Gum Paste is a sugar dough that is primarily used to make flowers. The essential ingredient in gum paste makes it stretchy, pliable and somewhat elastic. Sort of like gum! Because of this quality, gum paste can be rolled very thin to achieve realistic looking flower petals and leaves. Various sculpting tools are used to add detail to each petal or leaf. In some cases, these components are wired to help make them structurally sound. After the petals dry, additional color can be added to achieve a life like appearance. If the flower has wired petals, assembly of them will take place once the petals can hold their form and are usually completely dry. Gum paste will get hard when dry and can break if it is not handled with care. Therefore extra pieces are made as a back up if something accidentally breaks. Flowers of this nature are priced separately, as the cost will vary greatly dependent upon the flower configuration, as well as the size and number of cut outs needed. Although very time consuming, these flowers are beautiful and almost as lovely as the real thing! To see how you can incorporate gum paste flowers into your next cake design, contact Rosie at 717-898-9156 or through the Contact Page of our website.