Easy Homemade Gumpaste Recipe | Fast-Drying, Economical and Vegan
This easy homemade Gumpaste Recipe is adapted from Marion Frost’s recipe, also known as Mexican Paste. It consist of 3 ingredients; icing sugar, CMC and water. Icing sugar and water are basics. CMC is short form for Carboxymethyl Cellulose, which is a thickening agent obtained from tree trunks. They are powder form and are easily available in bakery ingredient shops. There are no gelatin or eggs, making it vegan.
Characteristics of the Recipe
- Fast drying and good in withstanding humid weather.
- Economical and uses only 3 ingredients.
- Shelf life of 2 weeks.
Gumpaste Recipe (easy and homemade)
Ingredients
- 250g icing sugar
- 3 tsp CMC powder
- 6 tsp water
Directions
- Sieve together 250g icing sugar and 3 teaspoon CMC powder.
- Add 6 teaspoon water.
- Knead until all water has been soaked up and forms a paste.
- If it is too dry at this stage, add another 1 teaspoon water.
- Wrap with clingwrap and rest for 2 hours minimum.
- Before use, microwave for 15 seconds to warm the dough, making it softer for easy handling.
Watch the video with subtitles “ON”. Timestamps are listed following the 6 steps, with tips along the way.
Addressing the topic of using gloves in the kitchen (also because I need to increase my word count…hehe). I keep my fingernails short, no nail polishes, no accessories and the kitchen sink is accessible, therefore I wash my hands more often compared to if I were to use gloves. Nobody washes hands with gloves, you have to change gloves and end up contributing to more waste just for aesthetic function. Only if you are dealing with hot food like blown sugar, then you need gloves, unless you are an oldtimer who has iron hands. My word count is done. 🙂
This is how I store my gumpaste (resting stage at Step 5), sometimes up to 2 weeks. Before using, warm in the microwave to soften (Step 6). Extra tip: knead in shortening to further soften if needed during the flower making process.
Shelf life is approximately 2 weeks. After that you will notice translucent patches on the gumpaste. That’s how you will know it has expired.
Whether its flower work, figurines (50 fondant: 50 gumpaste), silicone molds or cutters, I use it for everything that needs a harder version of fondant, ie. gumpaste.
How to Make Edible Glue/Gum
Related to the usage of CMC, below is a video on how to make edible glue. An essential mise-en-place for sticking anything onto fondant cake. I mix it in a bottle to prevent spillage.
