Sugarpaste, also referred to as rolled fondant or ready roll icing, is available from supermarkets and cake decorating suppliers in many countries of the world. However not everyone likes what is available to them and many countries new to the craft of cake decorating do not have a ready source of sugarpaste, so I’m often asked how is it made.
We are very lucky here in the UK we have a number of different brands to choose from, however it hasn’t always been the case. When I attended my very first sugarcraft course back in 1991, the whole of the first lesson was spent making our own sugarpaste! I then continued to make my own for quite a number of years.
Even if sugarpaste is easily accessible to you, I actually think it’s a good exercise to have a go at making your own – you’ll see how easy it really is and be able to appreciate what goes into the icing itself.
Here is the recipe that I have always used; it’s also the one that I include in my books….
Sugarpaste
Ingredients Makes 1kg (2 1⁄4lb)
- 60ml (4 tbsp) cold water
- 20ml (4 tsp/1 sachet) powdered gelatine (you can use the vegetarian version)
- 125ml (4fl oz) liquid glucose
- 15ml (1 tbsp) glycerine
- 1kg (21⁄4lb) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sieved, plus extra for dusting
- Place the water in a small bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine and soak until spongy. Stand the bowl over a pan of hot but not boiling water and stir until the gelatine is dissolved. Add the glucose and glycerine, stirring until well blended and runny.
- Put the icing sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the liquid ingredients, stirring constantly. Mix well. Turn out on to a surface dusted with icing sugar and knead until smooth, sprinkling with extra icing sugar if the paste becomes too sticky. The paste can be used immediately or tightly wrapped and stored in a plastic bag until required.
Have fun and let me know how you get on
Lindy
Hi
A while ago i bought some pastello icing from my local sugarcraft shop, which I found very useful when I made a pair of shoes for a christening cake for a friend. When gum trag was added this set the shoes very hard. However, they no longer stock this product and I have tried doing the same with Mexican paste but found this hard to work with as it dries so quickly before you have a chance to fiddle with it. Modelling paste is fine but doesn’t set quite so hard. Do you know what the ingredients for pastello icing is before the gum trag is added? I wanted to make my own and wondered whether this was a 50/50 of mexican and modelling paste? Many Thanks
Hi Davina
I’m not familiar with pastello, but perhaps someone else is. I guess its a type of pastillage paste, the recipe I use for pastillage dries quickly but there are other recipes so why not try an internet or book search for pastillage recipes. The pastillage I make is basically a royal icing with gum trag added but other recipes have more ingredients, let us know how you get on.
Lindy
Hi Lindy
Tried out your sugarpaste recipe today and was very impressed with the outcome. It worked out alot cheaper than buying the ready made sugarpaste and it was very easy to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Caroline
Hi Caroline
Good to hear your feedback, hopefully it will inspire others to have a go too.
Lindy
I tried out the sugarpaste recipe last week to make one of Lindy’s cakes. My sugarpaste was dry and crumbly and I couldn’t get it on the cake with out it splitting several times. As far as I know I followed the recipe although their were grainy bits in the finished version which looked like the gelatine ladn’t completely disolved. WOuld that explain the crumbling?
Hi Nancy
It sounds as if something isn’t quite right, there soundn’t be grainy bits in the icing. Make sure your scales are measuring correctly and please note that you may not need to incorporate all the icing sugar. I suggest that may be you have another go and please also refer to my blog about why sugarpaste cracks
Thank you for the advice. I was under the impression I HAD to add ALL the icing sugar. I’ll try again with less icing sugar and more kneading. Maybe also rolling out with white vegetable fat instead of more icing sugar.
You’re paste shouldn’t contain any lumps so do make sure that everything has been melted correctly and the icing sugar is sieved. Good luck.
Well, I tried the sugarpaste recipe again. I was really careful making sure the gelatine had completely disolved. Then I used my kenwood chef to knead it all together thoroughly. It worked really well, I even had to add extra icing sugar! So thank you for your reply.
I used the white vegetable fat instead of icing sugar for rolling out. I was very impressed by that too. It is also much better for my 3 year old daughter when she has some icing to play with as previously the icing sugar would end up all over the floor. Much tidier with the vegetable fat.
Hi Lindy
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m a veggie but not too familiar with using vegetarian gelatine. Can you recommend a couple of tried and tested brands please?
Thank you.
Hi, I noticed that in your recipe it says 1kg of icing sugar is equal to 4 lb. I have a book at home which says 1kg of icing sugar is equal ti 2 lb.Is there a mistake somewhere?
Hi Raeesa
Just checked my blog post and it definately says 2 1/4lb i.e. 2.25lb of icing sugar not 4lb!!
I’ve always used what I can get hold of, can anyone else recommend a brand?
Hi Lindy
I’m trying to make ‘Hot’ Pink icing colour, almost Neon tone (roll-out), But I can’t get the right shade at all, I’m using M&B Paste, have you any recommendations? I’m wondering would a hint of blue get me closer to the colour I need, I’m mixing ready coloured icing, would I be better using paste colours?
Thanks
Shauna
Hi Shauna
What I do is to add paste colour to ready coloured icing. To achieve a really strong fuschia pink I add Squires Kitchen Rose paste colour to M&B pink sugarpaste. Neon pink however is a much harder colour to achieve with the colours that we have in the UK. When I was in Brazil they had a paste colour that would be perfect for you, but as far as I am aware we don’t have anything similar – anyone got any suggestions for Shauna?
Thanks for the great recipe for sugar paste Lindy. Really helped me as I was making a crop of daisies for a nut free cake … definitely worth persevering with the mixing!
Thanks Lindy
I ordered the Rose Pink from Squires shortly after I made that post. It arrived today, I didn’t order any of the M&B Pink Paste this time, But I’ll have a play with red and white and the Rose colouring, I’m sure the colour will come out.
Kind regards and thanks, hope to get over again soon for another course.
Shauna
Hi…. I also use pastello…. it creates a much finer finish than the modelling paste and can be rolled so thinly that you can read through it….. to use it in this way you must knead in 5ml gum trag to 250g pastello but you’re right, the suppliers have stopped doing it. I can get a recipe but trust me on this one, it’s more faff than it’s worth; i think some french sites still do it as it’s the favoured medium for the french pastry chefs…… drat!
if antbody out there finds some i’d be willing to pay postage or just let me know where from???? ta!
HI,
Where i live its impossible to find liquid glucose – is there something else I can use as a substitute?
PLS HELP !
Thanks
Liquid glucose is available through our online shop, however light corn syrup is an alternative if this is easily available in your country.
Hi Lindy,
Thanks for posting the recipe. I tried making the fondant and it turned out fine except that the consistency is not as elastic as the store bought one. Am I not kneading it enough? Is there something that I can add to make it more elastic? The one I make breaks when I pull them.
Thanks!
Olivia
Hi Olive
To make your fondant more elastic try adding in a little edible gum – gum tragacanth or CMC, but don’t add too much otherwise the paste will become too hard. Also try warming your paste in a microwave for 10 seconds before kneading as this really helps.
Lindy
Hello Lindy
I’m making Red Chillies, and green leaf, as I am making Chilli Choc cupcakes for the RSPCA Cupcake day. I want to know if I make the chillies and leaves beforehand how do I dry them out before painting them to put them on the cupcakes.
Thanking you
Ann
Hello Ann
I suggest that you add a little CMC or gum tragacanth to your sugarpaste to help dry and harden the paste. Its much easier to paint firmer paste. But why not just colour your paste red, shape the chillies, allow them to dry (somewhere warm and away from any humidity, in the UK I would suggest an airing cupboard!) and then to add a bit of shine, paint them over with edible confectioners glaze or use the cheaper option of white vegetable fat!
Hope this helps
Lindy
hi, im attempting to make a cake but im having troubles with the liquid glucose i have powderd glucose but not sure if this will work as i cant find any liquid glucose just wonderd if any one could help
thanks x
Hi Rachel
Lindy’s Cakes sells Liquid glucose, just click on the shop lin, see right, and then the edibles link and scroll down.
Hope this helps
Lindy
Hi,
I was wondering how long will your sugarpaste last for wrapped up in clingfilm? I need to colour it, shall I do this when I need to use it or can I store it coloured?
Thanks
Penny
Hi Penny
Firstly you need to wrap your sugapaste in a strong plastic bag such as a freezer bag to exclude the air – clingfilm still breaths so it will only slow down the drying out process not stop it. Regards storage, you can store you paste right up to the use by date even once you’ve coloured it. You can even feeze your coloured paste to prelong its life still further.
Lindy
hi lindy,
have you ever made the chocolate covering before???i know its made using chocolate and glucose?? it just seems really expensive to buy so would like to give it ago myself!
shelley
ps have booked to see u on 7th nov!!!!! cant wait!!!
Hi
how do i make the paste for flowers and to get thin pettels
Hi Christine
You are after the recipe for flower paste, if you have my Cakes to Inspire and Desire book or my Celebrate with a Cake book the recipe is in there. I will endeavour to add a blog post at some point with the recipe – what this space. NB you will need a robust mixer to make flower paste
Lindy
Hi i tried your recipe today – very impressed by how easy it is to follow however my mixture remained sticky no matter how much icing sugar kept adding. How do you accurately measure glucose as i believe i have miscalculated it as i could not get an accurate measure.
Thanks
Hi Janelle
To measure the glucose accurately try warming it up so it is easier to pour and than have an accurate measuring container. For measuring small amounts of liquid I use the measure that came with my bread maker. Any good cookshop however should stock a suitable measure. Alternatively use a tablespoon to measure out the glucose – UK and US tablespoons are 15ml, Australian tablespoons are 20ml
Hope this helps
Lindy
Hi Lindy
I want to add some CMC to sugarpaste to make cut out decorations. Do you add the powder as it is, or does it need to be added to water? Also, how much would I need to add to 1kg of sugarpaste please?
And – the stuff I have is Tylo powder – is this the same as CMC?
Thank you
Rebecca
Thanks i tried it a few days later it worked like a charm. i’ve now used this recipe 5 times succesfully!!
Keep the hints and tips going – i also got your cookie book – great hints and tip in there too.
Janelle
Hello Rebecca
If you’re using CMC you should add the powder directly into the sugarpaste – 1tsp to 250g of sugarpaste – and work it in until you can feel the paste becoming a little stiffer. I would not recommend using 1kg to begin with as it goes a long way. Just mix a little at a time you may find you don’t need as much sugarpaste as you think. Tylo is a brand name for CMC
Hi Lindy.
Thank for recipe sugarpaste.I will try soon.
I like the set mmf funky but is out of stock.
Where can I find it? thanks
Hi Cinzietta
The FMM funky alphabet is on order and will be available again very soon
Hi Lindy,
Gelatin is not available in my area.Any alternatives???
Buying online is one option – has anyone tried using anything else?
Thanks for all the tips. I am going to try to make the sugarpaste tonight. To all those people looking for liquid glucose and gelatin…in addition to the places others have noted, you can find it in Tescos in the baking aisle. The gelatin is in ‘packet’ form (in a box)…and the glucose in a small 150ml bottle.
Sugarpaste was successful. However, like Nancy my sugarpaste ended up being crumbly even though I kept more than 2 cups of the icicing sugar back. At first I thought it was over…then I added a few drops of water…kneaded…a few drops more…kneaded…and it formed into a nice sugarpaste dough. Whew! It did work well as well…rolled nicely into 1/4 inch thick, covered the cake, didn’t crack, etc.
I am planning to use this recipe on my christmas cake this year, but I notice there is nothing like lemon juice or rind in the ingredients. Has anyone tried this sort of addition? Will it work?
GOSH!! I’m going to sound like a complete novice compared to you guys!! I have just started decorating cakes and have seen a design for a cake with a bow on top (like a rosette). Am i right in thinking that gum trag is added to sugarpaste to make the bow more firm? How much is added and how long is it before the gum trag starts to work? Could I for example addthe gum trag, roll out the icing. shape into loops, leave to stand for a while then shape into a bow?? Any help will be much appreciated
Hi Hayley
Yes you are correct, add gum trag to sugarpaste to make it firmer, see our blog post on using sugarcraft cutters as this gives the quanities, timing etc.
hope this helps
Lindy
Hi Lindy,
Your books have been incredible helpful for me, but have a question, what can I do to keep purple / lilac colour from turning blueish, it seems to fade and change after a couple of days? think I read somewhere to use glycerin in the sugar paste, is that right? really hope you can help,
All the best
Puk
Hi Lindy,
I’m making a 2-tier stacked wedding cake for my cousin’s wedding in August. I want to use sugar paste for a lovely, smooth finish, but how do I make it dry or set hard enough to ensure the top tier doesn’t sink into it, whilst at the same time making sure that the icing is not so hard that it makes it difficult to eat?
Hi Lindy
Do you – or anyone else – have a vegan recipe for flowerpaste please; I didnt really want to use gelatine substitue but wondered if there was anything else. Or perhaps I could buy it somewhere?
Anyone?
hello
can you tell me where i can get pastello from.
hi, just getting into allt his and im stuck, whats the difference between icing sugar and confectioners icing sugar.. and the geletine ive got says one sachet makes 1 pint, so do i make the pint up and then take out from the pint the correct amount i need? because ptherwise it wouldnt set would it? sorry im a bot confused. hope you can help..
Hi Vinnie
Icing sugar is a UK term & confectioners sugar is a US term – they are both the same thing. Regards gelatine, for this recipe you use powdered gelatine 4 teaspoons – do not mix it with water first, just follow the recipe and use the powder in the recipe
Hope that helps
Lindy
hi i dont no what glucose and glycerine is could you please explane it to me im very young but i still love baking cakes
Hello Sandy
We have not come across pastello before, is it known by any other name?
Jane
Hello,
Below are explanations of Glucose and Glycerine. Hope these help.
“Glucose syrup controls the formation of sugar crystals so is particularly useful when making sweets and desserts.
It is also useful for relaxing icing and to prevent Royal Icing from setting rock hard.”
“Glycerine is a somewhat viscous clear oily liquid, with a sweet taste.
Glycerine is hydrophilic (water loving), and is used to keep products such as dried fruits from getting too dry, and to keep the liquid in soft fillings from escaping into crisp crusts, making them soggy.”
Regards
Jane
Hello,
I’m making a cake for a vegan friend, and was wondering if the icing would still work if I leave out the gelatine? Or if there would be a suitable replacement?
Many thanks
Kirstie
Hi Kirstie
There are vegetarian alternatives available to gelatine so i suggest you use one of these rather than leave it out!
Hi,
I bought powdered glucose instead of liquid and thought that I could add water and that this would work the same as liquid glucose. Can anyone tell me if it will work in the same way? and if so what quantities of powder to water do I need to make up the 4 floz.
Many thanks
Hello Collette,
We haven’t come across powdered glucose before. Can anyone help Collette with this?
Jane
Hi there, I made several cakes for children many many years ago and then last year spotted one of your books and it inspired me to make more I have made many now and have orders for 6 at present. My question is i always use your recipe for suger paste but it is off white. I have tried usinf a little xxwhite but not really much different, how can I make it really white? Thank you
Reply for Collette, I did buy powered glucose when I couldn’t get liquid. I did manage to make it work but it was hard going, sorry don’t remember how much water i put in, I think I just kept adding a bit at a time until it was right consistancy. Hope that helps
Hi Tracey
To make sugarpaste really white just knead in a little super white dust here’s a link
Hi Lindy
Thanks for this recipe! I have been asked to make a birthday cake and was trying to figure out how to get coloured icing. Please can you tell me how to make coloured sugarpaste? Do I replace equal amounts of water with colouring or do I just add the colouring and then perhaps use extra icing sugar if the mix is too runny?
Many thanks,
Allison
You can colour sugarpaste very easily using paste colours. Click here for the full range of colours that we now stock.
Simply add a very small amount of paste colour (literally dip the end of a cocktail stick into the colour to start) and knead this fully into the paste. Add more colour until you have the shade that you require. Also try experimenting with mixing colours to create the exact shades that you want.
Hi. I have bravely/stupidly told my daughter that I will make her wedding cakes for later this year (I’m fine on the cooking side, but icing is a black art to me, so I’ve got to get plenty of practice in beforehand). I want to give the icing a citrus tang, as the base cake is a rosemary cake with a madeira-style texture. Is it ok to mix lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice in with the sugarpaste?
Thanks
Don (desperate)
I am just trying to start a work from home cake making business, baking the cake is not a problem for me but when it comes to using icing, I’m a complete novice. I have stumbled upon your recipe for making sugar paste after a disastrous experience of trying to colour shop bought s/paste with ordinary liquid food colour – waste of time and what a mess. To say the least, it didn’t work – had to go back to the shop to buy the colour I needed. But after reading the questions and answers/suggestions etc on this site, I have to say, my questions were all answered before I even asked them. Thank you ladies for the questions and answers you have posted – most informative. I read them all with great contentment. I shall embark upon making sugar paste for the first time and will revert with my findings.
JD
Hi Lindy
Is there any way I can go without glycerine? Will it still work?
Hello desperate Don,
We would steer clear of adding lemon juice or zest to the sugarpaste as you will end up with a very sticky texture which may be unworkable.
Try making a lemon sugar syrup and feeding this to the cake, then adding a layer of lemon buttercream between the cake and the sugarpaste.
This will give you a lovely rich lemony flavour.
Hope this helps
Hello Brigitte,
We have no experience of leaving glycerine out of the sugarpaste recipe.
Try it and see what happens – you may find the paste a little too dry and harder to work with.
Let us know how you get on.
Hello Jan,
Good luck making your sugarpaste and thank you for your kind comments.
Colouring sugarpaste with liquid food colour is messy.
We stock a full range of colours designed to be used to colour sugarpaste. Here is a link to the colours we stock.
Just add a small amount (on the end of a cocktail stick) to your sugarpaste and knead in.
Cover your hands with white vegetable fat first – so you don’t dye your hands as well.
You can experiment with different colours and always start with a small amount of colour and build it up to the shade you require.
hi Lindy,
I am self taught and have been decorating cakes in my free time.I love your website and get a lot of inspiring ideas from it.
I make my own sugar paste as I cannot get it here in Sweden.The Swedes have a whole different way of decorating cakes .As i am South African we have the British styles.
I tried your paste and it was amazing to work with.Thank u for a lovely site.
kay Forslöv-Sweden
hi!
i was just wondering if the glycerin and gelatin were really necassary? ive seen a lot of recipes and non of them have called for it. so do i need to use them to get good fondant/sugarpaste?
thanks!
Hi,
I’m thinking of trying your receipe for sugarpaste.
Could I add food colouring to make different colours or would this not work?
Xx
Hello Rissa,
Lindy adds glycerine into her paste as it absorbs moisture and helps prevent the paste drying out too quickly. The gelatin helps to hold the paste together. We have found that if you leave both out the paste can become crumbly.
Jane
Hello Shelley,
You can add colour if you wish but use edible paste colour not liquid food colouring. If you use liquid colouring it will change the consistency of the paste and it will become sticky.
Good Luck
Jane
Dear Lindy,
I have recently gotten into cake decorating. I note your recipe for sugarpaste calls for powdered gelatine. I cannot find the powdered kind in my local supermarket. Would I be able to find it there or is it a specialised ingredient that I would need to go to a more specialised shop? I am in Northern Ireland.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
what do i do when the sugarpaste has dried out ???
hi there how do i add the colouring to the sugar paste and is it food colouring have to use gemma
oh. well for my cakes i found this recipe in abook that works really well (in my opinion) and it didnt have any of that in there. but thanks for explaining!
Dear Lindy,
Regards my above post I have since found powdered gelatine so im planning on icing a cake this week. Hope it goes well!
hiya im new to baking, and want to try this but what is and where can i get the glycerine, gelotene and glucose, other than your website, is it possible to buy it through a local shop? and how long can the paste be stored for?
also is this the kind of icing you would use on a cake, to cover it?
many thanks and looking forward to to trying it
Hi, if I follow your receipe above do I add the edible paste at the begin with the water or shall I knead it in afterwrds? X
Hey,
I am planning to use your recipe. However, I would like to make a coloured variety. Do I use normal Food Colouring? If so, when do I add the colouring
Hello Gemma,
To colour sugarpaste you really need to use a specialist colourant.
We stock a wide range of colours on our website.
You only need the tiniest amount of colour – start by dipping a cocktail stick into the colour and then kneading this into the sugarpaste.
You can always add more if needed!
Smear some white vegetable fat on to your hands before you begin to prevent dying your hands the same colour as the paste.
It is fun to experiment with mixing colours to get the exact shade that you want.
Hello Annie,
Glad you managed to find the powdered gelatine.
Hope the cake went well!
Hi Daniel,
Can I suggest you have a look at the post about colouring sugarpaste for our top tips!
Whilst this post refers to a particular coral colour used on one of Lindys Cakes – the same advice applies to any colours.
Good luck!
Dear Lindy,
The cake went brilliantly. It domed a wee bit in the middle but I just cut that part off. After that I tried the choclate mud cake with chocolate ganache which went down brilliantly!!! can’t wait to get more adventurous.
Annie
Excellent to hear – there are more great recipes to try in my new cupcake book!
Happy baking
Lindy
hi, im new to this and still learninf, how do you colour it once you have followed your recipe?
Alex
are there any fondant recipes that DO NOT use corn syrup and are not cooked?
Hello Rissa,
We are not familiar with any recipes which do not include corn syrup or liquid glucose.
Sorry we cannot be of more help!
Hello Alex,
If you have a look at our blog, there is a whole feature on how to colour sugarpaste. The article refers to coral pink sugarpaste but the same principles apply whichever colours you are using.
We have a wide range of colours available to purchase from our website.
Welcome to the world of sugarcrafting!
Hello Marcus,
If your sugarpaste has gone completely dry, I am afraid you have reached the point of no return.
You need to start again.
If the paste has just started drying out, try a 10 second burst in the microwave which may bring it back to life.
Always make sure that stored sugarpaste is well sealed to prevent drying out.
Hello Rissa,
I am delighted that you found a recipe for sugarpaste which did not include corn syrup.
Please share it with us.
Hello Billie-Jo,
You should be able to buy gelatine from any decent supermarket and glucose and glycerine can be bought either from the supermarket of the chemist. You do use sugarpaste to cover cakes. It will keep for 3-6 months if it is homemade. You can also buy preprepared sugarpaste which will have a use-by date on the packet. Sugarpaste can be frozen and kept for up to a year.
Hello Shelley,
Sugarpaste colours should definitely be kneaded in afterwards and remember start with just a little – dip a cocktail stick into the colour – you can always add more if you need it.
Try mixing different colours and be creative!
Hi,
I an wanting to decorate my own wedding cake, but I was wondering how far in advance could I make my paste into flowers etc and it still be okay?
Many thanks
Emma
i could not find one sadly, so instead me and my mom used frosting. our cake came out looking awesome!
Hi Rissa,
Glad to hear that you came up with an alternative.
Hi Lindy.
i live in Spain and i cannot find anyone who supplies cake decorating products. I am a total beginner so i am not confident at trying to make my own fondants etc.I have searched on the internet but all the suppliers are from the UK
Do you know of any suppliers in Spain.
Thank you
Jayne