Making sugar figures for cake toppers is a fabulous way of adding character and personalisation to a cake.
Whether it is a representation of the birthday girl/boy or a wedding couple on top of their wedding cake.
I just love making sugar figures, and in this blog, I am going to share with you my 5 TOP TIPS to help you get started.
TOP TIP NUMBER 1: Use the right paste
This is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT tip I can pass on to you!
Too often, I hear of cake decorators struggling when making sugar figures, and the majority of the time it is because the paste is not suitable for the job.
Whilst you can use sugar paste (or fondant) with added CMC/Tylose powder, it just won’t be quite as good (or easy to work with) as a purpose made modelling paste.
Advantages of using modelling paste:
- Modelling paste doesn’t crack
- It stays pliable for longer, giving you a longer working time
- The paste smooths and blends really well
- It holds its’ shape well
There are many commercially made pastes on the market and they all work really well. You may have to try a few different brands to find out which works best for you.
My personal preferred choice is Saracino Modelling Paste. I find it really good to work with, you can colour it yourself with gel colours, but they also have a range of fabulous ready coloured pastes.
It comes in 250g packs or 1kg tubs. You can also buy the white modelling paste in a 5kg bucket, for those (like me) who make a lot of models!
A couple of my favourite pieces I have modelled in recent years
TOP TIP NUMBER 2: Use the right tools
There are a huge variety of different tools on the market to choose from these days.
Below are a few of my favourites that I use when modelling
Dresden Tool
Such a simple looking tool, but totally versatile and an absolute must for all cake decorators. You can buy these for around £3, so they don’t break the bank either.
Perfect for texturing hair for models with the thin end or blending seams with the wider end, plus many other jobs beside
Ball Tool
Again, a simple, relatively cheap tool, which comes in a variety of sizes. It is a good idea to have at least a couple of different sizes for different purposes.
I prefer the metal ball tools, as the plastic ones have a ridge around which can make marks in your work.
Scalpel (or other very sharp small knife)
These are fabulous for making very clean, precise cuts when modelling sugar figures, where the scale you are working in is fairly small.
TOP TIP NUMBER 3: Getting the proportions right
Achieving the correct proportions when modelling sugar figures is one of the areas that can be difficult when first starting out.
A couple of ways to avoid this are…..
TOP TIP NUMBER 4: Use supports when you need to
Trying to make sugar figures without any support is not a good idea.
Even for the simplest of figures, you will need some kind of support, for example, to keep the head in place.
For more complex figures, you will need internal armatures, which give you plenty of scope for creating different poses.
TOP TIP NUMBER 5: Practise, practise, practise!
If you are going to take anything from this blog, I hope it will be this:
PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE!
My first attempts at sugar figures were a little dodgy to say the least! But with patience, practise and trying out different pastes, tools and techniques, I found the right materials/equipment to suit my style.
I hope this has left you raring to get going with your own sugar figure modelling adventure, so why not start by trying out some of my FREE PDF pictorials, to make these simple, cute girl and boy sugar figures?
Using basic tools and simple techniques, the step by step instructions and full colour photos make these ideal starter projects.
I also run face to face classes at my cake studio
in Beverley, East Yorkshire
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