Gum paste substitutes

This is not really a substitute, it is how most decorators make gum paste anyway. Knead the powder in thoroughly, wrap tightly in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for at least an hour, ideally overnight, so the gum hydrates. The result rolls thin, holds a frilled edge and dries hard in about 24 hours. The only differences from bought gum paste are a slightly softer set and a little less elasticity.

Best for

sugar flowers, thin ruffles and frills, cake toppers and plaques, bows and lettering, wired petals

Use half a teaspoon for a firmer modeling paste that still stays a bit pliable, and a full teaspoon or slightly more for petal work. The paste stiffens as it sits, so if it becomes crumbly the next day knead in a smear of shortening and a drop of water.

The traditional stiffener, used long before tylose existed. It gives a slightly stretchier paste that dries just as hard but takes noticeably longer to set, often two days rather than one. Some people find it has a very faint earthy taste, which does not matter for decorations nobody eats.

Best for

traditional sugar flowers, petals with thin ruffled edges, pieces you want extra working time on

Gum tragacanth needs a longer rest than tylose, so leave the kneaded paste wrapped for a full 8 to 12 hours before working with it. It is a plant gum, and anyone with a sensitivity to plant gums should avoid it.

Fondant is essentially gum paste without the gum, so it shares the same sugar-dough flavor and color behavior. What changes is real: it tears if you roll it truly thin, it never fully hardens all the way through, and a shape left standing will slowly bend and sag, especially in humidity. A flat cut-out star or a leaf will be fine after a couple of days in dry air. A rose with layered petals will droop.

Best for

flat cut-out shapes, simple leaves and letters, lay-flat decorations, pieces used the same day

Give it every advantage: roll it as thin as it tolerates, dry it on foam or crumpled paper towel to support the shape, and allow two to three days. Avoid a humid kitchen entirely, since fondant reabsorbs moisture from the air and softens back up.

Chocolate kneaded with corn syrup, so it tastes far better and firms up genuinely solid as it cools. It is the best option for sculpted figures, bows and thick draped shapes because it holds detail crisply and does not sag. It will not do thin petals: rolled thin it cracks, and body heat from your hands makes it greasy and soft while you work.

Best for

sculpted figures and animals, bows and ribbons, large draped or wrapped pieces, anything meant to be eaten

Work in a cool room and chill the pieces briefly if they go slack. It sets by cooling rather than drying, so it stays flexible if the kitchen is warm and it will melt against a hot cake or in direct sun.

Marzipan models beautifully and holds shape better than fondant because of its almond structure, and it tastes markedly better than any sugar paste. The trade-offs are its cream-yellow color, which mutes pastel dyes and makes true white impossible, and its oil content, which keeps it slightly soft in the middle forever. It is a strong choice for fruit, vegetables and animal figures, not for petals.

Best for

modeled fruit and vegetables, figures, traditional Christmas and simnel cake decoration

Contains almonds, so it is off the table where there is a nut allergy. Knead in a little sifted powdered sugar if it feels oily, and keep pieces out of direct light because marzipan darkens as it dries.

The from-scratch route when you have gum but no fondant. Beat the egg white to soft peaks, add most of the sugar and the gum, then knead in the rest with the shortening until it is smooth and no longer tacky. It behaves like commercial gum paste, if anything a little firmer and quicker to dry.

Best for

sugar flowers, large decorating projects where buying paste is expensive

This version contains raw egg white. The decorations are not really meant to be eaten, but if children might eat them, use 2 tablespoons of meringue powder mixed with 3 tablespoons of water instead of the fresh egg white. Rest the paste, wrapped, for several hours before use.