutout, from second, paste flowers