Modern confectioners are coming up with new ways to decorate their creations, one of which is mastic. The viscous composition, like plasticine, is distributed over the surface of the product, allowing you to create truly impressive paintings. Every housewife can now prepare a beautiful wedding cake or decorate a pie for guests. The main thing is to have theoretical knowledge regarding manufacturing technology. Follow the instructions and practical recommendations.

Cake mastic: a classic of the genre

The recipe is considered basic, classic. This is where you should start your first experiments in the field of confectionery art.

• marshmallows - 225 gr.
• lemon juice - 25 ml.
• powdered sugar - 335 gr.

1. Take a large dish with a high rim. Divide the marshmallows into 2 pieces to get a flat side. Place the sweets on a plate, they should not overlap each other. Microwave the bowl of marshmallows.
2. Turn on medium power, set the timer for 25-30 seconds, depending on the performance of the device. Observe the product carefully. Once the marshmallows have melted, turn off the oven without waiting for the timer to click. It is important to remove the marshmallows from the microwave in time so that they do not begin to dry out.
3. Next, pour a tablespoon (25 ml) of lemon juice into the soft mixture, add powdered sugar and knead the mastic on the table. To prevent the composition from sticking to your hands, grease your palms with powder and carry out the procedure as if you were working with dough.
4. After finishing kneading, make sure that the mastic is completely homogeneous (no lumps or stains). Wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes.
5. After the expiration date, remove the polyethylene, knead again, and use as directed. Unused mass should be stored closed (cling film, container with a lid, etc.) at a temperature of 2-8 degrees.

Mastic for cake with vanilla

• soft marshmallows - 185 gr.
• powdered sugar - 375 gr.
• cream (powder) - 85 gr.
• lemon juice - 20 ml.
• vanilla sugar - 2 sachets

1. Take marshmallows of any color, divide them into halves and place them on a plate with a high side. Microwave for 25 seconds until the product is completely dissolved. Do not increase the melting time under any circumstances, otherwise the marshmallows will dry out.
2. At this stage, you can add food coloring of the color you want and mix the product with a spoon. If the marshmallows have a nice color without this, proceed to the next step.
3. As soon as you remove the product from the oven, sprinkle it with lemon juice. Mix powdered cream, vanillin and powdered sugar into a loose mass. Sprinkle the mixture on the surface of the table, lay out the marshmallows and knead the mastic out of it according to the principle of making dough.
4. The consistency will tell you about readiness: the ideal mass does not stick to your hands, stretches well, does not tear, and has no lumps. As soon as you achieve this effect, wrap the mastic in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for 40-50 minutes.
5. After the expiration date, you can start working with the product. If desired, you can use a high-density pastry sleeve. Use it to squeeze out beautiful flowers or other shapes.

Multi-colored marshmallow cake fondant

• powdered sugar - 310 gr.
• "Marshmallow" marshmallows - 320 gr.
• lemon juice - 30 ml.
• butter (fat content from 70%) - 15 gr.
• food coloring - optional

1. Place the ingredients for future mastic on the table so that everything is at hand. Particular attention should be paid to the color: if you have chosen white marshmallows, buy food coloring in the shades you like.
2. If you have allergies in your family, adding chemical dyes is undesirable, make them yourself. To get a brown tint, use cocoa. To add redness, pour in carrot juice, for redness - beet juice. Show your imagination, experiment.
3. In cases where store-bought food colors are used, but one of the shades is not available, mix them yourself. For example, a combination of yellow, blue and red will help you get black (it’s hard to find on store shelves).
4. To make several colors of fondant at the same time, distribute the marshmallows into different bowls. Based on the required amount of a specific shade. Drop 3-5 ml into each container. lemon juice, add 10 g. butter.
5. Microwave the mixture for 20 seconds and place the bowl on the edge of the rotating plate. Do similar manipulations with each container, heating them one by one (if the capacity of the oven does not allow you to cover everything at once). Watch the marshmallow carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. Otherwise the mastic will be hard.
6. To tell if the product has melted, watch the heated marshmallow. It will increase 1.5 times, become soft and swollen. It is at this stage that dyes of the desired shade are added. Once the manipulations are completed, start kneading.
7. Pour in the powdered sugar in parts, at the same time stir the mixture with a fork or knife, and then immediately with a spoon. Continue kneading until the mastic becomes viscous. You can also perform the procedure on the table, similar to the principle of creating a dough.
8. Your cake fondant is ready. Pack the colorful pieces into separate plastic bags and place in the refrigerator for half an hour. During this time, the mass will completely “reach” and become suitable for working with it.

Mastic for cake based on chewing marshmallows

• powdered sugar - 240 gr.
• chewing marshmallows - 215 gr.
• filtered water - 45 ml.
• food coloring

1. Prepare a container for storing food in the refrigerator or a microwave container. Place chewing marshmallows in it, pour in purified water, cover with a lid and place the bowl on the edge of the moving microwave dish. Wait about 25-30 seconds, during which time the marshmallows will melt.
2. Dilute food coloring with clean warm water in small quantities, stir until the crystals dissolve. Pour the resulting mixture into the melted marshmallows and start adding powdered sugar.
3. Stir the mastic with a spoon, adding more and more sweet mixture each time. If you wish, knead with your hands, but be sure to wear gloves to avoid staining the leather.
4. At the end of the procedure, the mass will become homogeneous, viscous and pliable. Form a “sausage” out of it, cut it into equal pieces with a knife, roll into balls and wrap each of them in cling foil or film. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. After this period, knead each ball again and use the mastic for its intended purpose. If you have some of the mixture left after decorating the cake, store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator door.

It is worth remembering that the prepared mastic is not spread on a layer of jelly, sour cream or whipped cream.

Chocolate fondant for marshmallow cake

• dark chocolate (cocoa content not less than 62%) - 100 gr.
• liquid cream (fat content from 17%) - 35 ml.
• butter (fat content 72%) - 20 gr.
• Marshmallow marshmallows - 110 gr.
• powdered sugar - 70 gr.
• cognac or whiskey - 40/35 ml., respectively

1. Prepare 2 pans - large and small. In the smaller one, place a chocolate bar, divided into squares. Pour water into a larger container and bring the liquid to a boil.
2. When the first bubbles appear, reduce the heat, place a small pan so that its bottom does not touch the bottom of the second bowl (hang it on the handles).
3. Simmer the chocolate in a steam bath until liquid, stir constantly with a wooden spatula. Make sure that no water gets into the mixture.
4. Continue stirring while adding marshmallows. Place half a pack of marshmallows (about 55 grams) and wait for it to dissolve. Place butter in a small saucepan, pour in cognac and cream, stir again.
5. When the mass becomes sufficiently homogeneous, add the second part of the marshmallows. Stir the mixture until the marshmallows are completely dissolved. As soon as this happens, turn off the burner.
6. Place a sieve over the pan and pass the powdered sugar through it. Move in small steps to prevent lumps from forming. Stir the product with a fork, and then bring it to readiness with your hands (using the principle of kneading dough).
7. When the mastic becomes elastic, tear it into pieces and make circles. Wrap in baking paper, foil or film, place in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours. Every 30 minutes, take out the mass and knead it.

Let's give some basic tips and reveal the secrets regarding making mastic for a cake at home. Regardless of which recipe you choose, stick to practical recommendations.

1. After preparation, the mastic is stored exclusively in the refrigerator or freezer. In this case, the total aging time of the composition reaches about 20 days. However, if possible, you should use the product immediately without sending it “just in case.”
2. When you decorate a cake or sculpt beautiful figures from fondant, the surface will be matte. Regular filtered or boiled water at room temperature will help to add gloss (shine) to the coating. Dip a baking brush or finger into it, then go over the product several times.
3. In almost all recipes, dyes are added after the marshmallows are melted. However, it is not necessary to do this in exactly that order. Make shapes from white mastic, then paint them in the desired shade. It is worth considering that the surface may be treated unevenly.
4. If you sculpt figures that include many small parts, they may fall off later (a man, a car, etc.). Lubricate the joints with regular filtered water. This recommendation is also relevant in cases where the molded product is attached directly to the surface of the cake.
5. You probably noticed that only powdered sugar is used to make mastic, not sand. This is no accident. The fact is that coarse sugar does not allow the particles to adhere tightly to each other, as a result of which the mass becomes loose and begins to tear.

It’s easy to prepare mastic for a cake at home, the main thing is to follow the instructions. Choose the recipe you like, prepare the necessary ingredients, and start working miracles. Store the mixture in the refrigerator or freezer, be sure to wrap it in cling film.

Video: cake mastic

Homemade cakes have a special energy: they convey the warmth of the hands of the mistress of the house, the special mood of the holiday for which they are prepared. It is ideal when this dessert is original and skillfully decorated. It will be very useful for a hospitable hostess to learn about the types of mastic and learn how to make mastic for a cake at home, and also make holiday decorations from it and surprise your family and guests. Let's look at the variety of recipes and find out how difficult it is to create such sweet beauty.

Mastic is an elastic confectionery mass whose properties resemble plasticine. The most ornate confectionery decorations are made from it, but working with this confectionery product requires a certain dexterity and skill, which will be honed with experience. From the very beginning, you need to know some culinary tricks on how to work with mastic.

The base of the mastic is powdered sugar, which is best sifted through a fine sieve before cooking. If unground grains of sugar get into the mass, it will tear when rolling. After preparing the mastic, wrap it in plastic and put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes - this time is needed for the mass to become more plastic. The finished mass, tightly wrapped in polyethylene, can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer.

Dyes are added during the mixing of the sugar dough. If you need mastic of different colors, first knead the uncolored dough and separate a piece of the required size, and place the rest of the mass in polyethylene to prevent drying. Use your hands to form a piece of dough into a circle with a depression in the middle and, adding a few drops of dye, knead it until a uniform color is obtained.

At first, you will need culinary equipment, which is found in every kitchen. The mastic is rolled out with a wooden rolling pin on the table, the edges after covering the cake are cut with a round pizza cutter, some figures are squeezed out using cookie cutters. Skilled housewives use spoons of different sizes to make flower petals: they fill the cavity with rolled out dough, pick up the leftovers around the edges, and connect the finished petals.

When your passion for decorating cakes grows into your favorite hobby, it’s worth purchasing special tools. The first purchases may be a smooth plastic rolling pin for rolling out mastic, silicone mats with markings (larger for conveniently rolling out cake coverings, smaller for rolling out elements of figures). Stacks for modeling, cuttings for a variety of flowers, leaves, butterflies, and silicone molds will help in the work to form small figures of the same type - letters, buttons, beads.

It is very important that the base of the cake, which will be covered with mastic, is not wet: it must first be covered with butter cream and put in the refrigerator until completely hardened, because any contact with wet cream will dissolve the mastic. Crafts from mastic must be made in advance, preferably two weeks before preparing the cake, so that they have time to dry in the air. Finished jewelry is stored for several months in a tightly closed container.

Recipes for making homemade mastic for decorating cakes

First you need to figure out how to decorate, what idea you want to realize: for example, cover the cake with a patterned blanket, sculpt a sophisticated rose flower, or make a model of a sports car. Then you need to choose which mastic is best suited for these purposes. For many housewives, it is important that homemade mastic contains accessible, simple ingredients and has universal use.

Honey

This mass is softer than sugar, does not crumble or crumble, so it is very convenient to use for covering a cake and forming decoration details. Ingredients for cooking:

• powdered sugar – 900 g;
• honey – 175 g (in volume this corresponds to 125 ml);
• water – 45 ml;
• gelatin – 15 g.

We do this:

1. Soak gelatin in water for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the mixture of honey and gelatin in a water bath.
3. Set aside a glass of powdered sugar, pour the honey mixture into the rest, knead the sugar dough, gradually mixing in the remaining powder.
4. The mastic is ready if, when pressed, an indentation from your finger remains on it.

Sugar

Good for sculpting figures and flowers. We will need:

• powdered sugar – 500 g;
• water – 60 ml;
• gelatin – 1 tsp;
• lemon juice – 1 teaspoon;
• vanillin.

The process consists of:

1. Soak the gelatin for half an hour, then heat it in a water bath.
2. Adding lemon juice, vanillin. Adding powdered sugar little by little, knead the mixture until it becomes an elastic dough.
3. You must not allow the mass to become too hard, because it will then crumble during work.

Dairy

This mastic is made with the addition of milk powder, sometimes baby formula or dry cream is used instead. To prepare you will need 160 g of milk powder and other ingredients:

• powdered sugar – 160 g;
• condensed milk – 170 g;
• lemon juice – 1 tsp.

Cooking method:

1. Mix dry milk and powder in a container.
2. Add lemon juice, condensed milk.
3. Knead into a plastic dough.

Chocolate

To prepare it, they use dark chocolate - milk or bitter, but they also make mastic with a bar of white chocolate. One of the recipes:

• Melt 100 g dark chocolate in the microwave, add 1 tbsp. lie honey and knead.
• How to check readiness: tear off a piece of dough, roll it into a ball and flatten it with your fingers - the edges of the finished mastic should not tear. Chocolate roses made from this mass look very impressive.

This is how the chocolate mass is prepared according to a different recipe. You will need:

• dark chocolate – 100 g;
• cream 30% – 40 ml;
• marshmallow candies – 90 g;
• powdered sugar – 2 tbsp. false;
• cognac – 2 tbsp. false;
• butter – 1 tbsp. lie

Recipe step by step:

1. Melt the chocolate completely in a water bath.
2. Without removing from heat, add marshmallows, stirring constantly.
3. When the marshmallows are half dissolved, add cream, butter, cognac and stir until the mixture becomes homogeneous.
4. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar.
5. Knead until the mastic becomes like elastic dough.

From condensed milk

A frequently used type of mastic because, thanks to its oily, soft structure, it is convenient to use for covering cakes of various shapes and sculpting medium-sized figures. The mixture with condensed milk is tasty and is eaten with pleasure. In addition to 200 g of condensed milk, you will need:

• powdered sugar – 160 g;
• powdered milk – 160 g;
• lemon juice – 2 teaspoons;
• cognac – 1 tsp.

Mix powder and dry milk, gradually pour in condensed milk. Add cognac, lemon juice, knead the mixture well. This mastic will not be white; it always has a yellowish tint.

From marshmallows

Marshmallow mastic is very popular; to prepare it, it is better to buy plain marshmallow candies or separate them by color before cooking. You will need:

• 200 g marshmallow marshmallows,
• 500 g powdered sugar,
• 1 tsp. butter.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Place the marshmallows and butter in a container and heat in the microwave for a few seconds until the marshmallows begin to melt.
2. Stir the mixture with a spoon until smooth, add powdered sugar in small portions.
3. The finished dough should feel like plasticine.

From gelatin

This type of mastic is called pastillage: it is indispensable when you need to make durable parts to decorate a cake, for example, handles for a basket, but it is practically inedible because it is very hard. If pastillage is dried, it retains its shape very well, so it is sometimes used to make templates for sculpting figures with fine details. Ingredients for cooking:

• powdered sugar – 240 g;
• starch – 120 g;
• gelatin – 1 tbsp. lie with a slide;
• cold water – 60 ml;
• citric acid – 1 tsp;
• honey, preferably artificial - 2 teaspoons.

1. Pour gelatin with water for 30 minutes, then melt in a water bath, add citric acid and honey.
2. Separately mix starch with powder and gradually add to the gelatin mixture until a homogeneous, smooth consistency is obtained.
3. Line a bowl with cling film, pour the mastic into it, wrap it in film and refrigerate until the mass stops spreading.
4. Before using the pastillage, you need to knead it well; if it is very cold and cannot be molded, you need to put it in the microwave for 5 seconds.

Floral

Knowing how to work with floral fondant is a testament to pastry craftsmanship because it is used to sculpt delicate, lifelike buds. This mixture is a leader in decorating wedding cakes. Ingredients for cooking:

• powdered sugar – 550 g;
• gelatin – 10 g;
• water – 50 ml;
• lemon juice – 20 ml;
• corn syrup – 60 ml;
• cooking fat (shortening) – 20 g;
• carboxymethylcellulose – 10 g;
• egg white – 2 pcs.;
• bleach for icing - optional, to give a snow-white color.

Cooking technology:

1. Add water to the gelatin and leave to swell.
2. Place powdered sugar, cellulose, bleach (if available), and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.
3. Heat the soaked gelatin in a water bath, stirring, add confectionery fat, then corn syrup.
4. Remove from heat, turn food processor on medium speed, and add liquid in a thin stream to powdered sugar.
5. Then switch the food processor to high speed, add the egg whites and lemon juice.
6. As soon as the mass turns white and becomes homogeneous, stop mixing immediately.
7. Place the mastic on a greased work surface, form into a sausage and pack tightly in cling film.

The mass is left to rest at room temperature for about 20 hours before starting to use it in culinary creativity. This mastic can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, in the freezer for up to 6 months. Before making the cake, you need to defrost it without using a microwave.

How to properly make mastic colored or shiny

Before you make colored mastic for, you need to determine exactly what colors will be needed and what dyes will be used: special store-bought or natural dyes made from fruits and vegetables. If natural dyes are preferred, they are made several days in advance and can be stored in the refrigerator.

To obtain vegetable dye, the berries are crushed, the vegetables are grated on a fine grater, and the resulting juice is squeezed through cheesecloth. When adding vegetable dyes, you need to be aware that they give a less saturated color compared to store-bought food dyes. If you add more natural dye to enhance the color, the mastic may end up with a bright taste of the added juice and will be more liquid, so you will need to add powdered sugar to achieve the desired consistency.

Plant ingredients give these colors:

• shades of red– juice of cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, red currants, various red syrups or red wine;
• rich pink color- beet;
• yellow– saffron infusion or lemon zest;
• green color- spinach;
• Orange color– carrot juice or orange zest;
• blue and violet dye– juice of grapes, blueberries, red cabbage;
• Brown color– cocoa powder, strong coffee or sugar burned in a frying pan (in a 5:1 ratio with water).

Purchased food colorings are divided into the following types:

• dry– they have a powdery appearance; before adding to the mastic, they must be diluted in water (take the paint on the tip of a knife for 1 tablespoon of water);
• liquid– it is better to add them to mastic instead of water;
• gel– thicker and more concentrated dyes than liquid ones, and more economical.

By mixing dyes, mastic of various colors is obtained. For example, yellow, green, and red dyes mixed together create a black dye that is added to fondant to give the dough shades ranging from light gray to deep black. The choice depends on both the product and the occasion: wedding cakes abound in white, pink, and golden shades, and children’s cakes – in all the colors of the rainbow.

After molding figures to decorate cakes, they often remain traces of starch or powdered sugar, which were used to roll out the mass. To make the mastic mass shine, you need to dissolve 1 tbsp. lie honey in 1 tbsp. lie vodka, apply the resulting mixture at the last stage of preparing the cake with a soft brush. The vodka will evaporate, leaving no taste or smell, and the jewelry will have a glossy finish.

Video

Forming a variety of decorations for cakes is a confectionery art that even a novice housewife can learn. After watching our selection of videos, you will notice all the important nuances of preparing different types of mastic, see practical techniques on how to make a cake cover, patterns, glue pieces of mastic and beautifully process the seams.

Photos of beautiful cake decorations

On a birthday, a cake is the main decoration of the table; it in itself can be a gift for the birthday person and often reflects his interests and hobbies. For men, they often make cakes with decorations on the theme of fishing, sports, cakes in the form of a book, or a case with money. When the hero of the occasion is a woman, she will be pleasantly surprised by a cake with decorations in the form of a bouquet of her favorite flowers, a luxurious bow or weightless butterflies. If the occasion for the celebration is an anniversary, it is appropriate to decorate the cake with numbers according to the number of years of the hero of the day, using food coloring with gold or silver glitter.

There is room for your imagination to run wild when decorating a cake with fondant for a children's birthday. Desserts for the little ones are decorated with figurines of angels, and inscriptions are made indicating how old the baby is. Older children will be surprised by figurines of their favorite cartoon characters, cakes in the shape of toys or cars, covered with multi-colored fondant. Such decorations are sometimes combined with decorating the cake with marshmallows. Pastila can be bought or also prepared at home. Cakes with themed decorations are appropriate for significant events, for example, when a child goes to school.

Those housewives who have good practice in working with mastic can even bake a wedding cake at home. Multi-tiered wedding cakes are popular now. To harmonize with the wedding theme, they can be covered with colored fondant in a specific color and include matching decor. The primacy in decorating these cakes is occupied by floral mastic, which is used to sculpt elegant figures of doves or a variety of flowers that cannot be distinguished from real ones.

Baking cakes at home is a hobby of many housewives. The use of mastic will significantly improve the appearance of the finished product. What is it and how to use it - read the article.

Cake mastic for covering: preparation method

Mastic is a sweet decorative material that allows you to decorate it in an original and bright way. Stores sell ready-made paste, but the best would be homemade mastic for covering a cake. When making it at home, you can adjust the taste of the paste and its consistency, and also be sure that it is made only from natural ingredients.

Marshmallow mastic

This paste is easy to work with, as it rolls out easily and does not harden while covering the cake. Single-color marshmallows give a single color, and when using different marshmallows, you can achieve several shades without adding dyes.

Required:

• 100 g marshmallows;
• 200 g powdered sugar;
• 4 tsp. milk;
• a small piece of butter.

Marshmallows are finely chopped and poured with milk. Next, you need to either heat the mixture in the microwave or melt it in a water bath. When the marshmallows begin to melt, butter is added to it. The soufflé can be removed from the heat when it has completely dissolved. Powdered sugar is added to the resulting mixture in parts. The mass is constantly mixed. Readiness can be determined by its consistency - the best mastic for covering a cake should resemble elastic dough and not stick to your hands. The resulting mass can be stored in a cool place for up to 3 months.

Milk mastic

Milk mastic for covering the cake is easy and quick to prepare. The recipe uses inexpensive ingredients and doesn't require any special cooking skills to create the paste. The finished mass tastes good - condensed milk makes the mastic look like toffee.

Required:

• 1 can of condensed milk;
• 200 g powdered sugar;
• 200 g milk powder;
• 2 tsp. lemon juice.

Mix powder, milk and lemon juice. Next, you need to add condensed milk in parts, while kneading the mixture until it becomes dense. A ball is formed from the resulting homogeneous mass, sprinkled with powdered sugar and cooled in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Before starting work, the mastic should lie for half an hour at room temperature. This product can be stored for up to three months, provided that it is protected from drying out.

Honey mastic

A distinctive feature of this mastic is its softness. The finished mass does not crumble or crumble, and also helps to mask the external imperfections of the cake.

Required:

• 950 g powdered sugar;
• 125 ml honey;
• 15 g gelatin;
• 45 ml water.

Fill the gelatin with water and wait until it begins to swell. Then add honey to it and heat it all over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. The honey mixture is added to the powdered sugar, and then the whole thing is mixed well. If the spoon cannot handle the thickness of the mass, then you should knead it with your hands. The workpiece should lie in a plastic bag for 30 minutes before use.

Ready-made mastic for covering a cake can be stored for 3 months at room temperature, and up to a year in the freezer.

Gelatin based mastic

Gelatin for covering is considered universal, so if there is a blank left after, you can make flowers or figures from it. The sweet mass turns out to be very soft and is easily rolled out into a thin layer necessary to cover the product.

Required:

• 10 g gelatin;
• 450 g powdered sugar;
• 1 tsp. lemon juice;
• 4 tsp. water.

The gelatin is soaked in water and then simmered over low heat until it dissolves into the liquid. The preparation must be stirred periodically and not brought to a boil. Next, mix powdered sugar with gelatin and lemon juice. The mass is mixed until completely homogeneous, covered with cling film and put in the refrigerator for an hour. After this, you can begin to coat the product.

The prepared mastic for the cake is stored carefully packed in cling film or an airtight container. In the refrigerator this is up to 3 months, and in the freezer - up to six months. Before cooking, the mastic must be taken out in advance so that it warms to room temperature.

Coloring mastic

Homemade mastic is usually white or yellow. To give the finished product brighter shades, you can use the following options:

1. While mixing the workpiece, add dry or gel dye to it. Please note that if you paint all the fondant one color, you will get a monochromatic cake. If you plan to make decorative figures from the prepared mass, then this coloring option will not work.
2. Ready-made cake mastic for covering is painted in different colors by separating pieces of the desired size from the total mass. To do this, the tip of a toothpick is painted with a bright gel and colored dots or lines are applied to the workpiece. After this, the piece is thoroughly mixed so that the color is evenly distributed.
3. To obtain a brighter shade, it is necessary to paint the mastic after the cake has been covered with it. diluted with a few drops of vodka, and then applied to the product using a sponge.

If you don't want to buy artificial dyes, you can use natural products. Bright shades are produced by beets, pomegranates, cherries, carrots, cranberries, oranges and blackberries.

Covering the cake: step-by-step instructions

1. The surface of the cake should be made smooth, as any bulges, bumps or pits will be visible under the fondant. To give it an even shape, coat the top and sides of the confectionery product with a thin layer of cream, which will smooth out all the unevenness. After applying it, the cake should be cooled in the refrigerator.
2. The kitchen table is generously sprinkled with starch or powdered sugar, and then homemade mastic is laid out on it. To cover the cake, you need to roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of 5 mm.
3. The mastic layer is carefully transferred to the cake.
4. It is necessary to smooth the rolled out mastic: first from the top and then from the sides. When smoothing, you need to make sure that no air bubbles form - this will ruin the appearance of the product.
5. Excess mastic is cut off along the bottom edge of the cake.

If the covering is not very neat, you can disguise the flaws with decoration - inscriptions made of cream or three-dimensional figures.

Rules for working with homemade mastic

There are several general rules that should be followed when covering a cake with mastic yourself:

1. To prepare the mass, you should carefully select the powder. If there are large sugar crystals, the cover may tear.
2. Mastic should not be applied to sour cream or overly soaked cakes, as the coating may dissolve upon contact with moisture.
3. If the cake fondant has frozen and stopped rolling out, heating it in the microwave will help. After this, it will become plastic again.
4. To give the cake coating a mirror shine, you need to lubricate the covering with a solution of vodka and lemon (1:1). The smell of alcohol will disappear from the product, but the glossy shine will remain.

Homemade mastic does not require a lot of money or time, because it is prepared from simple ingredients. But now any cake can be turned into a small work of art that will delight loved ones and surprise guests.

Not a single store-bought cake can replace the warmth and care that goes into home-baked goods. But for all the soulfulness of homemade sweets, they are rarely as pleasing to the eye as the creations of professional confectioners. Making cake mastic at home will help correct this state of affairs. We'll tell you what it is, how to use it, and offer you several recipes and culinary life hacks.

What is this?

Mastic is a sweet, pliable mass that resembles plasticine in consistency. With its help, you can make voluminous or flat decorations for cakes, as well as completely cover one or several tiers of the cake, obtaining the effect of a smooth, satin surface. The basis of the mastic is powdered sugar, which is why you should pay great attention to its choice: the finer the grind, the smoother and more elastic the mass will be.

How to prepare mastic?

First of all, you need to decide what you plan to use it for, because different compositions have different elasticity: for example, honey is great for covering cakes, but figures made from it hold their shape less well, especially in hot rooms. Sugar is excellent for creating jewelry, but if the proportions are not respected or the layer is too thin, it can crumble and crack. Have goals been set? Then, go ahead, get to work! If you want to make your mastic colored, you can add gel food coloring at the dough kneading stage.

Sugar mastic

You will need:

• Powdered sugar - 500 g
• Water - 60 ml
• Gelatin - 1 tsp.
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp.
• Vanillin.

How to cook:

• Sift the powdered sugar through a fine sieve.
• Pour gelatin with water for 20-30 minutes, then, stirring, heat in a water bath.
• Add lemon juice and vanilla, and then start adding powdered sugar in small portions, stirring the mixture.
• Continue kneading the sugar dough without bringing the consistency to a solid mixture.
• Wrap the finished mastic in cling film and store in the refrigerator.

Marshmallow mastic

You will need:

• Marshmallow - 300 g
• Water - 60-80 ml
• Powdered sugar - 250 g
• Vegetable oil

How to cook:

• Melt the marshmallows with two teaspoons of water in a water bath or in the microwave, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds.
• Grease the mixer bowl and the whisk for kneading the dough with vegetable oil, transfer the melted mass there, add powdered sugar and the remaining water.
• Knead the sugar dough until it becomes a homogeneous elastic mass.
• Place the mastic on a board greased with vegetable oil and bring it to the perfect consistency by hand.

Honey mastic

You will need:

• Honey - 90 g
• Water - 25 g
• Instant gelatin - 8 g
• Powdered sugar - 500 g

How to cook:

• Sift the powdered sugar through a sieve.
• Pour gelatin with water and leave to swell.
• Place the honey in a water bath and wait until all sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
• Mix gelatin with still hot honey and stir until completely dissolved.
• Stir the honey-gelatin mass into the powdered sugar, avoiding the consistency becoming too dry.

Methods of decorating with mastic

Covering the cake

The mastic for covering the cake should be as elastic as possible, so if your mastic was stored in the refrigerator, before covering it you should warm it up or at least let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. If the mastic is sticky, grease the rolling pin and the board on which you will roll the mass with vegetable oil.

Roll out the mastic evenly, achieving a uniform layer of 3-5 mm, then take the finished canvas and cover the cake with it. Begin to carefully expel the air from the space between the biscuit and the mastic; if wrinkles form, it will be enough to simply smooth them out with a spatula or pastry spatula. Trim off any excess fondant using a pizza cutter and smooth it down at the base. The cake is ready!

"Lace" decor

For this type of design you will need an already covered cake and additional materials: for example, cutters. Cutter is a form for cutting dough or mastic, they come in different shapes: from simple, large and round, to complex and small. The lace mastic should be a little denser and hold its shape well.

Roll out the mass on a board greased or sprinkled with starch until a layer of 3-4 mm is reached and cut it to the height of the side of the cake. Inside the resulting rectangle, start cutting out “lace” with cutters, for example, flowers. The combination of colored covering with white lace along the side looks very beautiful. Once the design is cut out, all that remains is to carefully separate the fondant from the board and smooth it onto the side of the cake. Pieces of cut out decor can be used to decorate the top of your confectionery masterpiece!

Roses made from mastic

You will need several round cutters of different diameters from 3 to 6 cm (you can use shot glasses), a rolling pin, a board, corn starch, water, a brush, toothpicks.

Before work, you need to knead the mastic properly in your hands so that it becomes more pliable, sprinkle the working surface with corn starch, roll out the mastic into a thin layer of no more than 2 mm and cut it out using mug shapes - 5 smaller diameters and 5 larger ones.

You need to run your fingers along the edge of each circle to make it thin and slightly wavy like a real pink petal. Leave the petals to dry for 10-15 minutes and begin assembling the flower.

In the center of each flower there should be a “bud” - a small cone of mastic. Now each petal needs to be slightly smeared with water at the base and gently smoothed onto the cone, forming a flower from the center to the edges. Place the base of the rose on a toothpick, bend the petals a little and leave the flower to dry. Afterwards, you can remove the rose from the toothpick and decorate the cake.

How to paint mastic if there is no dye?

You made a great mastic, but don’t have any gel dyes in the house? You can add a little color using products you have in your kitchen!

The red color will be provided by cranberry juice passed through a sieve or raspberry syrup. Beetroot will help you achieve pink. Yellow will come from an infusion of turmeric or saffron. Carrot juice will give the mastic an orange color. Blueberries or blackcurrants will create a beautiful shade of purple, and brown can be achieved with cocoa powder or strong coffee.

That's all, now you are in full confectionery combat readiness and can conquer your family with your culinary talents and pamper them with not only tasty, but also beautiful sweets!