Does sanyone know what the difference is between fondant and gumpaste???  Which is better to work with and does anyone have any great recipes for gumpaste???

Thanks in advance!

Fondant is used to ice a cake.  when it dries it sort of has the consistency of a very soft candy.  Gumpaste which is similar (it has something added to it…I can’t remember off the top of my head what the additive is) dries hard and brittle.  It really isn’t meant to be eaten…it is used to make decorative items like flowers that will go on a cake, but not actually be eaten.  I took a cake decorating class and the teacher said:“gum paste is actually edible but not palatable.

Thanks for the quick response Bill!

So do you think it is the same as pastillage just with a different name?

Hi Rose - some people refer to pastillage as gumpaste (or sugarpaste), but it’s really not the same.  Pastillage dries harder and is a bit mroe sturdy than gumpaste.  Pastillage doesn’t contain gum of tragacanth, which gives gumpaste more flexible properties and a longer work time.  Gumpaste can be rolled out paper thin, while pastillage cannot.