Gumpaste may seem like something you would use on shoes or anything other than cakes, but you can actually use a gum paste to create beautiful flowers that can be put directly onto the cake or put onto sticks or wire to resemble real flowers. Gumpaste is a type of sugar dough that includes Gum Tragacanth, which makes the dough seem like a piece of gum—very stretchy, pliable and elastic. You can then turn the dough into any flower (or other item) you want.
Edible?
Most pastry chefs and connoisseurs of cakes prefer to only use edible options when decorating. While it is technically possible to eat gumpaste after it has hardened, it is frowned upon by many because it gets extremely hard and could damage teeth or the mouth. However, for competitions, gumpaste is an approved “edible” option to create flowers and other decorations.
Make or Buy?
Most pastry chefs prefer to make their own gum paste because they can control how much of each ingredient to get the items perfect. However, cake decorators may prefer to buy it premade so that they can focus on the decorating and not the making. Whether you make or buy at, you will have a wonderful concoction that can be used to create beautiful, realistic flowers.
If you prefer to make yours, you can find all the ingredients necessary at a cake-ingredient store or online shop. You will likely want to purchase edible adhesives, Gum Tragacanth, Glucose and possibly disco dust. You can also mix in food coloring to tint the items.
Tools Required
While you don’t necessarily need any tools, other than the ingredients to make the gum paste or the purchased tub of gumpaste, you may find it easier to use specific tools. You can essentially roll out the gum paste as you would normal cookie dough and use any metal cookie cutter. However, you can also use modeling tools, silicone molds or plastic cutters to create the look you want. If you are going for three-dimensional flowers, you will find that plastic cutters work well.
If you are making a lot of gumpaste flowers and decorations, you may want to invest in a gum-paste modeling tool set that includes nine different tools for flower pins and leaf/flower shaping. Fondant or gum-paste rolling pins may also come in handy.
