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I'm new at working with fondant.  I've made the tasteless recipe Wilton has, and REALLY didn't like it.  I like the MMF recipe - the taste is so much better....but I can't get it to harden where I can form it correctly.  Such as making roses...it seems too soft and "flops" together.  I've added more powdered sugar, but that doesn't seem to help.  And when I make it days ahead of time, it's too hard to form and cracks.  I also started using the MMF recipe to save $$....but maybe I need to stick with purchasing it instead.  Is anyone else out there feeling my pain, or have found a trick to it?

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You may need to add tylose to firm it up. What recipe are you using?
If you don't have Tylose, you can use Gumtex in the amount Wilton recommends per weight of fondant. Only let it sit 8 hours to 24 hours ahead. Then, zap it in the microwave for a SHORT bit. Depending on the amount... 8 to 15 seconds. Knead a tad more shortening into it & try that. The amount of humidity will also be a factor in how MMF acts. PRACTICE is a major key! I "quit" MMF altogether once! LOL! Good luck! :)
I often use GumTex rather than Tylose. I *never* measure how much. Just take a hunk of fondant (anykind) and dip it into the GT, work it in. If it dosen't feel right I keep dipping it in and working it until it gets tight.

I can buy/find GT much easier than Tylose that's why I use it.
Tylose is saved for making 'real' gumpaste:)
I do exactly what Lynne does for I don't know where to get Tylose ...and it has been working for me. I just made some Calla Lilies and I just added GumTex to my Marshmellow fondant....

Lynne Salmon said:
I often use GumTex rather than Tylose. I *never* measure how much. Just take a hunk of fondant (anykind) and dip it into the GT, work it in. If it dosen't feel right I keep dipping it in and working it until it gets tight.

I can buy/find GT much easier than Tylose that's why I use it.
Tylose is saved for making 'real' gumpaste:)
I use Gum-tex too. At first I didnt like it but I figured out that I wasnt adding enough powdered sugar to it to make gumpaste. I dont make roses out of fondant because I can't get it thin enough. You can mix half fondant and half gumpaste or just make gumpaste out of the gum-tex. The recipe is on the can. I find that I always have to add more powderd sugar to it after it "cures" over night but I knead in about 1/4 cup at a time to it until it is like soft clay and very white in color. The cured paste is more like a very light shade of off-white or at least not white white until I add more powdered sugar. I can roll it very thin and it dries quickly.

I love MMF and cant see me using anything else until I get so busy that I wont have time to make it...cant wait for that! I make mine in my standing mixer with the dough hook and do all the kneading in there with all the powdered sugar.

This is the recipe I use fron Edna De La Cruz's site: http://www.designmeacake.com/mfrec.html
I used the recipe from a video on here...and all it really had was marshmallows, water, vanilla, and powdered sugar. It works well for some things, but not for keeping its shape!

Keegan Luvs Cake said:
You may need to add tylose to firm it up. What recipe are you using?
Thank You! I'm going to try this recipe! And I'm going to look for Gum-tex to add in. I really want to start making some roses and other flowers - but I can't do it if they keep falling flat! Does the gumpaste taste bad? Can you add flavoring to it to change the taste if it does taste bad?!! Thanks for your help!!

Karen Marie said:
I use Gum-tex too. At first I didnt like it but I figured out that I wasnt adding enough powdered sugar to it to make gumpaste. I dont make roses out of fondant because I can't get it thin enough. You can mix half fondant and half gumpaste or just make gumpaste out of the gum-tex. The recipe is on the can. I find that I always have to add more powderd sugar to it after it "cures" over night but I knead in about 1/4 cup at a time to it until it is like soft clay and very white in color. The cured paste is more like a very light shade of off-white or at least not white white until I add more powdered sugar. I can roll it very thin and it dries quickly.

I love MMF and cant see me using anything else until I get so busy that I wont have time to make it...cant wait for that! I make mine in my standing mixer with the dough hook and do all the kneading in there with all the powdered sugar.

This is the recipe I use fron Edna De La Cruz's site: http://www.designmeacake.com/mfrec.html
......Does the gumpaste taste bad? Can you add flavoring to it to change the taste if it does taste bad?!! ...........

Hehe - yeah:) To eat flowers made from gp is like eating an eggshell.
No, flavoring cannot be added. That is one of the reasons gp is used for flower making and where you need "Hardness". Otherwise fondant is used - which can be flavored.
For making things like small sea creatures, figures etc usually one uses a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. The gp helps it set up and dry and the fondant keeps it soft enough to work with but still dry later = mostly on the outside while the insides remain somewhat soft.

GumTex is a Wilton product and can be found usually where Wilton stuff is sold like MIchael's or Hobby Lobby.
I don't do much decorating anymore but usually when I want to make some 3-d figures/animals just buy a # pkg of Wilton's fondant and add flavoring. I make most of my flowers from it too. They are not as thin and lifelike but I prefer using fondant over gp unless I'm making an order or entering a contest.
I have tried the gumpaste with gum-tex and it doesnt taste terrible or even bad...it is mostly sugar paste...the gum doesnt really have a taste....I dont like Wilton fondant for taste but it isnt terrible just not as good as marshmallow fondant. For flowers the best is gumpaste because it dries fast and hardens better than fondant/gumpaste mixture. The mixture is better for figurines where you need a longer drying time. But for flowers to look real you need to roll the gumpaste really thin and you cant do that with fondant....it just doesnt have the structure to hold its shape. Gumpaste flowers arent really meant to be eaten but because they are placed on a cake it has to be made from edible materials....never place anything on or in a cake that isnt food grade or non toxic and that includes wires (except stainless steel and copper, gold and silver), florist tape, colored paper etc. For marshmallow fondant to work for figures mix half fondant and half gumpaste or add about a tbsp of gum-tex to about a pound of fondant and mix thoroughly. And you can add extracts to gumpaste but there isnt really a need for that. You can flavor fondant with any kind of extract. I usually add vanilla and a little lemon juice which the recipe I use calls for.

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