GB2260886A

GB2260886A - Sugar icing mixture

Info

Publication number: GB2260886A
Application number: GB9123089A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Dau
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-10-31
Filing date: 1991-10-31
Publication date: 1993-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 2011-10-31
Also published as: GB2260886B; GB9123089D0

Abstract

A powder mixture for mixing with water on a greased surface to form a sugar-based paste for forming into cake decorations, comprises: 25 kg icing sugar (including up to 3% cornflour) 250 g carboxy methyl cellulose (E466) 350g xanthum gum (E415) 700g cornflour 250g powdered glucose rm

Description

A POWDER MIXTURE DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a powder mixture for mixing with water on a greased surface to form a sugar-based paste for forming into cake decorations.

The International School of Sugarcraft Book Two Advanced by Nicholas Lodge, published in 1988 by Merehurst Press, London, describes a complex recipe for producing quality flower paste having a desirable white colour which can be rolled out thinly and which has qualities of plasticity when so rolled appropriate to enable it to be formed into fine petal shapes, which will retain that plasticity for a time sufficient for the formation of such fine shapes and which will result in strong moulded flower petals.In carrying out this recipe a gelatine solution is formed by sprinkling powdered gelatine into water and leaving it to sponge, placing it over a pan of hot water to warm it, stirring in liquid glucose and white fat; whilst at the same time stirring together sugar and starch, sprinkling gum tragacanth either alone or with carboxy methyl cellulose over the starch and sugar mixture, and heating, whereafter albumin and the gelatine solution are added to the warmed mixture of sugar starch and gum, the resultant being mixed slowly until all the ingredients are combined into a beige--paste, and then mixed at high speed until the paste is white and stringy.

That takes five to ten minutes. The white and stringy product is then placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for at least twenty four hours before being ready for use. It retains its plasticity, even when rolled out thinly, sufficiently long for it to be worked because it retains viscous liquid elements incorporated in it during its preparation.

A quicker and simpler method of forming flower paste is also described on the same page but the resultant paste is inferior in quality, any flowers formed with it will be both less delicate and less strong than flowers formed with the paste produced by the longer, complex recipe described above. The short method involves kneading sugar paste and gum tragacanth together and adding a small amount of white fat to get an elastic consistency. The sugar paste is a commercially available product comprising liquid glucose and gum. It is intended for use for covering cakes so that it must be soft enough to be cut, and must remain so for as long as the cake is fresh enough to eat which may be an extended period of time.

A powder comprising sugar, gelatine, gum tragacanth, albumin, cornflour and glucose can be obtained for use as an instant mix to form a flower paste by the simple addition of water. However the qualities of colour, plasticity, ability to be rolled out thinly whilst retaining its plasticity for sufficient time for it to be worked into the required shape, and strength of the final fine shapes formed of it, of the resultant paste are not as good as those of the flower paste produced by the long, complex recipe described above.

An object of this invention is to provide a powder which can be formed into a paste having the desirable qualities of the flower paste produced by the long, complex recipe described above to the same extent, simply by the addition of water to the powder on a greased surface.

Up to now, gelatine has been thought to be an essential ingredient of such a powder. I have appreciated that it is the use of gelatine that causes the problem of loss of plasticity when the paste is rolled out thinly, that being because it is insoluble in cold water. On the other hand I have found that albumin is a useable alternative to gelatine but it is expensive.

The essence of my invention is that I use neither gelatine nor liquid glucose whereas I use one or more edible gums or carboxy methyl cellulose as a non-gelatinous plasticiser.

According to my invention there is provided a powder mixture for mixing with water on a greased surface to form a sugar-based paste for forming into cake decorations, comprising powdered sugar and non-gelatinous plasticiser means such as one or more edible gums or carboxy methyl cellulose.

Preferably the powder mixture also includes powdered starch, which preferably is refined starch, and/or a water retention and crystal formation inhibiting powder such as powdered glucose.

The preferred powdered sugar is icing sugar. The preferred plasticiser means comprises xanthum gum, which is a corn sugar gum, and a smaller amount by weight of carboxy methyl cellulose. Alternatively carboxy methyl cellulose may be used alone as the plasticiser means, or in combination with either tragacanth gum or acacia gum, or in combination with a larger amount by weight of xanthum gum.

One example of a powder in which this invention is embodied is described now by way of example. The ingredients of the powder were: 25 kg icing sugar (including up to 3% cornflour) 250 g carboxy methyl cellulose (E466) 350 g xanthum gum (E415) 700 g cornflour 250 g powdered glucose The carboxy methyl cellulose, the xanthum gum, the cornflour and the powdered glucose were mixed together. The resultant mixture was blended with the 25 g icing sugar with a small amount of cornflour by a known blending technique so that the mixture was evenly and finely distributed throughout the icing sugar.

To form the powder mixture into sugar paste, about lOOg of the powder mixture is placed in a greased basin, about 20 ml of water is added and mixed into the powder in the basin whereafter about a further lOOg of powder is kneaded into the mixture of powder and water in the basin. The resultant paste is white, can be rolled out thinly without loss of plasticity, and can be used to form delicate, fine but strong decorative shapes.

The combination of xanthum gum and carboxy methyl cellulose is a cheaper plasticiser than gum tragacanth. Alternative plasticisers comprise carboxy methyl cellulose alone or in combination with gum tragacanth, acacia gum or with xantham gum in amounts reversed as compared to that in the example described above. As previously stated, albumin is also a suitable plasticiser but it is expensive.

The powder mixture is formed into paste in a greased basin because the grease which will be incorporated in the paste will slow down drying and that helps the paste to retain its plasticity. It is drying that leads to a loss of plasticity and the presence of the powdered glucose also retards drying, as well as inhibiting formation of crystals.

The cornflour ingredient contributes to smoothness in paste formed from the powder mixture.

Claims

1. A powder mixture for mixing with water on a greased surface to form a sugar-based paste for forming into cake decorations, comprising powdered sugar and non-gelatinous plasticiser means.

2. A powder mixture according to claim 1, wherein the non-gelatinous plasticiser means comprise one or more edible gums and/or carboxy methyl cellulose.

3. A powder mixture according to claim 1 or claim 2 and including starch.

4. A powder mixture according to claim 3 wherein the starch is refined starch.

5. A powder mixture according to any one of claims 1 to 4, including a water retention and crystal formation inhibiting powder.

6. A powder mixture according to claim 5, wherein the water retention and crystal formation inhibiting powder is powdered glucose.

7. A powder mixture according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the powdered sugar is icing sugar.

8. A powder mixture according to claim 2 or any one of claims 3 to 7 when appended to claim 2, wherein the plasticiser means comprise xanthum gum and a smaller amount of carboxy methyl cellulose.

9. A powder mixture according to claim 2, or any one of claims 3 to 7 when appended to claim 2, wherein the plasticiser means comprises carboxy methyl cellulose in combination with either tragacanth gum or acacia gum.

10. A powder mixture for mixing with water on a greased surface to form a sugar-based paste for forming into cake decorations substantially as described hereinbefore with reference to the example.