Pastillage Recipe

If you are a cake decorator, you may find sometimes that fondant or gumpaste does not work in the topper that you wanted to make. Take for instance the airplane topper we made for this Lufthansa cake.
We wanted a material that would dry hard for the airplane wings and tails. We tried using gumpaste but due to time constraints, it did not dry hard enough. We researched and found out that pastillage could work better and dries harder and faster.

There are several pastillage recipes you can find on the net. Some requires gelatin, some cornstarch and cream of tartar. I didn't want a recipe that requires lots of mixing so I found my comfort in the recipe below which I found at sugarpaste.com

Ingredients:

• 1 pound powdered sugar (set aside 2/3 cup)
• 1 Tablespoon CMC powder (the original recipe called for gum mixture)
• 1/4 cup water

Procedure:

1. Grease the bowl, paddle/beater. On slow setting mix the powdered sugar and gum mixture.

2. Add water. Mix on slow setting.

3. Grease the work surface, pour 2/3 cup powdered sugar on work surface.

4. Grease hands with shortening. Put pastillage mixture onto sugar and knead very well. The pastillage can be used immediately. Any remaining pastillage can be kept in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic film and stored in an airtight container.

Take note, pastillage dries really fast so you have to work fast. Please keep unused portion covered in plastic wrap and work in small portions. You can use royal icing to attach your decorations together.

Pastillage is a great medium especially if you are working on intricate and fine details. I used it for the Lufthansa cupcake topper below.


Feel free to leave your comment or if you have a recipe and experience to share.