Modelling paste goes quite dry and cracks

Welcome to CakesDecor. I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer, but I’m sure that someone from our members will be able to help you with this ;)

Thank you for replying @Michal, hopefully someone may be able to help me 😊.

what kind of modeling paste do you use? Do you keep it covered completely when not working on it?

I keep mine in a Ziploc and just take out a small piece at a time to work on (so the face, then the arms etc.)

But I find it depends on the brand as well (or is it a recipe?). The one I have purchased often is the Satin Ice gumpaste. I find it easy to work with but it does not dry quickly enough. So I purchased some tylose powder, either use a little added to the satin ice or a good bit added to home made marshmallow fondant.

There are also tons of recipes out there. I’ve been told the Nicholas lodge recipe is great but I haven’t gotten around to trying it out yet! I may try it for my next cake.

https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/nicholas-lodge-gumpaste-recipe/

Hi Coffelover,
I’ve been using renshaws modelling paste. I’ve not tried making my own, but I’ll give it a shot.

I’ll start putting it in ziplock bags thank you. Thank you for the link I will deffo look now, and thank you for taking the time to reply to me 😊.

Hi Shaz

ok so it looks like the Renshaw is the UK modeling paste.. I did a search and it seems Nicholas Lodge says this is like his recipe, but available commercially .. so I’m sure it should be good and not crack!

Maybe if you try the Ziploc bag or plastic wrap to keep the air off it and also you could grease your hands with a small bit of shortening to see if that would help!

I’ve had good success with satin ice being smooth/not cracked but like I said it is too soft and takes too long to dry! so then I get drooping issues. Maybe I will buy some of the renshaws to see if I like it! Although since I’m in the US it may be harder to find.

Good luck with your modeling!

Your modeling paste/gumpaste should be smooth, supple and have some elasticity and stretch. You should be able to pull your gumpaste and it stretches a bit before it breaks. If it doesn’t, you should knead in a bit of shortening/trex. And a little bit of glycerin too, if you have it.

Hi Shaz and welcome. I actually use the Wilton fondant mixed with tylose powder for my modeling. It does not crack and gives me plenty of time to work with it. I put 1tsp of tylose to 1 lb of fondant. Good luck with your baby.

Hello Shaz, and welcome. I, too, find gum paste / modeling paste too dry for making figures. Either it drys too fast or I am too slow and I suspect the later to be the case. You could use fondant with a small amount of Tylose powder added. It will take a lot longer to dry, but it will also give you more working time. Personally, I always use modeling chocolate, but it takes some practice.

June Thank you for that advice. Sounds great and I will try adding some Trex for sure . I will let you know how I get on when I start tomorrow 🙂.

Jennifer I will also try the Wilton fondant and mix with the tylose powder for sure, great getting fees back from you all 😊. Thank you once again .