Cracks appearing in Sugarpaste: Usually the simple answer to this is that either, the paste hasn’t been kneaded enough or the consistency of the paste isn’t correct i.e. it is too soft and stretchy or it is too hard and dry.
Cracked/Crazed Sugarpaste
Kneading
The first thing you must always do when using sugarpaste/rolled fondant is to knead it to warm the paste to allow it to stretch. As you knead, you should see a change in the consistency of the paste it should become smooth and have some stretch
TIP: If your paste is particularly cold or hard, you can help this process along by popping the sugarpaste paste into a microwave for 10-20 seconds.
Consistency of the paste too soft and stretchy
This tends to happen when you colour our own sugarpaste and you have added a lot of paste colouring, although I have also found that sometimes when I buy in ready made coloured sugarpaste (I use M&B) this can also be the case.
The solution:
Knead some CMC (also known as Tylo powder and Tylose etc) into the sugarpaste and keep adding small amounts until the icing feels firmer – but of course don’t over do it!
Consistency of the paste too hard and dry
This tends to be true of certain brands of sugarpaste, we have found in our workshops that this can be particularly true of some batches of Regal Ice – don’t despair!
The solution:
Firstly try kneading in some white vegetable fat.
TIP: White vegetable fat (shortening) is often known by a brand name: in the UK, White Flora or Trex; in South Africa, Holsum; in Australia, Copha; and in America, Crisco. These products are more or less interchangeable in cake making.
If the paste is still too dry try add a little water – don’t over do this and only add when all else fails!
Hope this helps…..!
Lindy
This is really helpful as I’m a new and complete novice at sugar paste decoration. I, however, have the reverse problem of the paste being too soft and sticky (which you also give a remedy for) as I live in South Africa and the hot weather conditions (over 40 degrees today!) make it hard work to get the paste just right! Perhaps you could put me right about using icing sugar when rolling out sugar paste… I see you suggest white vegetable fat instead… is that correct? Do I just smear a thin layer on the board? As I have a problem getting the icing sugar off of the cake! Please bear with me here… I said I was new
I’m please you found our blog useful. Regards icing sugar, I only use this for making icings not for rolling out, as you say it tends to mark the sugarpaste and too much can also change the consistency of the icing causing it to become too dry. To roll out sugarpaste, I just smear a very thin layer of white vegetable fat over my worksurface and then roll out my paste.
Give it a try, I’m sure you’ll find it a lot easier!
Lindy
Hi Lindy,
I have covered fruit cakes with marzipan and sugarpaste before but now, for the first time need to cover a sponge with sugarpaste. What would you advise me to use between the sponge and sugarpaste? Would a butter icing crumb coating work or would you suggest something else?
Many thanks
Alena
I like to use buttercream as the ‘glue’ between my sponge cake and sugarpaste, as it fills any air holes and gives a nice smooth surface on which to place my sugarpaste. You can of course flavour the buttercream to compliament the flavourings in your cake.
You could also use jam as the ‘glue’, I’d advise boiling first, or if you have baked a lemon cake, try lemon curd – yummy, one of my favourites!
Good luck with your cake
Lindy
Thank you so much. I’ll give it a bash…
Hi i’m a complete beginner but have recently brought two of your books and am on my second cake! The problem i have is that when i put the icing onto the cake, on the top edges around the cake, it looks like stretch markes. It’s as if the weight of the icing hanging down the sides of the cake is too heavy. Is what i’ve descirbed ‘cracking’ of the sugarpaste.
Many Thanks
Sharon
Hi Sharon
It sounds like it is, although you may also be stretching the paste too much as you make it fit the cake – try not to push the icing down the sides of the cake but smooth the paste upwards with a cupped hand – I’ll write a post about this shortly.
Hi Lindy,
I have just started cake decorating and I am really enjoying it. My problem is this, i have iced a fruit cake and used marzipan then regal ice and my cake looked relativly smooth, but when I do a sponge cake using buttercream as the glue my cake never look smooth when complete. Is there something I am doing wrong?? I use a smoother(only 1) I was thinking about using a thin layer underneath before the final coating. Would this help? I would really appreciate your advice.
Many Thanks
Kelly
Hi
I’m new to sugarpaste aswell and shortly going to be trying to make my first cake with animals on (for my daughters first birthday). I had a trial run tonight which went ok but I got the ‘cracking’ so read your article with interest! Will try harder next time! I had a bit of a problem sticking the parts together, i.e. the cat’s feet to the legs, do you have any tips for this? I’m a complete novice so any help would be greatly appreaciated!
Marie
Hi Kelly
It doesn’t sound as if you are doing anything wrong, just make sure your icing is around 5mm thick – use spacers, it takes out the guess work! Obtaining a smooth finish comes with practice, making your buttercream crumb coat as smooth as possible will help. Regards adding a thin layer of sugarpaste beneath the final layer, yes by all means do this – Infact, if you do cover a sponge cake but are not happy with the finish, I’d always advise that rather than take the icing off, you add another layer of icing over the top.
Hope this helps
Lindy
Hi Marie
I’d advise you to make your self some edible glue – you can use water but glue is stronger – There are many recipes for edible glue, I’ll have to write a post on this subject! – but in the meantime all you need to do is take a little of your sugarpaste and mix water into it to make a thick glue – it works wonders!!!
Good luck with your first cake
Hi
When covering my cake square cake boards I find it cheaper not to cover the whole board with sugarpaste but after placing my covered cake on top to put sugarpaste around the base, my question is when doing this on a square board how do you smooth the icing so that the the joins in the sugarpaste dont show and it leaves a smooth finish
I do this as well sometimes, but what I do is to either texture the sugarpaste to hide the join or to incorporate the join into the overall design of the cake. With a square board I might create mitred corners or add equal length strips to each side – there are so many possibilities it really depends on the look you are going for. Alternatively you can smooth the icing using a smoother and the heat of your hand, it takes time and patience but you can make the join disappear. If this is what you wish to achieve, you must do it immediately before the icing starts to crust. Don’t rush it, as long as you are working the icing you have all day!!!!
Hope this gives you a few ideas
Lindy
hi lindy, where is the best place to leave the paste to set? I don’t know if the fridge would be a good place in this hot weather, thanks joanne
Put the decorated cake in a cardboard cake box and find a cool dry place to store it.
Hope this helps
hi lindy
i have just finished my first wedding cake and have quite a few cracks in it.So went on your site to find out why and i know i dont knead the paste enough so thanks for the advice,and also ive been keeping my paste in the fridge because our house is so warm.
hi please can you tell me if it is possible to put more than one layer of Regalice on a fruit cake i’m not entirely happy with the result of my iced fruit cake so far and if so how do you attatch it ?water?
kind regards
Hi Maggie
Traditionally fruit cakes are covered with a layer of marzipan and then a layer of sugarpaste but if you don’t like marzipan then two layers of sugarpaste are fine. Marzipan is usually attached to a cake using warm apricot glaze; the marzipan is then brushed with a clear alcohol, such as gin or vodka, to stick the sugarpaste layer.
Hope this helps
Lindy
Have been reading this blog and found it really helpful, however I have a problem at the opposite end of the scale, and really hoping someone can help me. I am decorating a cake for a friend and the weather here has been very warm and muggy but extremely wet, so the problem I’m having is that my icing has gone very sticky and ‘wet’. What can I do, I’m starting to get really desperate! It doesn’t matter where I put the cake it’s not helping. I’ve had windows opened, heating on. Someone please help! Thanks, Siobhan
Somewhere warm and dry, see if you can borrow a dehumidifier. Sugarpaste doesn’t like moisture!
Hi Lindy
I’ve just decorated a 10″ madeira cake with buttercream and then a layer of fondant icing. However, the cake can’t have been even on the sides as the fondant icing looks a bit “see through” almost on part of the top edge of cake. I think I’ve over-smoothed it! The cake hasn’t come through completely but I was wondering about doing another thin layer of fondant on top. The first layer of fondant is now dry. Could I add another layer? Can I use a bit of water to stick it to the first layer? Also, how long can I leave it before I do some royal piping work on it (around the bottom) as I’m running out of time with it a bit!! Advice greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Lucy
Hi Lucy
Another thin layer of sugarpaste should work a treat. You could pipe immediately as long as the icing colours are more or less the same.
Hope this helps
Lindy
Just been reading the comments on here cracking sugarpaste and oh boy, think I have just about encountered all the problems mentioned here, at some time or another! Starting to despair that my icing will never look smooth!! Just iced a cake this morning and I can only describe the icing looking similar to a lizard’s skin!!!
Hello, I have a fruit cake to decorate for a Christening and was wondering how far in advance of the christending I should cover it with marzipan and sugarpaste
many thanks
Hi Sue
With a rich fruit cake you have plenty of time, in fact we usually recommend keeping a rich fruit cake for at least 3 months to allow the cake to consolidate and ease carving. Once a fruit cake is covered it will also keep very well, although if it is stored over a long time, I’m talking many months here, white icing will tend to discolour slightly.
Hope this answers your question
Lindy
Just found this website and can say that I am finding it very usefull. I have found the answer to my problem by reading through other peoples questions. Thanks Lindy, I think I will be tuning in alot in the future.
Hi Lindy
I have bought two of your books and have really gotten into cake decorating. I am still not at a level that I would be confident in making a cake for anyone other than family but I am really enjoying it and find it a good way of relaxing. My question is when I am cutting thin strips of sugar paste to edge a building block cake for example I find it difficult to keep the shape of the strips they dont stay the same width, can you help. I live in Northern Ireland and would love to go to one of your workshops, have you any plans to visit NI and put on a workshop. Regards Brian
Hi Brian
Great to hear you are enjoying cake decorating so much. Regards cutting thin strips of sugarpaste you basically can’t because by it’s very nature it is too soft. What you need to do is make the paste stronger by adding some gum, see my blog post on this as I think this will help.
Lindy
this is a really good site am going to keep it on my favorites as I have just started making cakes my self and have come across some of the same problems (Cracking on the icicg) my self.all comments are helpful.
Carol
I shall be making my daughters wedding cake and need help!cakes will be madeira, choc mud and carrot-all covered with buttercream and fondant.How far in advance can i ice these cakes(they will have been previously frozen.
Hi Elaine
The Madeira cake and chocolate mud can be iced up to about a week in advance, when I was making a lot of wedding cakes, my cakes were always covered on Monday and Tuesday before Saturday weddings. Regards Carrot cake, I would only provide this as a cutting cake as the recipe that I use, which is delicious, is best eaten within two or three days of being baked. My recipe also doesn’t freeze that well, so I suggest that you try freezing your carrot cake to see how this affects the cake flavour and texture.
Hope this helps
Lindy
Can i fondant ice the 12″ cake on its board cos its gonna be heavy to lift it on to it after it has been covered!
Hi Elaine
Yes you can, it saves handling. But if using a fruit cake remember to put a barrier between the cake and the board
Hope this helps
Lindy
Hi, if i marzipan and then fondant ice my 4″ round cake fruit cake-will it still keep for another month?
When should i dowel my fondant covered cakes- after i have just covered them or next day when they are dried?
Should be fine, store in a dry but cool place
Ideally next day.
when making a 3 tier cake,with tiers sitting on top of each other is there anything between them or do they just sit on top of each other?
yet another question-how can i store my gumpaste pearls?thanks so much for your help
You need to place each tier on a hardboard cake board and then dowel the bottom two tiers to support the upper two, instructions are in both my ‘Celebrate with a cake‘ book and ‘Cakes to Inspire and Desire‘ book. I also demonstrate this on my wonky cake dvd.
I’d dry them out thoroughly and then place them in an airtight container until you are ready to use them
I really need help! When I add sugarpaste flowers to cakes which are covered in either fondant icing or frosting they soften within 24 hours. How can i STOP this happening. Thanks
Hi Valerie
You really need to make your flowers from a medium which dries harder than just sugarpaste. I only use sugarpaste for covering cakes. To make flowers I use either modelling paste or flower paste, depending on the effect I want. For instructions to make this please click here – it’s very easy you just add gum to standard sugarpaste.
Hope this helps
Lindy
am making a 4 inch 6inch 9inch and 12″ wedding cake with fondant pearl borders-what sizes would be best to use do you think?
Thanks so much. I’m teaching myself as I couldn’t get onto any local courses and there are so many terms to try to get my head round! I now need to look for your books as your advice is just what I needed to know but although I’ve searched the web and got books out of the library I could never find the answer. I’ve ordered some CMC but wanted to ask if, once added to the Sugarpaste and kneaded, can I wrap it tightly and just use a little at a time?
I think size is really personal choice, however I would probably use larger ones on the base tier and graduate up to smaller ones for the top tier
Hope this is a little help
Lindy
Hi Valerie
Yes you can use the modelling paste again, sometimes it can become a little dry and crumbly but you can get it back to a workable consistency by adding a little white vegetable fat and a little water and/or by placing it in a microwave for a few seconds.
Have fun!
Lindy
when placing a cake on a cake disc ready for assembling on a tiered cake-it says to make it exactly the same size-but mine is a little bigger-surely once i have covered with buttercream and fondant it will make up for the excess-help would be appreciated.
Hi Elaine
As long as your cake board is no larger than 1cm larger than the diameter of the cake you will be fine, that is provided you are rolling out your icing to the standard 5mm!
hi again, any tips on getting perfectly vertical sides on a cake? i have got a level but how would i go about it many thanks
For straight sides, make sure you line your tin neatly, if you are carving straight sides use a sharp knife and a set square as a guide and when covering with sugarpaste use a smoother with one flat edge, such as the FMM one that we sell
Hope this helps
Lindy
hi yet again. i have made gumpaste figures and objects using gumpaste(i mixed tylose with fondant)They seem to firm up then go soft again. I live in a finca in Spain which can get a bit damp.Any suggestions-i’m tearing my hair out.!
Try making your figures out of pastillage, as this stands up to mositure a lot better than any other form of icing. I only make a basic pastillage but there are a number of recipes available so I suggest you look through a few advanced modelling books or search the internet for a good recipe
Good luck
lindy
Hi, if i want to pass a centre dowel through 3 tiers of a wedding cake-could i make centre holes in the cake discs first cos i am worried i will end up demolishing the cake!!thanks for your answers-such a help to us beginners!
i have a jar of unopened liquid glyucose which is 3 years old! would it still be ok to use it for pastillage?
Hi Elaine
In the States they use foam boards which can be dowelled through, however in the UK this is not possible with the boards that we use. Therefore the only way to do what you propose is to make central holes first. When I was in Brasil last year, the boards I was given to use all had central holes – what a great idea!
Hope this helps
Lindy
Hi Lindy lhave just found your web site and found your blog answers very useful will save this on mt favourits thanks Lynne.
Hi, do i put the ribbon round my cake tiers after i have stacked them?Also regarding double sided tape-This must not come into contact with the cake-am i right?We are talking fondant icing here.Any tips would be appreciated
Hi, how do i attach diamante banding to the cake tiers?
Hello Elaine,
Thanks for your questions – Hopefully these answers will help you.
1. Liquid Glucose – It’s worth trying although we wouldn’t recommend it for consumption! Hopefully no-one will be tempted to eat the pastillage!!
2. Ribbon – Lindy only uses edible ribbon, made using the FMM ribbon cutter, because of this problem. You should put the ribbon on after stacking the cakes. You’re right, the double sided tape should not come into contact with cake. You could use royal icing to secure it.
3. Diamante banding – use royal icing to secure to the cake.
Hope these help and thank you for taking an interest in our site.
Hello Puk,
The reason the colour fades on sugarpaste is usually due to the light so keep it in a dark place. I have not heard of using glycerin to keep the colour – we usually use it to keep cakes moist but if any of our bloggers know otherwise please get in contact.
Jane
Hello Lou,
Thanks for your question. You mention storing the buttercream out of the fridge – you can do this if it is cool, like this week(!) but wouldn’t recommend it in the summer. If you mean buttercream on the cake once you have decorated it, we usually say a cake will keep for two weeks – one to decorate and one to eat. Our buttercream recipe works well.
Hope this helps.
Jane
Hello Gillian,
Stacking a 2-tier cake would need dowels and a hardboard cakeboard. You need to dowel the bottom tier once it is covered, then put a cakeboard on the base of the top tier before covering and placing on the bottom tier. You can find instructions for this in Lindy’s ‘Celebrate With A Cake‘ book or ‘Cakes To Inspire and Desire‘ book.
Good Luck!
Jane
Hello Coleen,
Sorry to hear your cake didn’t turn out right. There isn’t much you can do about an undercooked cake. Here at Lindy’s we love “moist” fruit cake! Sorry we can’t help on this occasion.
Jane
Hello Yvonne
I’m glad you find our tips helpful.
I don’t think there is a problem with your tins, we use Invicta here at Lindy’s and haven’t come across any problems. Have a look at our “Why Do My Cakes Sink in The Middle” blog post, it may help.
Kind Regards
Jane
Hi, how do i stick sugarpaste shapes to a previously iced cake?
Hi Rachel
You can use just water as it will make the sugar sticky or you can mix a little sugarpaste with water to make a glue and use that.
hi, i have covered my wedding cake and decorated 4 tiers with ribbon and diamante.I am very proud of it as it is the first wedding cake i have ever made!!only one criticism-
i covered the cakes with fondant quarter of an inch thick(which was a feat in itself!)When i came to cut them-the depth of icing miraculously doubled!!i dont know why-they were iced over crusted and chilled buttercream crumb coat-what went wrong?
Hello,
I bought for the second time a big block of 5kg sugarpaste ( one from a good cake website and this one from my teacher who runs a cake business). I just couldn’t get it right. Kneaded Kneaded Kneaded. I asked my husband to knead some. It took him over 15 mns for 400gr ish (+ he put it in microwave 10secondes to help like you suggested top page).
Does it take that long? It’s gonna take me 45mns then for 1kg200? Do I have to organise myself every day for a good work out? Thank you
Hi Pascaline
What make of sugarpaste are you using? The different brands do vary greatly!
If your paste is extremely hard then I suggest you cut it into small manageable peices, microwave each piece individually for 10-20 seconds and knead. Then knead all the pieces together. If the paste is a little dry add white vegetable fat and a little water as this will also help.
Kneading paste can be a bit like a workout, but it should only be a short one for 1.2kg!
Lindy
Hiya, for my babys birthday I’m baking a madeira bus shaped cake, its going to be quite large about 18″, and I have brought the ready to roll reagalice(renshaws) to cover it with, please tell me the best way to do this and how in advance I can do this as the cake will be too big to store iced in the fridge. Please please help
Hi Elaine,
Lindy has only come across this problem in Canada where they use a different type of sugarpaste. It could be that your buttercream was too think and the sugarpaste slid down the side.
Jane
Hello Farzana,
You haven’t mentioned where you live,but in the UK we do not store iced cakes in the fridge. The easiest way to decorate this large cake would be to do it in pieces so you would have joins which should not be a problem as it is a bus!
Jane
I have just made a Thomas the Tank novelty cake. I have the slight cracking on the surface in areas…I understand now why. Is there any way I can improve the look of them without removing the whole lot and starting again…Help!
Hi Sam
I’m afraid once the icing is dry there is not much you can do? However I’m sure the children won’t notice the cracking as they’ll be so pleased to see Thomas!
Hi lindy, I am fiarly new at cake decorating. I had make a 2 tier bday cake yesterday. I did a madeira cake with 2 layers that were lemon cream and a strawberry cream. i covered the cake in a light buttercream and then sugar paste. The problem i had the the cake looked ripply on the sides no matter how much i smoothed it it didn’t work and just made the the sugar paste tear. The next morning the cake had almost looked deflated on the sides and was cracking every where. How do I keep the from happening again and what did I do wrong?
Thanks Dana!
Hi Lindy, you mentioned in a previous post that when covering a fruit case to put a barrier between the silver cake drum and the fruit cake – what do you suggest? – greasproof paper or a layer of sugarpaste? how do i fix the fruit cake to the drum so it doesn;t slip off? thanks – your amazing!
Hi, I have been decorating for a couple of years and ave had no problems until recently. I did a sponge cake and butter iced it then marzipan then fondant icing. All looked great but when it was cut the cake had gone all “wet” and looked horrid. Do you have any ideas what I did wrong?
Hello Dana,
I think you may have put too much cream in the layers. Lindy calls this the “rubber ring” effect where the weight of the sugarpaste pushes the filling out of the layers.
Jane
Hello Clare,
Lindy puts a thin layer of marzipan between her fruit cakes and her board or you could use waxed paper and a little royal icing to stick the paper to the board
Jane
Hello Caroline,
You would need to use a dense cake to hold the weight of the marzipan and sugarpaste. Perhaps try jam instead of buttercream. It may of just been the combination of buttercream, marzipan and sugarpaste that created the “wet” look. When decorating our cakes we use only buttercream and sugarpaste, but if you like to marzipan flavour, Lindy has found when teaching in Europe, some students knead the sugarpaste and marzipan together so just have the one layer.
Hope this helps.
Jane
Hi there,
I’ve been decorating cakes for the last couple of months and really enjoy it, but what I really struggle with is covering cakes neatly with sugarpaste. Particularly where the excess sugarpaste falls around the sides of the cakes. I weigh out the sugarpaste so I use the correct amount for the cake size, but the excess sugarpaste just seems to make the finish look untidy. How can I avoid these ‘folds’ from the sugarpaste?!
Thanks
We have been using Lindy’s fabulous book Cakes to Inspire and Desire to get us through the mammouth task of making our best friend’s wedding cake for her, and we’re nearly there – the wedding is this Saturday (May 1st)!
We have baked fruit cake, marzipan’d and sugar-paste-iced the bottom two tiers (12” and 9” square) and just have the top sponge tier to make on Thurs/Friday. I really wanted to ask for a top tip on the icing side of things… they look great – but just in a couple of places you can see very faint stretch marks (is the best way I can describe them!) around the lip of the cake. we smoothed and used the warmth from our hands to mould etc – but we couldn’t get these marks to completely go… are there any insiders tricks we can use to get rid of them? We arent able to start again, so wondered if there was any insiders trick for retifying these little blemishes? Anything we can spritz on to make the icing smooth itself out? Or any sort of product we can use to try and rub on it to smooth them out??
All help very much appreciated!! Thank you
Hi Amy
Getting rids of pleats in sugarpaste is a common problem.
What you need to do is open out the pleat and smooth the sugarpaste down the side of the cake using a cupped hand.
This technique is better understood when seen.
Have a look at this link and all should become clear – this is a taster of Lindys DVD called Wonky Celebration Cakes which demonstrates many top tips on how to create truly creative and professional looking cakes.
Hello Katherine,
Sorry for the late reply – I hope you managed to produce a wonderful cake for the wedding.
There are unfortunately no quick fixes for sugarpaste with stretch marks.
If this happens next time – the only cheats way out is to alter the design and cover that bit of the cake with flowers or something else which will distract the eye from the blemishes.
Once the stretch marks have dried on the sugarpaste there is no going back!
Hi. I’m making a wedding cake for 10th July. It’s a rich fruit cake, which is already baked and is being fed brandy!. How far ahead of the wedding can I marzipan and ice it? It’s a 3 teir, so will be quite time consuming!
Hi Sue
I would say whenever is convenient, do it in stages if this is easier. Fruitcake keeps and the icing will be fine as long as you can store it somewhere suitable
Good luck with the cake
Lindy
Hi Lindy,
Thanks for your quick response! So I’ll be fine to start in a week or so then? It’s to be covered in sugarpaste with flowers in flower paste attached to look like lace. May take some time! I’ve just made silicone moulds of flowers from some rubber stamps, and am chuffed with how they have come out.
Sue
Hi Sue
You have plenty of time, so in by all means start in a week or so.
Enjoy
Hi, no matter what I do or which sugarpaste I use, I always seem to get cracking. I’ve followed your tips above but I just can’t seem to get a perfect finish. Help!
Hi Tracy
If you’ve tried everything we have suggested and tried different brands of sugarpaste then I think you need some 1-2-1 help. How about coming on one of our introduction to celebration cake workshops? The focus of these is all about gettting the perfect finish – no cracks!
Dear Lindy I made a cake (yesterday infact). I covered the cake with Dr Oeteker sugarpaste but once it went on the cake i had like little crack marks on certain parts of the cake. Would this be that I didn’t knead it enough or the fact I left it near a fan and it got too dry? I used the white paste and used Sugarflair pink to add to the paste. Please help as I’ve got a big christening cake to do and dont want to have the same problem again!
Thanks a mil! Dee 
Hi
I had problem doing a wedding cake the sugarpaste was cracking quite a bit, any tips on how to avoid this? and why it did this?
Also the cake doesnt look very smooth when i did it and looked a bit wonky, the edges were not as nice as i had hoped. Help!
Hello Deepika,
There are several reasons why your sugarpaste could be cracking.
Adding Sugarflair paste colours to white paste is standard practise, if you have added a lot of colour you may need to stiffen the paste with a little CMC.
Working near a fan is not a good idea, you should ideally be in a draft free, cool room when working the paste.
Any sugarpaste should be well kneaded before rolling out – this could have led to some cracking.
It is also worth experimenting with different brands of sugarpaste – they are all different. Lindy uses M&B herself but this does not suit everyone – particularly if you have “hot”hands.
You should find a brand which works for you and stick with it as you will learn how that particular brand of paste will react to different conditions.
Good luck with your Christening cake!
Hello Selina,
I am sorry that you have been having problems with your sugarpaste cracking – all of our top tips are included in the blog that you have responded to.
Did you use a smoother on your sugarpaste? This is a highly effective tool in creating that professional finish that we are all aiming for. Click here to see what a smoother looks like.
We would recommend attending one of our Introduction to Celebration Cakes workshops where Lindy can show you how to overcome these problems and end up with a really professional finish to your cake. Often it is easier to pick up a technique when it is demonstrated by an expert right in front of you. Click here to see our programme of workshops.
Hi
I have just used sugar paste to ice a cake which was crumb coated in buttercream.the cake had been refrigerated overnight, and was cool but not cold when I iced it. The buttercream was firm. Looking at it an hour later, the icing looks lovely but is a little sticky to the touch, which it wasn’t when I iced it. I need the cake to be ready to go for friday morning. Will the paste dry out a little? or do i have to take it off and redo it? I’m worried!
Hi Lucy
In the UK we do not refrigerate a cake once it has been covered in sugarpaste as the moisture in the fridge turns the icing tacky! I do however know from my travels that in some countries people do refrigerate their cakes once covered, however I understand that their sugarpaste is slightly different – in much the same way as chocolate in hot countries is different! I suggest that you take your cake out of your fridge and let it dry out, this process can take a little while so don’t panic! Store you covered cake in a cardboard cake box somewhere dry and cool.
Hope this helps
Lindy
how long will a choc sponge and a madeira cake keep after covering in buttercream and sugar paste before it needs to be eaten Thanks lorraine
Hello Lorraine,
We always say “a week to decorate and a week to eat”
Jane
hi jane, can u tell me if theres a course on the stacking of cakes that i could attend or maybe is this something tha u offer, im willing to travel so no probs there, i cant seem to get my balance right and the cakes are always either leaning or crooked, im in northern ireland by the way. thanks so much for your help. Roisin