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Advice on using sugar paste

(7 Posts)
pinkannie Thu 07-Mar-13 23:17:09

Does anyone have any tips or advice about covering a cake with sugar paste icing? Smooth finish etc. Got to cover two cakes for twin grandchildren's party at the weekend - One a two tier wedding type cake and a pirate treasure chest! Have got some good ideas from the internet etc but just wondered if anyone here had any experience.
Tips on resisting the leftover sweet decorations etc would also be gratefully received!

LullyDully Fri 08-Mar-13 09:20:15

pour bleach over it at once!!! If I keep anything in the fridge for another day it goes!!! {no one else involved.}

Galen Fri 08-Mar-13 09:51:55

Dye it green, everyone knows that anything green is poisonous!
I never eat anything greengrin

gracesmum Fri 08-Mar-13 10:00:34

Stick it on with buttercream - then finish off the buttercreaam. This will make you feel so sick you won't be tempted by the sugarcream. Buy the sugarpaste, don't make it and once the cake(s) is/are finished and unlikely to need emergency repairs, throw the rest of the icing in the bin
(Remember to post pictures of the cakes on your profile page, first, thoughsmile)

pinkannie Fri 08-Mar-13 16:41:57

Just going to start the cakes now - I certainly have bought the sugar paste - if life is too short to stuff a mushroom it is certainly too short to make sugar paste!
It wasn't so much the sugar paste that I'm in danger of finishing off but any left over 'treasure bits' ie chocolate/sweets etc. I always buy far too many. Decided I will put leftovers in a box and give to husband to hide until the village fete (I'll have to make cakes for that) Isn't it annoing that he won't be tempted to eat any at all!
Sorry gracesmum posting pics is totally beyond my computer skills so unless daughter or son will do it...
Annie

GrandmaH Wed 20-Mar-13 11:22:50

It freezes very well.
I used to teach cake decorating & had loads of odd bits of colored paste left over which went hard & got wasted. Then I tried to freeze it & hey presto! Now I have lots of little bits ready for when I need the odd piece of black or navy blue for something. It defrosts quite quickly too & I have re- frozen it. After all it is only sugar which is a preservative.

As for a smooth finish- polish it with your clean hand over & over until it feels glossy to the touch- you can get a smoothing tool which work well but I still like to get the 'feel' of it. Always smooth upwards on the sides so you do not drag the paste downwards where the top of cake joins sides as that is when it splits.
Wonderful stuff but not worth making your own as all supermarkets stock good brands now.

pinkannie Wed 20-Mar-13 19:45:58

Thanks GrandmaH - its cetainly worth knowing that sugar paste can be frozen - I kept the 'bits' in the fridge for a while then chucked them. The cakes came out really well and the twins were delighted with them so that was the main thing! It was the first time I'd used suagr paste and would certainly do so again - much easier than butter icing!