Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A

I have made some beautiful flowers for a wedding cake and tried a new gum paste recipe. They will not harden and are all floppy. Is there anything I can put on them to harden them now.

Hi anmordroshotel

Weather conditions can sometimes affect how gumpaste sets. If you’re experiencing extremely humid temperatures at the moment, the sugar in the paste will absorb the moisture from the air and not allow it to dry.

There are a few ways to help it dry. Some ways take a little time and others need extra attention.

The quickest way is to place them in a very low heated oven for a few minutes. Set the oven on the very lowest setting so it is barely on! Allow it to warm up.
Place the flowers on a parchment lined baking tray and pop them in the oven for a few minutes. The warmth of the oven will draw out the moisture in the paste and harden it. Remove from the oven and allow to rest a while before using.

Another way, which is used for drying royal icing pieces, is to set the object under a warm anglepoise lamp. This takes slightly longer, especially if the object is big or thick but it will dry. Sometimes however, the light can affect certain dark colours to fade. The most affected are reds, purple, pink and black so take care not to leave them under the lamp too long.

Blow drying thin pieces like petals in front of a fan or on the low setting of a hair drier. Keep turning the flowers so the underside is also dried.

The oven is the fastest way but you will need to keep checking until you are satisfied with the results.

Hope the suggestions help. Let me know how you get on. 🙂 Good luck!