Mastic: how to store confectionery paste, cakes and figurines made from it. Subtleties of use

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Marmy candies 150-200 g,
powdered sugar - 400-500 g (sift to avoid lumps),
butter,
milk.

Before putting the marshmallows to melt in the microwave, I add a little milk and a little butter - a level tablespoon, soft, per serving. I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds, the gummies will increase in volume and melt a little; don’t leave the microwave anywhere, you may need less time, 10 seconds. Then I poured powdered sugar, about 70-100 grams, I do everything by eye. I stirred it and got a paste.
Add more powdered sugar and knead until a thick mass forms. When I get such a mass, I dump it on the table. Powdered sugar is previously poured onto the table. To prevent it from sticking too much to my hands, I grease my hands with warm butter and knead long and hard. After this, you can immediately work with the mastic, or you can wrap it tightly in cling film and put it in the refrigerator.
If necessary, remove, let the mastic rest and come to room temperature. Grease your hands with butter, knead a little more and work on a surface sprinkled with powdered sugar. Some people advise sprinkling the surface with starch when working.
When working with mastic, leave the required amount for modeling on the surface, try to keep the rest under cling film. The mastic dries quickly.
It is better to spread the mastic on the butter cream, then it will stick better and will not float.
A cake with mastic cannot be stored in the refrigerator; the mastic will begin to release moisture and leak. It is best to decorate the cake with mastic products shortly before serving.
A cake that has icing decorations on it should absolutely not be placed in the refrigerator, the icing will melt instantly. Tip: If you made the cake decoration using icing, before serving the cake to your guests, place the icing on the cake and serve.
Products made from mastic are glued together with a drop of water, melted marshmallow candy, icing or thick confiture. This is usually peach or apricot, which has a neutral color.
Here's a cake to spark interest. It's all made from mastic.

Icing from Brusnica

Working with mastic is a bit like modeling from plasticine, which has been left in the sun a little and tends to stick to your hands or tear. Therefore, rudeness is not needed here: take time to work with it and sit quietly, create. Prepare molds where you will place your products to dry. These could be plastic cookie trays, whatever you find on hand. Products made from mastic can also be made in reserve, since they are stored in containers at room temperature for a very long time. You can store the icing in a tightly sealed container for (about) a week. You need to work with icing quickly, prepare a pastry syringe, nozzles, and a pattern template in advance.
If it's a butterfly, draw a butterfly silhouette on the parchment paper.
First trace the contour of the butterfly, then all the internal veins of the wings.
Place the finished butterfly on a piece of cardboard, bent in the middle, and place it between something, so that it holds on the sides. You can turn the book over and put our butterfly on top.
I took translucent film and placed it on the butterfly drawing. I secured it around the edges with needles, drew a butterfly, unfastened the needles and put it on an upside down book to dry.

3 squirrels,
450 g powdered sugar.

Beat for 8 minutes with a mixer until it turns white and becomes a very thick mass.
The sheep's fur coat is made of icing.

Gelatin mastic from Brusnica

Soak 10 g of gelatin in 55 g of water. When it swells, heat it a little in the microwave, literally 5-7 seconds, until the gelatin dissolves, and stir.
Sift 600 g of powdered sugar, pour into heated gelatin and add 2 tsp. lemon juice, mix until dough-like. Wrap tightly in a bag, break off the required amount as you work, wrap the rest tightly, as it dries very quickly.
It paints well, but it is better to paint after the mastic has been made, otherwise it becomes dense after lying on it.

photo from Unna_Slava of a cake with gelatin fondant

Milk mastic from Brusnica

I present a recipe from Zhanna Zubova and her comments.
Let's start with milk mastic. It is easier to prepare and more convenient to use. Mix equal amounts of milk powder and powdered sugar, then add sweet condensed milk (1:1:1). Knead the mixture until it reaches the consistency of soft plasticine. You can tint the mastic a little with food coloring.
Now, remembering the labor lessons at school, we sculpt flowers, leaves, berries, bunnies, ducks, etc. from it. The sculpted decorations need to be dried. You can roll out the mastic into a layer 1-2 mm thick or thicker, and cut out the figures with a notch or a knife. It is better to roll out on cling film and sprinkle the mastic with powdered sugar.
The building facades on my cakes are made from milk fondant, then painted with food coloring, chocolate and egg white icing.
If the mastic sticks to your hands during modeling, you need to add powdered sugar; if it dries out, wrap it in parchment or film. The only drawback of milk mastic is its yellowish color, so if you need to make flowers white or soft pink and blue, I use gelatin mastic.
Natural dyes can cause mastic to crumble or, conversely, become weeping, which will require more powdered sugar.
Knead and try on a small piece.
If you are afraid, then buy marzipan by weight.

powdered milk - 160 g,
powdered sugar - 160 g,
condensed milk - 200 g,
lemon juice - 2 tsp,
cognac optional - 1 tsp.

I also came across the option 1:1:1 plus lemon juice.

Sugar mastic from Brusnica

marshmallow 50 g,
1 tbsp. l. water,
1 lemon.

Place marmushki in a bowl, add water and 1.5 tsp. lemon juice, put in the microwave for 25-30 seconds. After this, mix with a spatula and begin to gradually add sifted powdered sugar. Knead the plastic mass. In total you will need about 300 grams of powdered sugar.

Marshmallow mastic from Brusnica

200 g marmushki,
1 tbsp. l. water,
2 tbsp. l. lemon juice.

Stir and microwave. When everything swells, I take it out and mix it with a spoon until the lumps disappear. If you need one single color from this entire mass, then at this stage I add paint, then I start adding powdered sugar. I knead the mastic dough.
This amount is enough to cover a car or cake by 24-26 cm.

Chocolate marshmallow dough for coating and decorating cakes (Israeli site) from Brusnica

150 g powdered sugar,
200 g dark chocolate (high cocoa content),
180 g marshmallows (doesn't matter what color),
1 tbsp. spoon of margarine or butter,
3 tbsp. spoons of cream,
1 tbsp. a spoonful of liqueur, brandy or orange juice (optional).

Melt the chocolate in a steam bath. Add marshmallows to the chocolate and let it also “melt” (stir the mixture with a spoon during the “melting” process). It won't be fast, be patient. When the marshmallows have melted, add cream, butter and, if desired, liqueur, brandy or juice. Place this mass in a mixer, add powdered sugar and knead with a guitar attachment (spatula) until a homogeneous mass is formed. After cooling, place the dough on baking paper and roll out. The dough can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the refrigerator until needed. If the dough does not roll out well, you need to put it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
I took butter and orange juice. I made wheels for a car from this mass, it molded perfectly. The taste is somewhat reminiscent of potatoes, but without the cookies. Not cloyingly sweet.

Milk mastic from Blu_Ledi

160 g milk powder or cream,
160 g powdered sugar,
200 g of condensed milk (I use less milk, but more powder and milk powder),
2-3 tbsp. l. lemon juice (don't add)
1 tsp. cognac (optional) (do not add).

My notes are in parentheses - and this mastic is much tastier than marmyshka mastic.

Coloring mastic from Brusnica

The mastic is colored with food dyes, such as those sold in the Easter set.
Excluding all questions about the possible consumption of egg paint, I answer right away.
The food coloring for Easter kits has the same composition as the food coloring for confectionery.

Two options for mastic coloring
1st option.
Take a toothpick, dip it lightly into dry paint and stick a piece of mastic, knead it thoroughly with your hands.
2nd option.
Take dry paint, pour it somewhere, drop just a milligram of water so that it has the consistency of a cream. Then use a toothpick in the same way as with dry paint.
The paint will lie more evenly than in the first case.

Covering the cake with fondant from Brusnica

The cake is not rolled into fondant, but covered with it.
You need to grease the cake first with condensed milk + butter cream, level it to perfect condition, without bumps or potholes. Let the cream harden, then roll out the mastic to the circle you need, working with a surface generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Using a rolling pin, transfer the rolled out mastic on top of the cake and level it with light pressing movements; you should start from one side to the other, expelling all the air. If a bubble swells in the future, carefully burst it with a toothpick or needle.
If there is cream in the cake, inside the cream, then the cake is covered with “melted chocolate + butter” cream before coating.

Honey mastic from Judit

20 g gelatin,
5 tbsp. l. water,
citric acid on the tip of a knife (I also added vanillin on the tip of a knife),
4 tbsp. l. liquid honey (transparent, then the mastic will turn out pure white),
2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil (odorless),
800-1000 g of powdered sugar.

Soak gelatin in water with citric acid and vanillin. Meanwhile, sift 1 kg of powdered sugar. Place honey and vegetable oil in a bowl. Heat the gelatin until dissolved, strain and add hot to a bowl with honey and vegetable oil.
Mix everything well and start adding powdered sugar, first mix with a spoon, then knead on the table to the required density.
The mastic turned out to be very good, flexible, and did not become hard on the product within a day.

Mastic on squirrels from Irinka-Sakharinka

10 g gelatin and 50 g water,
10 ml glucose (I use honey)
10 ml glycerin (can be replaced with vegetable oil),
1 egg white,
1 tsp. lemon juice,
800 g of powdered sugar.

If you will paint the mastic, take 15 g of gelatin.
This recipe has been gathering dust on my shelf in a cake book for several years, because I had no idea what glucose was then. I liked this mastic, it’s elastic, similar to marmyshka (I once made it as a test). True, the recipe said 400-450 g of powdered sugar, but this is very little. I take 800 g, make a funnel and pour the protein into it, it should be at room temperature, because gelatin will be warm after the microwave, add honey and butter, lemon juice, and for a pleasant smell I also add a bag (1 g) of vanillin, and I start mixing first with a spoon, when everything comes together in a lump, I knead it with my hands. Sometimes, depending on the size of the protein, you need to add more powder, now I sift the powder onto the table and knead it on the table. The consistency is always different: if I need it to cover a cake, I leave it softer (then, in any case, I can add it with powder), if I’m sculpting figures, I make it steeper.
Everyone knows that when you color mastic, its composition changes, because when you add dye, then you mix it with powdered sugar, and the elasticity is broken. So, if you color the mastic, then I change the proportions of gelatin, take 15 g, and everything else according to the recipe.

Pastille mastic from Tawa

It's easy to do. I crumbled a piece of marshmallow, squeezed a little lemon juice on top, added a drop of water, heated it on the stove in a bowl, then mixed everything well with a spoon and started adding powder so that it would stick to your hands, but not be hard. It molds well and paints well too. Compared to gelatin mastic, it is more tender. Not tough. I had figurines and letters on the cake made from gelatin, the letters were so thin and then they actually became like stone, you couldn’t bite them. And from marshmallows, they just melt in your mouth, that’s all. You just have to be careful with her. Otherwise it can be broken. And there is something nicer than gelatin mastic. I think it can be used for small flowers, roses, letters, and figures.

Several types of mastic from Tawa

Brown shokomastika. When I realized that I couldn’t paint it properly, I simply added melted chocolate to the mastic and kneaded it. It just froze quickly.

White pastille mastic. I crushed the pastille into pieces into an enamel bowl, poured it with lemon juice, melted it, stirred it, and added powdered sugar. There are no proportions because I did everything by eye. This mastic rolls well. Looks the same. And even though it stood in the refrigerator for a long time, it did not harden.

Yellow mastic - from the magazine. Powdered sugar 500 g, milk powder 100 g, starch 50 g, egg white - 2 pcs. Combine the dry ingredients and knead them with egg whites until the consistency of plasticine.
My comments: 2 proteins turned out to be clearly a lot, because I had to add powder, and a lot! Maybe because of this, maybe not, but the mastic is very soft and rolls out poorly and breaks. I had to apply it in separate pieces, and rubbed the joints with a wet hand. By the way, everything came together well, and Bob’s texture turned out to be suitable. But it all seems, in my opinion, not like mastic, but like glaze, both in taste and consistency. Very tasty. Just needed to add lemon juice, otherwise it was cloyingly sweet. It’s good that this coating lay tightly on the cake and blended well with it. It doesn’t work out that way with marmosets, it lags behind. This coating can be used, but you need to experiment: reduce the amount of proteins, for example, add lemon juice, maybe just knead it with juice.

Pastilage from Natakhod

Recipe 1

3 tbsp. l. water + 2 tsp. lemon juice,
2 tbsp. l. gelatin,
250 g powdered sugar,
110 g starch.

Soak gelatin in water for 30 minutes, heat in a water bath until dissolved and cool to room temperature. Sift the starch with powdered sugar and pour in the strained gelatin, stirring. Knead and wrap in film to prevent air from getting in. Products made from this pastillage dry quite quickly, and it is very convenient to work with.

Recipe 2

1 tbsp. l. gelatin,
60 ml water,
1 tsp. citric acid,
2 tsp. glucose syrup,
250 g powder,
120 g starch.

Soak the gelatin in water with the addition of citric acid for 40 minutes, heat until the gelatin dissolves, remove from heat and add glucose syrup, stir, cool. Sift the powder and starch into one cup and pour in a slightly warm gelatin solution. Knead well. You may need a little more powder. Wrap it tightly in a plastic bag so that no air gets in. Keeps for 2 weeks. Yield 600 g.

photo Nata 1202 figures from pastillage

Pastilage from Slastyon00

500 g powdered sugar,
0.5 tsp. Traganta,
1.5 tsp. gelatin,
60 ml water.

Mix the powder and tragacanth, sift and heat in the oven at 50C for 10-15 minutes. Soak the gelatin in water until it swells (see the package for the recommended time). Melt until the grains are completely dissolved, strain, if necessary, combine with powder and tragacanth, knead, add powder if necessary (if the mass is sticky), put under a lid or in a bag and leave overnight or a day.
I made chokomastika, used white chocolate and white Bonpari soufflé, here is the recipe.

Marshmallow 90 g,
chocolate 100 g,
butter 0.5 tbsp. l.,
cream 1.5 tbsp. l.,
orange juice (I used lemon) 0.5 tbsp. l.,
powdered sugar 100 g (actually more, about 200).

Melted chocolate and marshmallows in the microwave. I mixed everything until smooth and straight into this container - into the refrigerator, still in a liquid form. After half a day, everything is perfectly kneaded, rolled out and the outline of the figure is cut out according to a pre-printed picture from the Internet.
Using a toothpick, details are drawn, including the mesh, and everything is dried. But I pressed everything as much as possible even before painting, dried it overnight, painted everything red, dried it, painted everything blue, dried it, then yellow, after drying the mesh with undiluted blue dye and painted the inscription with the thinnest brush No. 1. Then I glued it to the finished cake with boiled condensed milk. That's all!

Marshmallow from tofy

Recipe from a book about children's cakes. To make them, a dense dough is used so that you can make all sorts of different shapes. But I didn’t really like the taste, I like it when the dough is soft and tender, but here it’s “building material”, it’s, of course, tasty, but not tender. I give you the recipe. 1 ounce = 28.35 g.

12 (340 g) ounces unsalted butter, softened
12 (340 g) ounces powdered sugar
6 large eggs
14oz (400g) sifted flour,
1 teaspoon vanilla essence,
3 tablespoons buttermilk (optional) (I didn’t quite understand its effect, next time I’ll better add a couple of spoons of baking powder).

How to make buttermilk at home.
Add 1 tbsp to 1 glass of milk. a spoonful of vinegar. Mix. Place in a warm place. After 20 minutes the buttermilk is ready. Vinegar can be replaced with a spoon of lemon juice.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/325°F/Gas 3, fat and baking tins. The recipe above is suitable for 10 cakes (I don’t know what kind of cakes they make there, but I got 3 cakes about 2-2.5 cm high in a 26 cm pan). Sift flour into a bowl. Place the softened butter in a mixer, add powdered sugar and beat until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy. Add 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of flour to the mixture, beating after each addition. Add vanilla essence and buttermilk. Using a spatula, fold the remaining flour into the mixture. Spoon the mixture into the molds, leveling the surface. Bake in the center of the oven.
Leave to cool in the baking dish for five minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

What is the main dish at any holiday? What is the one thing no birthday can do without? And what dessert are all guests looking forward to with pleasure? Of course it's a cake!

Today, probably the most popular are cakes made with mastic. They are beautiful, hold their shape perfectly, and the incomparable decorations made from this product can be safely eaten. Mastic cake for children is very popular, because parents can please their child by giving him a dessert decorated with figurines of their favorite cartoon characters.

But our article is intended for those who want to learn how to create delicious beauty themselves! A DIY mastic cake is not a dream, it is a completely doable task! And our master class will help you with this.

The preparation of dessert takes place in several stages. The first is to determine the type of mastic from which you are going to make the cake.

What kind of mastic is there and where to buy it?

Before you start telling us how to decorate a cake with mastic, you need to be clear: what is it anyway? This is a viscous, plastic substance, very similar to plasticine. Thanks to these properties, confectioners began to do more than just make delicious desserts. In their ingenious hands real works of art are born! Often such cakes are not only eaten, it’s a shame to cut them!

There are different types of mastic, the most common of which are:

For modeling. The name itself suggests its purpose. It is very suitable for creating jewelry and figurines. It has a consistency that is soft on the inside but hard on the outside. This quality is great, for example, for creating jewelry using silicone molds. You will find out what it is a little later.
Floral. This mastic is ideal for creating delicate and complex decorations, such as small flowers. It contains more thickener, so it dries faster, but it rolls out thinner, is very plastic and holds its shape well. Decorating cakes with floral fondant is a very easy and enjoyable task.
Sugar. This is what is mainly used to cover cakes (this process is also called covering).

Mastic also comes in marzipan, milk and honey.

You must understand that it is not at all necessary to have all three types of the most popular mastic in your arsenal; you can get by with regular sugar mastic. Its other types are used, rather, by professional kitchen masters for greater convenience and to save their time. Ordinary housewives who want to please their loved ones with their own sweet masterpiece can only get by with sugar mastic.

Buying it is not so easy; it is sold only in specialized confectionery stores. If there is one near your home, then you are incredibly lucky. The best option is to order delicious “plasticine” from the online store in your city. If you don’t find one, don’t despair, you can make mastic yourself. How? Read on!

How to make homemade mastic from marshmallows?

It turns out that you can make mastic yourself. And it will cost you at least 2 times less. And this is not the only plus. Many confectionery masters claim that homemade cake mastic tastes much nicer than store-bought ones.

To prepare it (about 400-500 grams) you will need:

marshmallow soufflé - 100 grams;
soft butter - 1 tablespoon;
lemon juice - 1 tablespoon;
powdered sugar - 250-350 grams.

What is it - marshmallow? Not many people have heard such a mysterious name, but everyone has seen this soufflé! These are the same white and pink Bon Paris sweets in the form of delicious pillows or braids.

There are other manufacturing companies, but this one is perhaps the most popular in Russia. Many mothers deliberately prepare a children's mastic cake exclusively from marshmallows, since they have no doubt about the harmlessness of the composition of the finished product.

How to cook?

Place the soufflé in a bowl (not a metal one).
Microwave it for 5-10 seconds. The mass should then become soft.
Add 1 tbsp. l. soft butter at room temperature and 1 tbsp. l. natural lemon juice.
Mix everything thoroughly. The mass should become soft and homogeneous.
After this, add 1 tbsp to it. l. powdered sugar until the mixture reaches the consistency of a batter.
Place the future mastic on the table and knead like dough, adding powdered sugar again and again until the mass becomes viscous and plastic, but elastic and does not stick to your hands, similar to plasticine.

Please note: marshmallow soufflé comes in a variety of colors. Candies can be white-pink or yellow-white-pink. If you want to get mastic of a certain color, for example pink, then you can safely melt whole white and pink pads. If you need white mastic, then the soufflé will need to be cut and only the white part melted. But marshmallows will not produce pure white. It's always a little grayish. Keep this in mind if you want to make a pure white fondant wedding cake. In this case, it is better to purchase a finished product.

Shokomastika: recipe

In addition to marshmallow mastic, there is another type that can be prepared at home. This is shockomastic. It also turns out to be viscous and plastic, its taste is unique. The only drawback is that it takes longer to dry, and it will also take a little longer to prepare.

So, you will need:

white or dark chocolate - 100 grams;
2 tablespoons of liquid honey.

Cooking instructions

The chocolate must be cut into small pieces or grated.
The product must be melted in a water bath, but please note that the water should not boil under any circumstances. Then the chocolate will overheat, change its structure, and the mastic will not work.
After the mass becomes liquid, add 2 tablespoons of honey, slightly warmed but not hot. Mix everything with a spoon. The mass will immediately begin to thicken.
The resulting product must be kneaded well, like dough, for 20-30 minutes. During the process, cocoa butter will be released, do not be afraid of this, place some plate and let it calmly flow there.

Decorating cakes with chocolate fondant is less popular due to its slow drying, but is also possible. It is good for tight fitting. Shokomastic can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic.

Coloring mastic. What do you need to know?

Before you plan to make a mastic cake, you need to clearly imagine what exactly you want to see in the end result. What color will the dessert be, how will you decorate it, will there be inscriptions on it and much more.

After you decide on the type of mastic (it doesn’t matter whether it’s purchased or homemade), it’s time to think about the color.

There are several options for coloring mastic:

If you make it yourself, you can color it during the cooking process. Dye (dry or gel) is added at the stage of mixing the still liquid marshmallow or white chocolate. This method is only good if the entire mastic cake is the same color - both the coating and the decorations.
You buy or make white mastic, and add a few drops of dye to the finished one, kneading the mass until it acquires a uniform, even color. Dye is added using a toothpick. It is dipped into colored gel and lines are applied to the finished mastic. Knead. Evaluate the resulting color and, if necessary, repeat the procedure. This option is good because you can paint the mastic in different colors and do it with exactly the volume that you need.
The disadvantage of the first two options is that the color of the mastic will not be very bright. It will always be more pastel than flashy. The third option is suitable for those who want a rich, eye-catching color. It is necessary to dilute the gel dye with a few drops of vodka, apply it to a sponge and use it to quickly blot the already covered mastic cake. The color is even and bright.

So, your mastic is already ready. You decided on a color and painted it. It's time to think about the filling: what will you hide under the mastic?

What dough and filling is best to prepare for mastic?

Probably one of the most exciting questions for novice cooks is: “What kind of cake should I bake with mastic?” The most common version of the tight test is, of course, a sponge cake. It is delicate but holds its shape well. It can be cut into cakes and made into delicious dips and fillings.

The most suitable and delicious recipe for a sponge cake decorated with mastic is this:

Beat 200 grams of soft butter at room temperature with 200 grams of powdered sugar.
Add four eggs to the mixture and beat everything until the sugar dissolves.
Add premium flour (300 grams), sifted through a sieve and mix everything well.
Bake until done.

Both a sand cake with mastic and a honey cake are ideal.

But not everything is as simple as we would like. Sugar mastic is afraid of moisture. That is why biscuits intended to be covered with it should not be too generously soaked in syrups. The cream for layering the cakes should also not be very soft.

Mastic is a fairly heavy product, and such delicate cakes, such as “Bird's Milk” or “Broken Glass” with an airy and delicate soufflé inside, are not suitable for covering.

You should know that under no circumstances should mastic be placed on top of whipped cream, yogurt cream, or the like. In this case, it will simply melt and “flow”.

But don’t despair, you can still make your favorite layers from almost any cream inside the cake. Culinary experts have come up with a solution. In this case, the outside of your cake just needs to be coated with a special cream that is suitable for covering with mastic. That is, you will have 2 creams. Internal, to your taste (the most important thing is that the structure of the cake itself is strong and stable), and external, on which the mastic will be placed.

Thus, there can be a lot of taste variations. This means that your own mastic cake, made with your own hands, will undoubtedly become one and only.

Cake leveling cream recipes

What kind of magic creams are these? You probably already have this question. There are only two most popular types of leveling creams.

“Cream from boiled condensed milk with butter”

It is perhaps the most common, as it does not require much skill or time. It is necessary to mix well 200 grams of soft butter at room temperature and 150 grams of boiled condensed milk. The cream is ready!

"Chocolate ganache"

To prepare it you need:

2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar;
30 grams of butter;
100 grams of chocolate;
110 ml cream (30-35% fat).

Let's start cooking:

Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.
In a saucepan, thoroughly mix the cream with sugar, bring the mixture almost to a boil and turn off (do not boil!).
Pour the hot mixture into the chocolate, wait a few minutes and mix thoroughly.
Add butter and stir the mixture again. Ready!

And now, using any of these creams, the cake must be prepared for covering with mastic. It's not enough to just coat the cake. Its surface must be perfectly flat!

That’s why these creams are called leveling creams. With their help, the future mastic cake will turn out perfectly smooth and beautiful, because with any convexity of the cream, defects will be visible. To make the dessert look neat, we recommend leveling its surface in three stages.

Spread a thin layer of cream over the top and sides of the cake; it will smooth out all the major irregularities. Cool in the refrigerator until the first layer of cream hardens.
Cover the cake with a second, thicker layer of cream. Try to give the surface as even a finish as possible. Chill again in the refrigerator until firm.
Heat the knife on the stove (not hot water, it should be dry). Using a hot knife, smooth the cream to an ideal, beautiful and even surface. Place the cake back in the refrigerator.

So, a huge, important stage has been passed! We already have a beautiful, leveled cake! The mastic for a birthday (or other holiday) is also ready, all that remains is to cover our gorgeous, delicious dessert.

What tools are needed to cover a fondant cake?

For subsequent work with mastic you will need the following:

rolling pin. It can be regular (wooden) or silicone. Professional confectioners choose silicone models with a rotating handle. This is the most convenient way to roll out the mastic.
Silicone mat. But you can do without it if the table surface is smooth and without flaws.

Pastry iron. This is a device with which the mastic on the cake is leveled. This is an extremely convenient thing. After all, you will never be able to press the mastic onto the cake with your fingers so smoothly.
Regular knife or round(for pizza). The latter is more convenient to work with and is necessary for cutting mastic.

Powdered sugar. Needed for rolling out mastic to prevent it from sticking to the table.

The wrapping process. Step by step photos

How to properly cover a mastic cake? Our master class will show you this in great detail! So:

How to decorate a cake with fondant? You will find out about this very soon!

What equipment do you need to have to decorate cakes with fondant?

You can decorate the cake with fondant without having anything at all except scissors and a knife. Or you can buy a couple of silicone molds - and then the process of creating flowers and various figures will be simplified to a minimum! What is a mold? This is a silicone mold for making various jewelry. How to use it? Nothing could be simpler. You need to put a piece of mastic into the hole of the mold and press it tightly so that you are completely sure that it has filled every millimeter of it. The form can be placed in the freezer for a couple of minutes, then carefully remove the resulting figure or flower.

For beginners working with mastic, this is simply an ideal option. Using molds you can decorate dessert not only quickly, but also very beautifully.

You can learn to sculpt flowers and figures from mastic with your own hands. There are a large number of video lessons of this kind. After practicing a couple of times, you will surely be able to create something beautiful.

Well, another option is possible: buy ready-made cake decorations in specialized stores.

Now you know the basic principles and nuances of making a cake covered with mastic. These main stages remain unshakable for a cake of any shape and design.

Children's cakes made from mastic. Photo

For boys, the most desirable thing, of course, is a cake in the shape of a car. Making it is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. All stages of preparing sponge cake and cream remain the same. It's all just a matter of your imagination. The cake will only need to be shaped like a car body. After covering the entire dessert with mastic, you need to cut out the machine parts for decoration; this can be done with a knife or ordinary scissors, and glue them with ordinary water. Since the mastic is sugar, water acts on it like glue.

A mastic cake for a girl is undoubtedly best designed in the form of a doll.
It's much easier to make it than a machine. The cake needs to be shaped into a dome. This will be the doll's skirt. And all you need to do is stick the doll’s legs into this dome. Specialized stores sell a special top part of the doll for cakes like this. But it doesn't come cheap. Why spend money if there is practically no difference, and the doll can be washed later? After fixing, the cake can be covered with mastic in any way your heart desires. You can make folds, a train, glue bows and flowers. The upper part of the doll can also be decorated with individual pieces of mastic.

If your child is crazy about a popular cartoon character, you can make a figurine of him from mastic. Dare, create, try! And your children will say with pride and love: “Our mother is the best!”

Wedding cakes made from mastic. Photo. Nuances in preparation

These mastic cakes are especially popular. They are very beautiful, and there are a lot of ideas for their design. But it’s not at all necessary to come up with grandiose bouquets of flowers. A simple design that even a beginner can handle is by no means the worst thing.

Perhaps the easiest, but no less beautiful decoration for a wedding cake can be ordinary mastic balls or confectionery sprinkles.

Bows of various sizes can also serve as a simple but elegant solution. You can play with colors, because no one said that wedding colors must be white.

The most ordinary stripes on a cake can add real zest and elegance to a sweet dessert. A wedding cake made from mastic is actually not so much difficult to decorate as it is to “assemble”. The main difficulty in cooking is attaching its tiers if there are several of them. If there are two tiers, then usually the second is simply placed on the first. But in this case, the sponge cake should not be too soft or with a delicate filling, otherwise the lower tier threatens to be crushed under the weight of the first.

Everything becomes much more complicated when there are three or more tiers. Then a substrate of the required diameter is purchased for each of them, and each layer of the cake is placed on it. In addition, each tier is strengthened with special wooden sticks. They are used to pierce all layers (except for the very top) in several places and cut them so that their height exactly matches the height of the tier itself. Thus, the upper tier on the base will lie not just on the lower ones, but also on wooden sticks that will not bend and will firmly hold the weight of the entire cake, preventing the dessert from deforming.

Now you know how to make a mastic cake with your own hands. The master class revealed in detail all the stages of preparing this delicious dessert. And if before reading our article the task seemed impossible for you, now you are probably excited about this idea and will delight your loved ones with a wonderful, incomparable cake! We believe in you! Everything will definitely work out!

Sugar mastic is a plastic material from which experienced craftsmen create a variety of decorations for holiday baking. This type of decoration for confectionery products has been used relatively recently, but it has already gained popularity. Therefore, it’s time to figure out how to store mastic and cakes using it.

What is mastic and what types does it come in?

Confectionery mastic is used to cover cakes, make flowers and all kinds of figures. There are several types of material:

for applying to the surface of baked goods - sugar;
for making jewelry and floral elements - floral;
for creating figures - Mexican.

Novice confectioners can purchase paste in specialized stores for use at home. Experienced craftsmen share numerous recipes for making the product.

Mastic can be prepared at home based on:

gelatin;
chocolate;
marshmallows, etc.

Dairy

To prepare the paste you need condensed or. For kneading, use instead, crushed into powder. The result is a soft and plastic mass that is pleasant to the taste.

It has a long drying time. This quality is indispensable when you need to cover a cake, make figures and flowers.
Milk paste has a drawback: if you put a little less powder in it, then the layer on the cake will turn into porridge.

Note to the hostess

To prevent the situation from getting out of control, part of the powdered sugar is replaced with starch.

To prevent the coating from tearing, it should be rolled out no thinner than 2-3 mm, and the powdered sugar in its composition should be very finely ground without sugar grains

Gelatinous

The mastic contains gelatin and powdered sugar. It is suitable for creating large volumetric compositions, flowers, and shapes. The downside is that the paste dries quickly. This creates difficulties in the manufacture of thin and small elements, which break off when dry.

Do you know that…

Gelatin fondant is not suitable for covering a cake because it eventually becomes hard. Good results are achieved by using gelatin paste and marshmallows together.

Chocolate

The following is added to the chocolate variety for decoration:

any color;
powdered sugar;

Mastic is pleasant to work with because it is very plastic and dries well. It is used to make any decoration elements, and is also used to cover cakes. It's delicious on its own. White chocolate produces a creamy paste that can be colored in different colors with food coloring.

Tip of the day

While preparing the chocolate mastic, stir in the powdered sugar carefully. From excess, the mass crumbles.

Marshmallows are candies in the form of marshmallows or marshmallows that came to us from America. From them, with the addition of powdered sugar, a soft plastic mastic is obtained, which is used to cover the surface of cakes and cut out decorative elements.

If you add more powder, you get a mass for sculpting figures. Colored candies make mastic of different colors.

It is not necessary to look for candies with the name “Marshmallows”, just the word “mallows” on the packaging

How long does mastic last?

Decorating baked goods is a painstaking job. The entire mastic coating is not always used. The remaining part is used later. This means you should find out how long the mastic is stored.

Storage of purchased products

Manufacturers of confectionery mastic are interested in long-term storage of their products. For this purpose, preservatives, stabilizers, flavors and other substances that are not very useful for consumers are added to it. When choosing a product in a store, you should pay attention to the composition.

Storage will not cause trouble if you follow certain rules:

Ready-made mastic is sold in packaging. To work, take part of the mass with a clean spatula. Cover the remaining paste immediately to reduce exposure to air.
If there are any leftover pieces after decorating, do not throw them away. Wrap leftovers in parchment or foil to prevent sticking.
The main task during storage is to avoid heat and moisture. Due to elevated temperatures, the mass dries out and loses its plasticity. Hygroscopic in its structure, it becomes liquid from humidity.
The mastic can be stored in an airtight container for a month. Wrapped leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Note to the hostess

If the mastic has lost its elasticity, you can add lemon juice, diluting it with water in a 1:1 ratio.

Storing Homemade Pasta

Recipes for making homemade mastic include natural products, which is important when decorating desserts for children's parties. The risk of allergic reactions is reduced. Their correct ratio allows the product not to deteriorate or lose its properties for a long time.

What to look for:

Allow the prepared mastic to rest for a day in the refrigerator. Cover the pasta container with cling film and make several cuts. During operation, it will absorb less powdered sugar.
If the paste turns out wetter than necessary, do not rush to add powder. You can try drying it in a warm kitchen or near a radiator for two hours. You just need to use this mastic right away.

Store homemade pasta for 2-3 weeks.

To make the coating without wrinkles, you need to roll it out with a large margin, then it will smooth out under its own weight

Storing marshmallow mass

Mastic made from toffee candies, like any other, is sensitive to drying out and excess moisture:

Evaporation of water will lead to loss of elasticity and brittleness. Decorative elements will crumble, making it impossible to form a layer to cover the cake.
But the absorption of excess moisture will turn the paste into an unsightly mess.

Wrap the mastic in cling film, then in a plastic bag. In a closet at a temperature no higher than 25 degrees, supplies will last 3-4 days. If you put them in the refrigerator, nothing will happen to them for 2 weeks.

Do you know that…

If marshmallow mastic is purchased in a store, it can be stored for 6 months at a temperature no higher than 3-5 degrees. The long period is explained by the presence of preservatives in the composition.

How and where to store the product at home

To preserve mastic, regardless of whether you bought it or made it at home, you need:

Pack the product in a container with an airtight lid and put it in the refrigerator; this way it will keep for 2 weeks.
After consumption, combine the pieces, shape them into a ball or oval, wrap tightly in film, then in a plastic bag and put them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator; they need to be used within a week.
Keep away from vegetables and open containers with liquids.
When you need to use the mastic again, remove it from the refrigerator in advance and keep it at room temperature for 10-12 hours to soften; then mix thoroughly, this will restore its elasticity.
The product can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

To make the mastic on the cake shine, it is greased with a solution of honey in vodka in a 1:1 ratio.

After finding out how long mastic can be stored in the refrigerator, you need to understand whether it can be frozen. Experts assure that confectionery paste can be stored in the freezer for 2-3 months. How to do it:

Divide the lump into small portions.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, plastic bag, foil, parchment, or place in a container with an airtight lid.
Place in the freezer.

To proceed, defrost gradually: first place on the refrigerator shelf overnight, then leave at room temperature until warm. Knead well before use.

Note to the hostess

To speed up heating, you can place the mastic mass in the microwave or hot oven for a few minutes. Just make sure it doesn't start to melt.

How to store mastic cakes

Mastery in making mastic cakes comes gradually. Each test of your strength will be better than the previous one. A cake using mastic decoration is prepared in advance, because it is not known how long this or that operation will take. The main thing is to preserve the resulting beauty before the start of the celebration, so it is important to know what is covered with mastic.

Application technology

To avoid trouble, you need to properly coat the cake with paste:

You should not be overzealous with soaking the cakes. The excess moisture will cause the mastic to melt. They behave ideally when covered with a mastic layer.
The top cake should be dry. To do this, it is coated with ganache, marzipan layer or butter cream. The coating must dry or harden. In the case of cream, the cake is placed in the refrigerator.
The mastic should not be overdried, otherwise it may warp and crack not only during cutting, but also during storage.

For a master class on how to coat a cake, watch this short video:

Place and period of storage

Let's figure out where to store the mastic cake:

The cake, covered with fondant, is placed in a closed box. It should be stored in the refrigerator or other cool place.
Half an hour before serving, remove the cake to allow the coating to warm and become pliable when slicing.

Note to the hostess

Droplets of condensation may form on the dessert. Nothing wrong with that. They are carefully blotted with a napkin.

It remains to be clarified how long a mastic cake can be stored. Confectionery paste is sensitive to elevated temperatures.

During a festive feast, the dessert will lose its appeal within a few hours. Therefore, it is served just before consumption.
If the room is cool, this period will extend.
You should not keep a mastic cake in the refrigerator for more than 2 days.

How to store mastic figures

Decorative elements are made before you start baking the cake. This painstaking work takes a lot of time. Then they are dried, otherwise the figures on the cake will become deformed.

Parts of the holiday theme are first cut out of colored fondant for contrast. By using food coloring or coloring with vegetable juices, bright, rich colors are obtained. You will learn how to do this from the video:

Store finished parts in a closed box so that they do not touch; Place in a plastic bag with an airtight lid and store in a closet. Large figures can be placed in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.

It is best to decorate the cake a few hours before the celebration, so that the details do not become damp or lose their shape. You can glue them using , mixed with a teaspoon of powdered sugar or thick sugar syrup.

Methods for preparing mastic and frequently asked questions

Marshmallow sugar mastic

To prepare sugar mastic we will need:

marshmallow - 100 g
butter - 1 tbsp.
powdered sugar - 200-300 g (you may need more or less powder)
food colorings

Place the marshmallows in a mold, add butter, and microwave for 15-20 seconds. The marshmallow should increase in volume.

Add 50-100 g of powdered sugar, mix. If you make colored figures, divide the resulting mass and add food coloring.

Add powdered sugar until you get a mass similar in consistency to plasticine

The mastic is ready. You can roll it out and cut out various shapes. Finished products are dried within 24 hours. Finished products should not be stored in the refrigerator. If you have any unused mastic left, wrap it in cling film and put it in the refrigerator. If the cake is covered with cream, then it should be decorated with mastic products before serving.

Mastic on condensed milk

50 grams of milk powder,
30 grams of condensed milk.
50 g powdered sugar

Mastic (basic recipe)

2 tbsp. l. water
1+1/2 tsp. gelatin (without slide)
1+1/2 tbsp. glucose
2 tsp glycerin
455 gr. sifted powdered sugar

1. Add gelatin to lukewarm water, stir and let dissolve. Microwave for 8-10 seconds (time depends on the power of the microwave) IMPORTANT! Do NOT allow the gelatin to boil, otherwise it should be thrown away immediately.

2. While the gelatin is hot, pour glycerin and glucose into it and mix until smooth.

3. Add powdered sugar piece by piece and mix until it is no longer possible to mix with a spoon. Then add the rest of the sugar and knead with your hands until smooth.

The dough is considered ready when it is smooth and does not stick to your hands.

The mastic is stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator, wrapped in cling film. Before use, remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature or microwave for 8-10 seconds.

Honey mastic:

For 500 grams of powdered sugar
2 tbsp. spoons of honey
10 grams of gelatin
2 tbsp. tablespoons vegetable margarine or butter spread
6 tbsp. spoons of water

Preparation:

As is customary when working with gelatin: soak the gelatin in water for 30-40 minutes.
When the gelatin swells well, heat it in a water bath until dissolved and cool.
In a cup, stir honey, melted margarine or spread and cooled dissolved gelatin.

Start adding powdered sugar to the mixture little by little, stirring gently with a wooden spatula or spatula. When the mass becomes thick enough to knead, place it on a table sprinkled with powdered sugar and knead into an elastic dough.

Honey mastic for the cake should be elastic, so that it can be easily rolled out. If the honey mastic turns out soft, it will be impossible to work with it; it will stretch and tear greatly when covering the cake. Therefore, if your mastic is too soft, mix powdered sugar into the mastic to make the mastic stiffer.

Mix sugar paste in a food processor very simple, I was convinced of this by a video about mixing sugar mastic on egg whites.

It is truly an easy idea to do this not by hand, but with the help of your kitchen assistant, and this way you can knead the mastic according to any recipe.

If your food processor model is different from the model used in the video, but supports the function of kneading stiff dough, it is quite possible to use it.

My food processor has a kneading function and it takes a minute to knead.

When the dough ball is formed, I knead it on the table until it reaches the desired elasticity.

I advise you not to add all the powdered sugar at once, as there may be too much of it; it is better to add 2/3 of the amount of powder specified in the recipe, and then add powdered sugar during the kneading process if the mastic turns out to be too sticky.

Mix the mastic on a table sprinkled with powder. I advise you to knead the mastic in advance, place it in a sealed bag so that it “rests.”

The video shows mixing sugar mastic on squirrels to decorate cakes in English.

It remains a mystery to me what kind of white powder is in the small cup.

But it is not important. The video shows the consistency and manufacturing technology of sugar mastic. And you can take any recipe.

Mastic. Master class

FAQ

Why sometimes does the base begin to show through through the coating of sugar mastic?

Any type of sugar mastic used to cover the cake is very sensitive to humidity, so it is necessary to protect the cake covered with sugar mastic from moisture.

First, you need to use dry biscuits, butter cakes or store-bought biscuits as the base.

Secondly, don’t be too zealous when soaking the cake in sugar syrup or liqueur.

Thirdly, a cake covered with sugar mastic should be stored in tightly closed airtight boxes or plastic bags.

How long can a cake covered with sugar fondant last?

If the cake is wet then it will take longer for the cake to dry

If the cake is very dry, then there is a danger that after two days the mastic that covers the cake will warp.

It is also necessary to keep in mind that in dry and hot climates the shelf life of a cake covered with fondant is shorter than in cool and humid climates.

Why does sugar mastic break?

When rolling out sugar mastic, it is worth considering that its thickness should not be very thin. It is enough to roll out the mastic to a thickness of 2-3 mm.

In addition to the fact that the thinly rolled mastic may tear while covering the cake, all the unevenness of the base of the cake is visible under the thinly rolled mastic.

On what basis do you roll out sugar mastic?

There are several options for rolling out mastic.

1) sugar mastic can be rolled out on a table sprinkled with powdered sugar or starch

2) it is convenient to roll out the sugar mastic between two large sheets of polyethylene, which are greased with vegetable oil.

The advantage of the second method is that it is not necessary to separate the mastic from the polyethylene to cover the cake. After the mastic is rolled out to a thickness of 2-3 mm, it is enough to remove the top sheet and transfer the mastic on polyethylene to the cake and only when the mastic already covers the cake, separate the polyethylene from the mastic.

With this method, I did not get a smooth surface of the mastic because I used thin polyethylene, which, when rolled out, slid down and formed folds. But I liked the resulting “structured” surface of the mastic, so I did not take thicker polyethylene.

I think polyethylene, which is used for greenhouses, will allow you to get a smooth surface, since it is dense enough not to form wrinkles when mastic is rolled through it.

How to make sugar mastic on a cake shine.

To make the sugar mastic on the cake shine, after you have finished decorating the cake, cover the mastic with a solution of honey in vodka in a 1:1 ratio.

To do this, take a soft brush and, moistening it in the solution, apply a honey-vodka solution to your creation. After a few minutes, the vodka will evaporate and your cake will become shiny.

Color Mixing Chart

How to paint sugar mastic black

You can paint sugar mastic black in different ways. All experienced cake decorators note that it is not always possible to choose the desired color quickly. You need experience and knowledge of the laws and rules of color mixing.

The first method of painting mastic black

Mix dyes of the following colors: red, blue and yellow. The ratio depends on the shade you want to get:

For neutral black: 1 part red: 2 parts blue: 1 part yellow

For black with a green tint: 1 part red: 1 part blue: 2 parts yellow

For black with purple undertones: 1 part red: 1 part blue: a little yellow

For black with a red tint: 2 parts red: 1 part blue: 1 part yellow

I did this: I diluted dry dyes separately, each color in a drop of water. Then, taking as a basis the dye that should be more, she added the rest of the colors to it. I received a black liquid dye, which when mixed into the mastic gave a rich gray color. As the amount of dye increased, the color became darker, resulting in black with a purple tint. I was happy with the version of this black with a purple note.

I didn't get pure neutral black. I think this is because my red was not red, but raspberry, because so far I have not been able to find a dye that gives a real red color. Dye E122 is raspberry or fuchsia, but not red, although it is called red.

The second method of obtaining black mastic

You can tint the mastic brown with burnt sugar or make chocolate mastic and then add blue dye to it.

The third method of coloring sugar mastic black

Take black dye and paint the mastic black

How to store mastic and for how long?

Any sugar mastic can be stored for several days, up to a week, in well-closed plastic bags or plastic containers.

There is nothing to spoil in sugar mastic; it is important to simply protect the mastic from air so that it does not dry out and from moisture so that the mastic does not get wet.

A few tips when working with marshmallow mastic

1. When buying candy, the name does not have to be "Marshmallows". It is enough that the name contains the combination "..mallows.." or "..mallow..".

For example, "Chamallows", "Frutmallows", "Mallow-Mix", "Mini Mallows", "Banana Mallows", etc.

In Russia, marshmallows are produced by the Nestlé company - “Bon Pari, tutti-frutti soufflé” and “Bon Pari, soufflé”.

2. Powdered sugar for mastic should be very finely ground. If there are sugar crystals in it, the layer will tear when rolling.

Depending on the type of candy, you may need much more powdered sugar than indicated in the recipe, so you need to stock up in large quantities in advance.

If the mastic remains sticky for a long time during mixing, then you need to mix in the powder until you get the desired consistency.

3. Mastic coating should NEVER be applied to a damp base - to soaked cakes, to sour cream, etc. The mastic dissolves quickly from moisture.

Therefore, there must be a “buffer layer” between the fondant and the cake. This could be marzipan or a thin layer of buttercream.

If you are using buttercream, then before applying the mastic, you need to let the cake sit in the refrigerator until the cream hardens.

4. To glue different parts of mastic figures or to glue decorations onto a mastic coating, the gluing area should be slightly moistened with water.

5. When exposed to air for a long time, the mastic dries out.

Some figures, for example, flowers, cups, spoons, plates, tables and chairs, are best made in advance and allowed to dry well.

6. Marshmallow figures can be decorated with food coloring on top.

7. If the mastic has cooled down and began to roll out poorly, then you can warm it up a little in the microwave or hot oven and it will become plastic again.

8. You can store unused mastic in the refrigerator (1-2 weeks) or in the freezer (1-2 months), after wrapping it in plastic film.

9. Finished dried mastic figures should be stored in a tightly closed box in a dry place. These figurines can be stored for several months.

If the layer of mastic that covered the cake breaks

And all these seams and patches can be easily removed with a wide brush, which you dip in water and “plaster” until the surface is perfect, smoothing out the mastic and sealing the seams and imperfections. And where there is an air bubble under the mastic (I see that you have bubbles there), you can simply pierce it with a needle and smooth out this place with your hand.

what cream is better to use under the coating?

It is better to level the cake:

butter cream
boiled condensed milk
ganache
marzipan mass

In the first three cases, the cake must be refrigerated so that its surface hardens.

At what stage is oil added to the mastic?

I added oil when I put the mastic in the microwave.

how to mix marshmallow mastic:

The mastic should become homogeneous, dense, non-porous, non-sticky, and plastic. If during work the mastic becomes too elastic and hard, you need to heat it a little in a micro, knead it with your hands, or if it overheats, mix it in the powder and continue working. If the mastic begins to crumble, you can add a little water or lime. juice and knead again.

A little about the batch itself. I read a lot of tips on how to make marshmallow mastic. I am categorically against completely melting marmyshki and stirring them until smooth. I heat them up, wait for them to swell and immediately pour them into the pan. powder and knead. If you overheat them, the mastic will become grainy and crumble. And one more moment, when the marmyshki are very heated (actually melted) when adding sugar. powder it (powder) begins to gather in lumps very. dense and these lumps then interfere with your work...

how to cover a cake evenly with fondant

There will be no folds on the sides if you roll out the mastic with a large margin and when you start covering, the mastic will stretch well under its own weight and lie flat. Only the leveling cream under the mastic should be very strong. well cured so that no dents appear during coating.

When I cover a cake with fondant, I have at least 10-15 cm left around the entire circumference. Then she has weight and can stretch out. I first smooth out this entire stock on the table so that it lies without wrinkles, and then the sides of the cake are easily smoothed. And then I just use a pizza knife to cut everything evenly in a circle, leaving 0.5 cm in reserve (otherwise the mastic may rise). That's the whole secret.

But I don’t think it’s worth doing anything thicker than 3mm. This is fine.

(Thanks to the girls from say7.info)

Lily from mastic

lily from mastic, roll out the mastic thinly, cut out six petals

Mastic will turn even a simple cake into a confectionery masterpiece. You can create any decoration from it. Anyone can learn the basics of working with mastic - it's not difficult. From the article you will learn how easy it is to make mastic with your own hands, how to cover a cake with it, and what is the difference between the types of mastic.

Covering a cake with fondant or creating decorations with it is an easy way to turn ordinary baked goods into a confectionery masterpiece. You can buy mastic or make it yourself. You can gain basic skills in the art of working with mastic paste using master classes with photos and videos.

Ready-made sugar mastic is always available in the online store Supermarket for confectioners in this section. You can buy online products made in England, the Netherlands, Turkey and other countries. Both “basic” white mastic and colored ones are available for sale. The price of a package of colored mastic is about 240 rubles.

This mastic for professionals and novice confectioners has all the necessary properties:

homogeneous;
stretches well, does not crumble;
with a neutral sweet taste or with different tastes.

In addition, you can immediately purchase exactly the type of mastic that is best suited for your purposes. There are three categories:

universal;
for covering;
for sculpting.

If you want to try making a plastic mass with your own hands, then this is also possible.

Mastic at home

First, determine for what purpose you need to make mastic. Dairy (based on powdered or condensed milk), chocolate and marshmallow mastic are suitable for covering cakes. To create figures - chocolate, sugar and marshmallow.

Homemade marshmallow mastic is the most popular and simplest recipe. If you follow all the steps step by step, you will get an almost universal mass.

In total, you need four components - marshmallows (100 g), powdered sugar (250 g), a little citric acid and water.

Place the marshmallows in a bowl, add a pinch of citric acid diluted in a tablespoon of water.
Place the bowl in the microwave at maximum power. The marshmallows should melt well.
Start mixing powdered sugar into the mixture. Work like you would with dough - the mastic should become smooth and elastic.
Roll the finished lump in powdered sugar, wrap in film and place in the refrigerator for half an hour. After this, you can begin the cake decorating process!

This delicious and simple cake fondant can be easily colored with food coloring. There are two ways to add color to the mass:

add dye while kneading - this will give you delicate shades;
color a ready-made cake or figurine. The color will be brighter, you can combine tones and paint complex decorations. But be sure to let the surface dry!

Another type of mastic intended for sculpting jewelry and figurines is gelatin. It is snow-white and hardens quickly. It is good for sculpting trees and bridges. You will need:

0.5 tsp gelatin (2 grams),
2 tsp water (10 ml.)
100 gr. powdered sugar
a couple drops of lemon juice.

You need to let the gelatin swell in water, then melt it in a water bath. After dissolving, add powder little by little, kneading like dough. Make sure that the mixture does not become too thick - if it starts to crack, add lemon juice.

Working with mastic

Working with mastic is not as complicated a process as it might seem. You just need to take into account a few important rules.

If you make your own mastic, use high-quality powdered sugar. It should be free of grains - the sugar crystals will cause the mastic layer to tear.
To glue the fondant decoration onto the cake, moisten the desired area of the surface. Parts of the assembled figures can be glued together with egg white.
Large figures must be made in advance and allowed to dry.
Complex and voluminous flowers should be stored in the refrigerator after drying, and glued shortly before serving the cake. Otherwise, they will absorb moisture from the air and may lose their shape.
To make the surface shiny, brush the cake with vodka 10-20 minutes before serving. The alcohol will quickly disappear and the cake will be shiny.
Dry and gel dyes are best suited for coloring.
You can easily color the mastic at the kneading stage by rolling it into a ball and making a depression in the center. The dye is applied with a toothpick. Then knead.

Do not immediately take on complex shapes and figures: cover a round cake, make simple flowers or decorations cut out using shapes.

The nuances of working with mastic for cakes

If you want to cover the cake with mastic, you need to first prepare the surface of the product. Chocolate ganache, butter or caramel cream, and marzipan are suitable for mastic. This “layer” will help the mastic retain its shape: it “floats” from moisture, so it cannot be applied to impregnated cakes or sour cream.

Sometimes it is recommended to cover the top crust and sides with apricot jam. But in this case, the mastic “wrapper” of the cake will swell from moisture.

A few more tips:

Pre-level the surface: apply the cream, smooth it with a spatula, let it harden in the refrigerator, and then check that the layer is even. Mastic will not hide unevenness.
It is better not to store the finished cake in the refrigerator for a long time. If you take out a product and it is covered with microdroplets of water, do not wash it, let it evaporate on its own. Otherwise, stains will remain on the mastic.
Don't roll out the mixture too thin. The ideal thickness is 3-4 mm. The table or board should be sprinkled with powder or starch. A silicone mat will also work well.

Working with cake fondant is easier if you use a few useful tools. These include:

perfectly smooth rolling pin;
leveling iron;
rotating stand;
roller for trimming edges.

All this can be purchased in the section “for mastic and marzipan” on the online store website Supermarket for confectioners.

Decorating a cake with fondant - how to do it

To make a cake with mastic - simple or complex, there is no need to rush. Then even a novice pastry chef will be able to make his own little masterpiece. The algorithm for a simple cake wrap looks like this:

roll out a circle of mastic. The diameter of the circle should be approximately equal to twice the height of the cake plus its diameter. Add to this a couple of centimeters “for trimming”;
roll the mixture onto a rolling pin and transfer it to the cake;
Smooth the top with an iron, being careful not to stretch the mass. Then smooth out the corners;
Carefully press down the sides to remove any creases. Walk the iron over the surface;
trim off the excess with a roller.

On average, a cake with a diameter of 15 cm and a height of 10 will require half a kilo of mastic. And for large ones, with a diameter of 35 cm - two kilograms.

If you didn’t calculate correctly and there are still bubbles on the surface, you can get rid of them by lifting the edge of the layer and laying it down again. If you have leveled the top and moved on to the sides, there is no need to return to it and smooth it further, because the mastic will stretch.

Decorating a cake with fondant can be done using prepared circles exactly along the diameter of the cake and ribbons of a contrasting color for the sides.

A textured surface can be easily created using tongs. Using pastry tongs, like tweezers, “grab” a piece of mastic and pinch it. With this device you can make geometric patterns, leaves, hearts.

Mastic cake decorating ideas

Mastic decorations can be used to decorate cakes of any size. Elements made from this mass go well with sugar beads or pearls, sprinkles and other confectionery decor.

An elegant and simple option is to cover the cake with elongated triangles of pearl fondant. The elements need to be layered on top of each other to create a ruched effect on the fabric. You can place several large sugar beads in the center.

A very effective decoration for mastic cakes is the use of figures cut out with cookie cutters. Snowflakes, hearts, and leaves look good against a contrasting background.

Delicate and very romantic decor - multi-colored “skirts” made of mastic on the sides of the cake. You need to cut out the ribbons, carefully make “assemblies” using a wooden knitting needle or stick and glue them to the cake. For more reliable fastening, you can use needles or pins - when the decoration dries, they can be easily removed. Additionally, you can cut out mastic bows.

You can make “marble” or “zebra” decor from mastic of different colors: contrasting ribbons, thin ribbons should be placed on a mastic circle, and then rolled out until smooth.

Mastic cake secrets for beginners

The best cake layers for a mastic-coated cake are sponge cakes, but there are recipes that allow you to use shortbread and even soufflé. However, if you want to make a soufflé cake, there should be sponge layers on top and bottom. Otherwise, the mastic will flow and the cake will lose its shape.

The basic version for a sponge cake is a dough made from eggs, sugar, flour and butter. Proportions vary depending on the recipe. The cake layered with the selected cream must be placed in the refrigerator for soaking. You can even press it on top with a press so that it takes shape.

Then you need to trim the sides to make it easier to cover with mastic. If the cake is composed of several parts, you need to make the desired shape. For convex elements, you can make a mixture of biscuit crumbs and mastic cream. It’s easy to disguise unevenness with it.

A simple cream recipe - made from butter and condensed milk. Beat a stick of butter with a mixer until a white mass is obtained and add half a can of condensed milk. Whisk again. Cover the cake with cream and put it in the refrigerator. Then use a heated dry spatula to smooth out any unevenness.

You can start covering the cake with fondant!

For beginners, you can apply any design or inscription to a mastic cake using a stencil and a special dye or food markers.

Simple flowers are made using cups and other containers of different diameters: circles are cut out, and then the flower is assembled.

Simple mastic cake, basic recipe

If you want to make a cake quickly, the easiest option is to use ready-made cake layers. Next you need to “assemble” the product:

The “inner” cream with which the cakes are layered can be used in almost any way to your taste, for example, creamy, custard, butter.

To make the cake tastier, the layers can be additionally layered with dried fruits, fresh fruits that do not get soggy, or alternate between cream and sour jam;
The top layer is covered with butter cream.
An even simpler option is to use ready-made chocolate spread. You need to heat it slightly so that it spreads better, and then cool the cake in the refrigerator.
Cover the finished cake with fondant as usual. If the excess mass is trimmed unevenly, the bottom edge of the cake can be decorated with sides or cut out openwork ribbons.

This is the simplest mastic cake, a basic recipe - you can even make it with your children, who will enjoy sculpting from a pliable mass, like plasticine.

IN Supermarket for the pastry chef You can purchase felt-tip pens for drawing with mastic, equipment for creating flowers and figures, ready-made sweet flowers and much more. You can make your own little confectionery masterpiece in just a few hours.