Sugar mastic is a unique confectionery material that is widely used to create decorations: with colors, figures, ruffles, reliefs, inscriptions. Mastic is similar in structure to plasticine, so invite your little helpers to mold the decorations themselves. Modeling will allow you to develop fine motor skills, and unlike plasticine, mastic does not contain harmful substances, so it’s not scary if the baby eats a piece.
Special equipment, silicone molds, and plastic forms expand the boundaries of mastic use. You can view and purchase all the most necessary tools on our website in the “tools for working with mastic” section.
Despite the fact that working with sugar tests is not difficult, there are a number of subtleties and nuances, knowledge of which will be useful for both novice confectioners and professionals.
The first difficulty encountered when working with mastic is This is excessive stickiness. She appears from elevated temperature room, from the warmth of the hands and even from excessive humidity (for example, if the palms are sweaty) and, if the mastic was prepared independently, due to incorrect proportions of the ingredients.
Powdered sugar and regular cornstarch (or rice) will come to the rescue here.
If your homemade mastic is very sticky, then just continue kneading it with powdered sugar. In essence, mastic is a sugar dough where powder acts as flour.
If store-bought mastic sticks, just dust the work surface and hands. corn starch and continue working.
The mastic should be rolled out on a flat surface sprinkled with starch and powdered sugar or on specialized embossed mats that will give the mastic an original pattern.
You rolled out the mastic and were about to transfer it to the cake, but it broke? You definitely overdid it: roll out sugar dough required thickness from 2 to 4 mm. Rolled dough too thin not only breaks, but also reveals all the unevenness of your cake.
Now, perhaps, about the most important question: how to properly cover a cake with mastic. First of all, you need to prepare its surface.
Confectioners use a thin layer of marzipan, ganache or butter cream to smooth out the mastic. No other creams, including butter cheese, will work, because the sugar dough may leak.
The most convenient way to level the surface of the cake is in three stages:
· Coat the surface of the cake, from which all bumps and irregularities have previously been removed, with a thin layer butter cream to remove all excess crumbs. Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
· Remove the cake from the refrigerator and coat the cake with a thick layer of cream. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
· Take the cake out again and use a hot knife or spatula to remove excess cream and level it to a perfectly flat surface. Place in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
The cake can be covered with fondant as soon as the cream has hardened.
Apply the layer sugar dough to the side of the cake, then onto the surface of the cake, using a rotating motion away from you, roll the fondant from the rolling pin.
Press the mastic with your palms, being careful not to touch or press with your fingers to avoid indentations on the surface.
There will be no folds on the sides of the cake if you roll out the mastic “with a margin”. First of all, it is necessary to smooth out the “stock” so that it lies without wrinkles and folds.
If everything is smooth, you can trim off the excess. It is convenient to do this with a special mastic knife, which can be purchased in our store.
Flowers or figures from mastic should be sculpted in advance and allowed to dry for at least a day.
It happens that when covering the mastic, bubbles appear: it is enough to simply pierce them with a needle and smooth out this place. The same should be done if the mastic is torn. The most convenient way to smooth the mastic on the cake is with a special iron, which you will also find in our store.
A cake covered with fondant should be stored in the refrigerator, covered with a box, so that moisture does not accidentally get on it.
It happens that a cake that is taken out of the refrigerator is covered with droplets of water. This phenomenon is called condensation. It appears on the cake due to a sharp temperature change.
It is very important to let the cake dry naturally, that is, there is no need to rub the mastic with dry cloths. Such actions can lead to damage to the appearance. If the cake was painted with paints, then don’t worry: they won’t flow from condensation.
How to decorate mastic?
To add shine to the surface of the sugar dough, you need to mix honey and vodka in 1:1 proportions. Apply the mixture to the cake with a soft brush and let it dry. The vodka will dissipate and a shine will appear.
A cake decorated with kandurin looks very impressive.
There are two ways to decorate:
· Dry method. Use a brush to take some paint from the can and shake it onto the cake. The dry method is more convenient to use on large surfaces.
· Solution. Add vodka drop by drop to 1-2 grams of kandurin. The consistency should not be thick, but not liquid either. This method is convenient for drawing details and patterns, and for decorating flowers from mastic.
The mastic should be colored with gel dyes. You can, of course, use powder dyes, but the consumption of such dyes is much higher, so you can get saturated color can be difficult and costly.
Gel dyes are odorless and tasteless and, importantly, do not change the structure of either purchased mastic or homemade mastic.
To glue the parts and secure the figures on the cake, you can use a neutral confectionery gel, plain water and even fresh egg white. The principle is simple: lubricate the base of the part with the required amount of gel, water or protein and secure it to the cake.
How to store mastic? Be sure to wrap tightly in cling film to prevent moisture from getting in and to prevent the sugar dough from drying out.
Should be stored in a cool, dry place.
If the mastic does dry out, it can be revived with confectionery glycerin.
Mastic is a universal assistant for the confectioner. With its help it is easy to turn your fantasy into reality. Don't have enough time to make and dry figurines or flowers? We are pleased to offer you already ready-made decorations. Take a look at the “Mastic Decorations” section: we are sure that you will find a bouquet or funny sugar and marzipan figures to your liking.
Inspiration to you, friends!
Mastic is very tasty and beautiful decoration. Most pastry shops are filled with culinary masterpieces, and when you see them, it’s hard to believe that such a miracle can be created with your own hands. However, an original and bright cake is quite easy to make yourself.
Cooking technology
For mastic you need powdered sugar and water, as well lemon juice and gelatin. Some masters use oil and glycerin in their recipes; this is done so that the mass remains suitable for work longer and does not dry out. The prepared mixture must be kneaded for at least 15 minutes.
It is recommended to knead on a table that has been previously sprinkled with powdered sugar or starch. This is done to prevent the mass from sticking to the surface and hands. Homemade mastic is beautifully colored using the juice of carrots, beets or spinach. Pigments that are sold in stores are also great. To prevent the mixture from drying out before starting work, it must be packed in cling film.
Marshmallow mastic
To prepare you will need 100 grams of marshmallows, 1 tbsp. l. butter, 350 grams of powdered sugar and various dyes. The first two ingredients are combined in one container, then heated in a water bath in the microwave until the marshmallows increase in volume. Next, powdered sugar is added to this mass, and the mixture is kneaded until it resembles plasticine in composition. If it is necessary to mold colored elements, the necessary dyes are added to the composition.
Chocolate mastic
To prepare, you need to have 100 grams of dark chocolate, 100 grams of marshmallows, 1 tbsp. l. butter, 35 grams of 30% cream and 350 grams of powdered sugar.
The chocolate is broken into pieces and added to preheated cream. Then you need to wait until the products are completely dissolved. Next, butter and marshmallows are combined together, and, as in the first recipe, the mass is heated until the marshmallows increase in size in a water bath. Then we collect all the ingredients in one container. Then we mix it in powdered sugar and bring the composition to the state of plasticine.
How to roll it out?
There are several options for how to work with mastic so that it turns out smooth and covers the product beautifully.
1. To do this, you can use a rolling pin and use it to roll out the mass on a flat surface with previously sprinkled starch or powdered sugar.
2. Another convenient way is to use two polyethylene sheets. Before starting work they are lubricated vegetable oil, and the mass is placed between them. After rolling out and giving the desired shape, the top layer is removed, and the coating is transferred to the product directly on the second sheet. After covering, all excess is removed.
3. There is also a special silicone mat, to which the ingredients do not stick.
How to cover a cake with fondant?
1. Cut off required quantity masses and warms up well.
2. Using a ruler, measure the top of the cake and its sides. Next, on a table sprinkled with powder or starch, a layer slightly larger than the measurements, 3.5 mm thick, is rolled out.
3. Use special spatulas to level the surface and remove excess powder with a brush.
4. Then the cake is covered with mastic, for this it is lifted from the table using a rolling pin on which it was previously rolled, and then gradually laid out on the product.
5. Using special tool or palms, smooth the top of the cake, starting from the center and moving towards the edges.
6. Next, it becomes more clear how to work with mastic, so the same procedure is performed with the side parts. In this case, the mass needs to be pulled out a little when applying. You need to smooth out the covering very carefully so that wrinkles do not appear.
7. Excess coating is carefully trimmed with a sharp knife or tucked under the base.
8. If you need to apply a design or embossing to the cake, then this is done immediately, before the mass hardens.
Making figurines
Once it has become clear how to cover the cake with fondant, you can begin making a variety of decorations.
Since the structure of the mass resembles plasticine, with active imagination the necessary fragments are sculpted. To connect the parts they are wetted a small amount water and fasten. To add color to the elements, it is not necessary to use colored paste; you can make figures from white mastic, and then simply paint them. It is better to make large decorations in advance so that they have time to dry well. Details such as flowers are laid out immediately before serving, but a master class will help you understand the technology for attaching the figures. Cakes with such decorations should not sit in the refrigerator for a long time, otherwise they may absorb a lot of moisture and simply fall off.
The desire of any person to eat something tasty and beautiful is increasing every day. Confectioners are masters of their craft and can create masterpieces thanks to mastic. With the help of this wonderful product, they decorate cakes, making them extraordinary.
For the first time, mastic was known in the 16th century, and this mixture was called glaze; it was flexible and plastic and was preserved for a long time. It became popular in 1950 and began to be used directly to decorate designs. confectionery baking, mainly for cakes.
Cake mastic is a magical material with which desserts acquire sophistication and originality. With its help, you can either cover the cake or make any composition in the form of animals, flowers, people, inscriptions and whatever your heart desires. The main thing is desire, goal and excellent imagination.
Modern mastic can be different, it can have a specific color, shape, decorated with shiny powder, pearls, filled with syrup or smeared with chocolate.
Types of mastic: milk, jelly, marzipan and honey.
The most popular is milk mastic, which resembles soft plasticine. It is very easy to use. In general, it is used for modeling and covering confectionery products.
Special devices for making mastic
To work with mastic, you need to use certain tools; with their help, even small parts will be obtained without problems:
- Silicone board. It is used for rolling and sculpting, while preventing the mastic from moving, which is important in the work. For beginners, you can use a table with a smooth surface;
- Spatula. It is needed for proper distribution and leveling of the cream on the cake;
- Plastic rolling pin. Used for rolling out the main coating of the cake;
- Iron. Level the mastic;
- Brush. Serves for applying paint and gluing parts;
- Stick for creating a pattern;
- Custom rugs that create texture;
- Knife with roller. One with a cutting ball for wavy edges, the other with teeth to create an imitation seam;
- Metal or plastic molds (cutters) for design.
- Using the tools listed above, you can create irresistible culinary masterpieces.
How to use mastic correctly
Mastic is best preserved when room temperature in a dark place. Place it in a container with a lid or cling film; it will not come into contact with air and moisture and will thereby retain its properties for a long time. If water gets in, it will deteriorate and will not be suitable for further work.
Sugar paste is used to cover cakes. She is very capricious when drops of water come into contact with her, so before covering the cake, make sure that there is no wet sponge cake. It is best to use dry sponge bases or butter cake. Use syrup impregnation in moderation so that the mastic does not begin to dissolve.
Do not under any circumstances put wet cake in the refrigerator, let the mastic harden completely. If you overdry it, then most likely the cake will deteriorate and crack. It will last longer in a cold place, and in hot weather it will be reduced by several days.
Sugar mastic when rolling should not be less than 3 mm. If it is less dense, it may show all the unevenness of the biscuit or tear.
Painting mastic
Natural mastic is white or light in color. Used for painting food colorings different colors in tubes, gel or paste form. It is not recommended to paint with liquid dyes; they are absolutely not suitable for this process.
Nuances when staining:
- Mix the mass well until it is elastic and soft;
- Make a small dent in the middle of the circle with your finger;
- Dip the stick into the paint and spread it on the inside of the recess. The main thing is to use the stick only once;
- Make a new ball and knead until the color is uniform;
- Use powdered sugar or starch so that the mastic does not stick to your hands.
And to get a marble color, you will need to smooth the mastic into a tube, then two parts into one and roll it out, repeat several times. Finally, fold into a spiral and roll out.
How to roll out mastic
The main thing in rolling out the mastic is that it is even, smooth and fits well on the product. Basic Rules:
- Use a table with a smooth surface or a special plastic board. It is necessary for better rolling and will not stick to the surface;
- Roll out the mastic using a rolling pin. Be sure to sprinkle it and the board with powder or starch;
- Polyethylene sheets. Great way for a beginner, it allows you to roll out the mastic evenly and thinly. And using one sheet, carefully place it on the cake.
Process of coating a cake with fondant
Jewelry Making for Beginners
Making fondant and the process of coating it on a cake is quite an exciting process. But it is no less interesting to decorate your work with various decorations. The prepared mass is like plasticine; you can mold unusual fragments and make flowers, bows, and colorful circles from them. The most important thing here is your imagination.
Making a flower. Take a ball of mastic, any color, and attach it to the base of the stick, lubricate it with water in advance and let it harden. By using special forms cut out the petals, make waves on the edges using a special stick, reminiscent of a drum stick. Connect them to the ball, sticking them with water. Place the petals on top of each other. Allow the resulting result to dry.
If the flower is white, then it can be painted. Large parts must be done in advance and allowed to dry thoroughly. Decorations in the form of flowers or any other figures are placed on the cake some time before serving. If they are in the refrigerator for a long time, they can absorb moisture and lose their shape.
27.03.2018
How to use sugar mastic to transform regular cake into the work culinary arts? It is used to cover the surface of baked goods, to make figures and decorative elements for decorating sweet dishes. You can buy ready-made mastic in the store or make it yourself. To do this you need:
- 4 full teaspoons of gelatin;
- 4 teaspoons glucose;
- a teaspoon of glycerin;
- 60-70 ml of boiling water;
- powdered sugar.
Cooking process:
- Pour gelatin into a cup and pour cold water so that the powder swells. Dilute with a certain amount of boiling water, stir thoroughly until dissolved. Add glucose to it, stir until smooth.
- Pour the gelatin-glucose mixture into the powdered sugar, add glycerin, start kneading everything. The process will take a few minutes. The contents should have the consistency of soft plasticine, add sugar if necessary, a little hot water. You need to knead the contents for at least 5 minutes, which is necessary to completely combine the components.
The presented number of components is enough to cover a cake with a diameter of about 25 cm, to make some decorations on it, such as a ribbon around it, a figurine, an inscription. Depending on your wishes for the decor and size of the product, you increase or decrease the proportions. Excess can be frozen and used again.
Features of working with sugar mastic
- The cake we plan to put the decoration on cannot be topped with whipped cream. Unfortunately, this cream dissolves the mass. If you want to coat the dough, the top layer should be butter. It is also good to grease the cake a few hours before decorating. It will harden and there will be no danger that the cream will leak out from under the decor.
- Vegetarians can use agar-agar instead of gelatin.
- Glycerin is not necessarily necessary to create a mass; the component increases plasticity and prolongs the time of working with mastic. The liquid is added when the consistency has dried slightly and begins to crumble when rocked. When making figures, it is also worth adding glycerin - it will be easier for you to sculpt small parts. Secret: you don’t need to buy glycerin in a specialized store; you can use the drug from a pharmacy - it’s cheaper.
- If we are working with only part of the volume, the rest of the sugar mastic should be tightly wrapped in food foil or plastic bag. Then it will not dry out and crumble. The product protected in this way can be used when needed. Without coating, the mastic will dry out in 15-20 minutes and become unusable.
Coloring the sugar mass can be done in several ways, because... There are several types of dyes - gley or in powder form. Dry mixtures are more effective, but novice cooks may have problems achieving the desired color saturation when using them.
How to work with sugar mastic:
- In order for the cake to be covered with an even layer of mass, it is necessary to roll out the thinnest “pie” with a diameter several centimeters larger than the area culinary product(these few cm are the height of the cake). Such a mass should be homogeneous and without holes. For this job you need a rolling pin and a flat, smooth work table. You can use a silicone mat lightly dusted with powdered sugar to prevent anything from sticking. If you plan to use the mass frequently, it is recommended to purchase a professional set. It includes a plastic board and roller, a set of shape cutters and molds.
- To glue individual elements, use water, glycerin, and a little butter. The liquid attaches the parts well, but you must remember not to use too much of it so that the mixture does not dissolve. Glycerin is useful for jewelry that has begun to dry out slightly. With larger items, when you need to attach a figure to the cake, coat the bottom with buttercream in a measured amount. Edible glues exist, but they are rarely used in home cooking.
How to create jewelry from sugar mastic
For beginners, it is recommended to purchase a small roller, a stamp with interchangeable tips, a sharp knife for use on our table, a set of tools for more precise decorations, long rulers of different thicknesses (useful for cutting mass, for example, to create a ribbon around a cake). To produce volumetric flowers, moldings are used. Accessories can be purchased at kitchen supply stores.
What could be more beautiful than cake? This is wonderful pastry It is customary to give as a gift for various special occasions, for example, for a wedding, anniversary, Christmas, Christening, engagement day or any other event. But it’s one thing when the cake has a simple and unpresentable appearance, and it’s completely different when it becomes a real work of art. It’s not only not a shame to show such a pie to guests, but sometimes it’s even a shame to eat it. How to turn your cake or pie into a masterpiece using mastic - this will be the topic of our conversation. But first, we will answer the most frequently asked questions of novice confectioners.
When working with adhesive bases, many novice craftsmen encounter the problem spreading of mastic layers over the cakes. Also, as a result of coloring, the base of the cake may show through or the top coating may completely dissolve. To avoid this, you should not use the lubricating part on a wet basis (that is, if your confectionery product is coated with oil, milk or butter cream). If you still use this cream, then before applying mastic to it you need to let it dry or additionally use a special neutral cream made from marzipan, condensed milk or ganache (it must first be placed in a cold place). As a result, between the fatty oil base and the mastic, you will apply a protective layer of cream, which will prevent spreading and the formation of smudges from the adhesive base (we have tested that mastic lays simply flawlessly on a cake covered with marzipan).
But you shouldn’t choose overly dry cakes. On this basis sweet putty may warp and crack, and the cake itself will break and crumble. If you do not have the opportunity to make your own pie, you can always purchase ready-made sponge cakes in stores or other retail outlets.
In order for the mastic surface of a product that was previously placed in the refrigerator or any other cool place to become smooth, it is recommended smooth with a red-hot knife. If you did not place it in the refrigerator immediately after preparing the cake, you can level the mastic using regular butter cream, after sprinkling it with small cookie or biscuit crumbs.
If, when modeling figures, you need to glue some parts together, then for this you can use plain water. Protein can also serve as a kind of catalyst for two identical products. chicken egg, as well as a mixture of powdered sugar and protein. Wet the product a little and it will show its adhesive properties. You can add a special color and shine to the product using a special brush. To do this, you need to apply a small layer of alcohol on top of it. You can also use a solution of honey and alcohol (in a 1:1 ratio).
If you need to paint very small details, then it is better to use a toothpick or a cotton swab rather than a brush. Feel free to dip improvised brushes into food coloring and accurately apply the design along the visible contours. In order for the mastic layer to roll out easily, you must first knead it well and then roll it out thinly with a regular rolling pin. According to Arnaud Faye(the best among French chefs), it is recommended to first dip the rolling pin in starch or powdered sugar. Then the sticky mastic will not stick to it and you can quickly apply the required form your products.
There are times when mastic dough literally breaks into pieces. In such situations, it is not the lubricant itself that should be blamed, but large crystals of sugar, which, in contact with the dough, scratch it, thereby creating tears. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to thoroughly grind the powdered sugar when preparing the adhesive mass.
If your confectionery product as a base, on which there was cake mastic, does not harden for a long time, then it can be taken out to Fresh air. There the coating will harden faster and be covered with an even crust. In order for small figures to be solid and not absorb moisture, they need to be made in advance, while allowing them to dry thoroughly. It is better not to attach large flower arrangements and individual large objects, for example, houses, dress shoes and other weighty parts to the finished confectionery products right away. This will allow them to retain their shape for a long time and not lose their adhesive properties. Pre-prepared mastic should be placed in the oven or microwave for a few minutes so that it does not lose its plastic properties.
How to roll out mastic correctly?
When rolling out the putty mass, you need to take into account its maximum thickness (the maximum layer thickness should not be less than 2-3 mm). Then she will not tear or peel. There are even several ways to roll out a kind of sweet plasticine. The first is to roll out the dough on the table using a rolling pin. We have already mentioned this above. The second way is in rolling out a layer of adhesive base between large sheets of polyethylene. Interestingly, when using the second method, the mastic does not even need to be separated from the polyethylene or cling film. After the thickness of the dough becomes 2-3 mm, you remove the top part of the sheet and, together with the polyethylene, transfer it to the confectionery product. And when the mastic layer completely covers your cake, then you can get rid of the polyethylene. And here it is worth noting that the thickness of cling film or polyethylene and their length must be calculated correctly(according to the size of the dough). Otherwise, the surface of the film will move and form folds, which will bring you a lot of additional inconvenience.
How to mix colors correctly?
To make your culinary masterpieces look appetizing, you need use dyes correctly. And the main thing is to learn how to mix them correctly. And, of course, we will help you. Here we will look at options for painting mastic products black.
So to get neutral black color you can use one part red, two parts blue and 
one part yellow dye. So that you can succeed blue-black color, you can use a ratio of one part blue, one part red and one part yellow dyes. To get something unusual black-green tint you will need red, blue and yellow dyes(in a ratio of 1:1:2). Accordingly, in order for your black color to acquire reddish tint, the dyes should be diluted in the ratio (2:1:1). At the same time, use the same red, blue and yellow colors.
The second method of painting mastic black is very simple. You can get the shade you want by using ordinary burnt sugar
. You can also add to the dough and chocolate mass. Then the effect of coloring will be the same. But if you don’t have time for experiments, then it’s easier to buy a ready-made dye and use it for its intended purpose.
To summarize, all the tips we have provided in this article are based on personal experience professional confectioners. And whether you listen to them or not is up to you. The main thing is that your work is confectionery brought joy to you and the people around you!
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