Gum Paste Basics
The Cricut Cake Machine can cut many edible materials. I will describe what I consider to be the Gum Paste Basics. Two of the edible materials I will talk about are gum paste and frosting sheets. The gum paste is sold in 2 lbs tubs and frosting sheets come in multiple colors.
When you are working with gum paste you want to remove a fist sized amount from the tub then warm it in the microwave for no longer then 5 seconds. Be sure to make sure it is not to hot to work with so you do not burn your hands. After making sure it’s not to hot to handle knead the gum paste so that it becomes more easy to work with. You want it to become a soft pliable ball.
Once the gum paste is pliable you want to add your food coloring gels or paste. After you thoroughly mix your coloring in you can then roll it out with a rolling pin. You want to roll it out as thin as you can, about 1 and 1 1/2 millimeters if possible.
When rolling it out you have to put a lot of pressure on the rolling pin because the gum paste will be fairly stiff. In most cases once you start rolling it out you want to finish the process because you do not want to leave gum paste out to air dry. You must cover it in plastic wrap if you stop and then you may need to re-heat before you start the rolling process again. It’s best not to stop until you are finished.
After rolling out the gum paste to a thin sheet then you want to brush a thin coat of vegetable shortnin onto the food safe plastic mat. You want to cover the mat where ever your gum paste is going to be on the mat. You need to place your gum paste on the mat smooth it down with you hands to make it stick to the mat then roll it down with your rolling pin to make sure it is very secure to the mat. You do not want if shifting while the machine is cutting. If gum paste is hanging over the edge then you need to cut away gum past so that it remains in the gray area so that it does not get in the way of the rollers feeding it through the machine.
