Sugarpaste

Now widely available in the supermarkets. I don’t think it is worth making this yourself. Always knead sugarpaste before use; it will become pliable and cover your cakes with a smooth professional finish. You will always need to start with more than you need when covering a cake. (You can seal any clean offcuts in a polythene bag and re-use them.)

Sugarpaste is great for making decorations, just like children’s modelling clay. You can buy it ready coloured, or colour your own more interesting shades. Sugarpaste has three enemies: it hates the fridge; drops of water scar it; airtight containers make it ‘sweat’. It does dry out fairly quickly, so once you are working with it, don’t go off and do something else! Keep sugarpaste sealed in polythene bags when not in use, to stop it drying out.