More Cake Decorating...

It seems that I forgot to add some recipes for items that are useful in cake decorating.

Gluten free/Corn free/Dairy free Pastillage

1 tablespoon gelatin
Scant 1/3 cup water
4 cups powdered sugar (use corn free confectioners sugar recipe as per above) - lightly spooned in a cup
1/2 cup arrowroot - lightly spooned in a cup
pinch of cream of tartar
Food coloring (optional)

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over water in a small heatproof glass cup and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Set in a small pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. (This can be done in a few seconds in a microwave on high power). Remove from heat.

2. Combine the sugar, arrowroot and optional cream or tartar in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the gelatin mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Mix with lightly greased hands and knead vigorously in the bowl until the sugar is incorporated.

3. Turn onto a smooth, lightly greased surface such as Formica or marble and knead until smooth and satiny. If the pastillage seems very dry, add several drops of water and knead well. If it seems too sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. The pastillage will resemble a smooth, well-shaped stone. When dropped, it should not spread.

4. Pastillage is easier to work with if it has rested for at least 1 hour. It dries very quickly, so it is important to cover to prevent drying. Wrap in a cloth rubbed with a bit of white shortening, then tightly in plastic wrap, and place it in an airtight container.

5. When ready to roll out, spray the work surface and rolling pin with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Pastillage can be rolled as thin as 1/16-inch. It dries and holds it shape very quickly.

6. If stored pastillage seems very stiff, a few seconds in the microwave make it pliable. To give it the look of real marble, dab it with a bit of coffee concentrate or brown food color and knead only until the color streaks.

recipe was modified to be corn free from the original found on baking911.com


Gluten free/ Corn free Modeling Chocolate

10 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped chunks or chips)
**Use a gluten free/ corn free brand of chocolate like Ghirardelli or Dagoba**

1/3 cup golden syrup (i.e. Lyles Golden Syrup) or simple sugar syrup (see recipe below)

   1a. Microwave Instructions: In a shallow bowl, melt the chocolate in microwave (be careful so that the temperature does not exceed 100 degrees F. Lower the cooking time if your microwave wattage is high) for 2 minutes; stir. If chocolate is not completely melted, return to microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir until smooth. Proceed to step # 2
 
   1b. Double Boiler Instructions: Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water and stir until melted. Proceed to step # 2
 
   2. Add syrup to the chocolate and mix well (scrape all the syrup into the chocolate with a rubber spatula).
 
   3. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold mixture, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl well, until no shiny syrup is visible and the mixture forms a thick ball.
 
  4. Pour mixture onto a waxed paper sheet and spread with the spatula until it’s about 1/2-inch thick; let it sit and stiffen, uncovered, for about 2 hours.

This recipe was modified to be Gluten free/Corn free for the original found on cakecentral.com


Simple Sugar Syrup

2 parts sugar
1 part water


1. Bring the water to a boil.

 2. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water.

 3. Once the sugar is dissolved completely, remove the pan from the heat.

recipe found on http://cocktails.about.com/od/mixology/r/simple_syrup.htm