Sugarpaste , also known as gum paste or rolled fondant is mostly used to cover cakes and cake boards as well as to make models and decorations. Sugarpaste can be made by hand, but is more often bought either plain white or pre-coloured. It has the consistency of bread dough meaning it is very easy to work with but when it dries it hardens making it a really useful material to work with. Regardless of what cake you are making, you will nearly always need to cover the cake drum  and / or cake with sugarpaste.

 

 

1. Make sure your work surface is clean and dusted with icing sugar or smeared with trex (or other similar white fat). This will help prevent the sugarpaste from sticking. Knead the sugarpaste until it becomes soft and pliable and any creases are removed.

2. Begin to roll out the sugarpaste, it will help if you have the sugarpaste in roughly the shape you require before you start rolling, for example a circle if covering a round cake board or a square shape for a square cake board. Start with the non stick rolling pin in the centre of the sugarpaste and roll away from you then rotate and keep repeating. This will prevent the centre from becoming to thin. To maintain a square shape turn the sugarpaste approx a quarter turn each time and for a circle turn the sugarpaste more often.

3. Try and keep even pressure across the non stick rolling pin as you roll, this will ensure you have an even thickness of sugarpaste . 

4. Keep checking the size of your sugarpaste against the cake board to ensure who have it large enough.

 

5. Once you have the sugarpaste in the correct size you will need to prepare the cake board. To do this you will need to clean the board with a little clear alcohol (soaked into a peice of kitchen), this will remove any dirt or bacteria. Next spread a little royal icing onto the centre of the board, which will keep the sugarpaste in place.

 

6. Next you will need to lift the sugarpaste into place which can be done by either sliding both hands (palms up) under the sugarpaste and gently placing on to the cake board, supporting it all the time so that it will not stretch. Or by using your rolling pin and placing it in the centre of the rolled out sugarpaste and then roll one side of the sugarpaste over the rolling pin. Support the sugarpaste with one hand and gently lift the rolling pin up and over on to the cake board, gently laying the sugarpaste down. 

7. Use a smoother / polisher tool in a circular motion to gently smooth the sugarpaste which will help push out any bubbles trapped under the surface making sure you have a smooth finished surface.

8 . Finally trim the excess sugarpaste from the cake board using a sharp knife, using the edge of the cake board as a guide. Set aside to dry. You can then attach a satin ribbon to the edge of the cake board to give a professional finish.