Tips when using Mexican paste with Patchwork Cutters
Grease the rolling board with vegetable
fat.
Roll out the gumpaste,
DO NOT LIFT THE PASTE OR TURN THE PASTE OVER WHEN ROLLING. The paste must
stick to the board.
Grease the cutter well. Press firmly
onto the paste.
Remove the cutter by flicking the
edge. Always remove the cutter before peeling away the excess paste.
The paste should be cut cleanly.
If the edges are ragged the paste is probably too thick.
.
The smaller the cutter the thinner
the paste should be and the more vegetable fat should be used and spread
over the smallest parts of the cutter.
Hot soapy water and a small brush
will remove the fat once the cutter has been used.
GENERAL USE:
.
Cover cake or plaque in fondant icing and while soft emboss design onto paste. Lift the cutter away using the handle to prevent fingermarks.
.
Roll out Gumpaste on a lightly greased (use white vegetable fat) non-stick surface or board using a non-stick rolling pin. Always roll out the paste very thin.
.
Each time you use the Patchwork Cutter rub vegetable fat onto the cutting edge and then press down firmly. Do not use cornstarch.
.
To remove the Patchwork cutter, flick the edge of the cutter with a sharp upward movement. Peel away excess paste and use tweezers to remove any small unwanted pieces.
.
Stick required pieces into place moistening the area with a little cooled boiled water.
COLORING
The Gumpaste can be colored first
before cutting into required pieces or painted or dusted once finished
and dry.
Questions:
Q. I am in need of instructions
on how to create the "patchwork" look with fondant. To more more specific,
I have seen fondant "Volleyballs" where the balck and white shapes looked
as though they were fused together like puzzle pieces. Does anyone know
how to do this? I know I could put cut-outs on top of fondant but I really
want to do the "patchwork" or "puzzle-piece" look where it likes like you
can't tell where one color stops and the other color or shape starts.
.
A. Check out the books published
by Patchwork Cutters company and sold
here. I don't know if this is what you mean, but I have placed one
or more flat pieces of fondant next to each other and on top of a solid
piece that covers the whole cake. (Use a teeny-tiny dab of shortening on
the surface of the fondant where you want to stick the piece onto). Then
I rolled over the whole thing, fusing the pieces together and onto the
bottom solid piece. I made a whole patch work cake covering that way.
.
I have also placed flat pieces of
fondant randomly placed on top of a solid piece and simply rolled over
it, and the pieces sunk into the bottom solid piece of fondant.
.
Make the solid piece of fondant
slightly thicker than you eventually want it. Vary the direction when you
roll over the pieces so they won't get distorted. Keep the surface of the
fondant covered with plastic wrap or coat with a light coating of shortening
so it won't dry out.
.
A. There are certain patchwork cutters
that are made to be pressed into your fondant once it's on the cake. I
use one in a fondant class that were diamond shaped. You simply press it
onto your covered cake before it hardens like an embosser.....here's a
pic of the one I used (not necessarily pushing.) They are called quilting
markers (above). The designs are symetrical so you can emboss one right
next to the other one.....comes out looking great.
EASY AS 1-2-3
