Ornaments from mastics - we learn to do independently
Confectionery mastic - one of the mostcommon materials, which are used for making cakes and cakes. With her, they look much prettier, more appetizing and are eaten many times faster. And what else should a mistress for happiness?
No less popular are ornaments made of mastic,which can be very diverse. Flowers, trees, vases, baskets, people, figurines of animals and even entire palaces are molded from it. The main thing is desire and imagination.
What is mastic?
The composition of the mastic is quite diverse, but its basis is always the powdered sugar. For this, it is often called sugar. The following components can add to it:
- marzipan;
- marshmallow;
- starch;
- gelatin;
- milk;
- protein.
To change the color and smell of mastic, itadd a variety of flavors and food colors. Some even manage to add to it delicious pastry beads, sprouts, flowers - any options are possible. Thanks to all this, decorations made of sugar mastic are always very diverse and look like real works of confectionery art.
Mixing
Different mastics are mixed in different ways. We will consider the simplest one, made from marshmallow. For its preparation you need the marshmallow candies and fine powdered sugar. If, when kneading, you use a large powder with whole crystals of sugar, the mastic will break even when rolling.
The cooking process is simple. First, candies are melted to the state of mass, and then sugar powder gradually interferes with this mass. Finished mastic should be plastic, homogeneous and dense. It should not stick too much to your hands or objects. This is necessary in order for the decorations from the mastic to be conveniently molded. In order to have all turned out as it should, follow the proportions (which should be more, and what less) and be careful not to overheat the candy (just wait until the marshmallow will swell and melt).
Roll out
Next, the mastic should be rolled out. This is done on a powdered or starched table or between greased with any vegetable oil sheets of polyethylene. The downside of the first method is that the rolled sheet will have to be "peeled off" from the table, kept on weight. Decorating with mastic cakes is easier to implement in the second way. In this case, you just need to remove the top polyethylene, turn the rolled sheet over, cover it with a cake and only then remove the remaining layer of polyethylene. The thickness of the rolled sheet of mastic should be about 3 mm. If it is less, it can break. It is thicker if you are going to sculpt something.
All the same tore?
If the sheet of mastic that you covered the cake with,suddenly broke at the most crucial stage, do not despair. Plaster the seams, patches and other defects with a wide brush, previously soaked in water. Use such a brush with a cake until its surface becomes even.
If you find air bubbles under the mastic layer, pierce it in these places with a needle and also gently smooth the holes with a brush.
What is better to paint?
Of course, it is best to use fooddyes, but they can not always be found. Instead of them it is possible to use usual colors for Easter eggs, however it should be done very cautiously, since in such colors salt usually is present, and the mastic should not be salty. You can try and natural dyes: beet juice - for red color, spinach juice - for green, carrot juice - for orange. Of course, mastic ornaments painted in this way will be less beautiful, but 100% harmless.
The hardest thing to do is black mastic. To do this, mix three dyes: red, yellow and blue (1: 1: 2). Observe the proportions very clearly, but even so, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get a neutral black shade. You can also get a black mastic, first preparing a brown (with burnt sugar or chocolate), and then adding a drop of blue dye to it.
Do you want the mastic to shine?
To make the ornaments of mastic glisten, softBrush on them a layer of a solution of honey and vodka (1: 1). Do not be afraid that vodka will affect the taste and smell of the cake, it will quickly evaporate without having time to harm.
