Mastic - a confectionery mass based on sugar and thickeners, used to decorate cakes. There are many recipes for making mastic at home, all of them are quite simple to use, can be used for simple decoration or sculpting beautiful figures to decorate a dessert.

Mastic is used to decorate confectionery, it is a sweet mass based on sugar and other ingredients, which is quite simple to prepare yourself. Bright and beautiful mastic for the cake at home is made from natural thickeners with sugar.

There are two main types - gelatin and milk mastic, each of which has its own composition and method of use. Dairy masses are very simple, powdered sugar, plain, condensed or milk powder is used for their manufacture. Such a mass is very plastic, it is easy to work with it, mastic can be used to decorate and sculpt figures.

The gelatin mastic made at home requires more time to cook, it is very important to take into account the gelatin hardening time so that the mastic is elastic rather than stiff.

Based on these pastry mastics with the addition of other ingredients, marzipan, protein, chocolate and other types of jewelry are produced. The recipe for all of them will be different, in addition, you can use natural dyes, which will give the dessert a brighter, more attractive appearance.

There are several recipes on how to make mastic for the cake at home. In total, there are two main types - milk and based on marshmallows (white soufflé), easily painted in the desired shade.

Ingredients such as chocolate, honey or egg white can be added to the mass. In addition, the mastic masses are divided   for purposes of such species as:

• sugar for covering dessert, modeling, sculpting simple figures;
• flower with good ductility, it easily rolls out, dries quickly, which is used for sculpting flowers, jewelry;
• modeling, which dries very slowly, which is used to create complex figures (the mastic is dry on the outside, it remains soft for a long time).

In the manufacture also takes into account what exactly the mass is used. For covering, mastic with a large amount of thickener is used, this allows you to get thin and plastic layers. They will not tear, allowing you to create smooth and beautiful surfaces for desserts.

For molding, a mass with a small amount of thickener is used, which allows the material to retain ductility and ductility for a long time. This allows you to easily create beautiful figures, without worrying that the mastic will dry quickly or begin to crumble.

The composition is distinguished 5 main types of mastic:

• from marshmallows;
• from chocolate;
• based on protein;
• milk mastic;
• gelatin composition.

Stylish and beautiful decorations are made from mastic based on marshmallows. This will require following components:

• pure water - 60 milliliters;
• marshmallows (preferably white) - 200 grams;
• any pigment;
• finely ground icing sugar.

Sweets must first be heated with a water bath, then mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The mass is thoroughly kneaded when it stops sticking to the fingers, you can start modeling the figures. When rolling, the surface of the table is recommended to sprinkle lightly with powder.

To prepare the mixture need to take:

• very finely ground sugar - 125 grams;
• dark chocolate - tiles per 100 grams;
• cream (suitable 30%) - 50 milliliters;
• butter - a tablespoon;
• cognac - 10 milliliters.

Heat the chocolate over low heat, then add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Before modeling, the mastic cools slightly, for which it must be wrapped in cling film.

For protein mastic used ingredients such as:

• fresh protein;
• icing sugar - 500 grams;
• glucose syrup - 2 tablespoons.

Additionally, you can use honey or chocolate, the amount of which is regulated during cooking. Depending on the purpose, the chocolate may be white or dark. It is only necessary to immediately decide what shade the mass is needed before making flowers or decorations from mastic.

After kneading, the mass is wrapped in a film and put into the refrigerator for two hours. Before sculpting, you need to knead it again, you can add a little powder if the mastic sticks to your fingers.

For milk mass used   ingredients such as:

• milk powder - 160 grams;
• dyes of the required shades;
• cognac - a teaspoon;
• condensed milk - 200 grams;
• powder - 160 grams;
• lemon juice - 2 teaspoons.

All ingredients, except dyes and lemon juice, are mixed, the mass must be elastic. Then juice and dyes are gradually added.

Milk mastic always has a beige hue; you cannot get white. But with the help of pigments, you can achieve other, bright or pastel shades that match the intent and future design of the cake.

To obtain a gelatin mass, ingredients such as:

• gelatin - 10 grams;
• dyes;
• lemon juice - 2 teaspoons;
• powder - 200 grams;
• water - 60 milliliters.

Gelatin is soaked. After it dissolves in water, it is necessary to add the remaining components, except dyes, stir the mass until elastic. Pigments are added to the finished mastic. If it is not elastic enough, the amount of lemon juice can be increased.

Features of coloring mastic on a cake

Made mastic can be painted in any colors, for which natural dry food and gel dyes are used. In order to give the mass the desired shade, a small amount of dye is enough, after which the mass is intensively mixed to give it a uniform, beautiful color.

When using dry formulations, you must first mix the pigment with water (a couple of drops are enough), then mix the resulting paint. In mastic, it should be added dropwise in different places to ensure uniform coloring.

Black natural dye does not exist, usually artificial pigments have to be used to obtain the desired color.

Rules for working with mastic on a cake

Before you make mastic at home and use it to decorate the cake, you need to consider the features of working with the mass. This will allow not only to accurately realize all your ideas, but also to make the confectionery product really beautiful, to preserve the beautiful appearance of the dessert for the required period of time.

The main rules for using mastic are   following principles.

1. When using powdered sugar, it must be ensured that it is very finely ground, otherwise the mass will begin to tear when rolled out.
2. Mastic can not be applied to wet surfaces, including cream, as it will dissolve, and the dessert itself will lose its attractive appearance. It is recommended to do this only on marzipan layers or on an oil cream, after holding the dessert in the refrigerator until it solidifies.
3. When sculpting figures, it is often necessary to glue individual parts together. To do this, slightly moisten the surface, and then fasten the mastic figures together.
4. In the air, the mastic dries, which is used when sculpting various figures and decorations. But voluminous flowers are best done and placed on a cake at the very end, so that they do not have time to collect moisture from the surrounding air. If you do not follow this simple rule, then the flowers and petals from the mastic may fall and lose their attractive appearance.
5. It sometimes happens that condensation is coming out of the refrigerator on the surface of the mastic mass. It is very simple to remove it, you need to use a regular napkin or dry the surface with a light stream from the fan.
6. Sometimes the mass loses its plasticity, which can be easily fixed. To do this, it must be heated in the microwave.
7. It is necessary to store the finished mass in the refrigerator, tightly wrapping in cling film. Storage time in the refrigerator is up to two weeks, in the freezer - up to two months.
8. Ready-made mastic figures can be stored for a long time, for this they must be placed in a dry, tightly closed container. Storage time is several months.
9. Mastic can be dyed using food colors, most often it is used for marshmallows.

The mother of two children. I have been running the household for more than 7 years - this is my main job. I like to experiment, constantly trying various means, methods, techniques that can make our life easier, more modern, more saturated. I love my family.

A variety of techniques and materials are used to decorate and decorate the cakes. One of the most common is mastic. A variety of figures, compositions, inscriptions are made of it. What is mastic? If you are faced with this definition for the first time and saw it on the cake, it is difficult to imagine how it was done. Mastic is an edible mass that has astringent and adhesive properties, used for making jewelry, baking. From this article you will learn how to make it for a cake with your own hands at home.

Culinary mastic is a pleasant material that helps to make a real masterpiece out of a cake. Its home-made cooking has several secrets:

• Powdered sugar must be finely ground. If sugar crystals come across, then the mastic will break during rolling.
• Mastic is very sensitive to moisture. Therefore, so that it does not shine through, it is necessary to protect the cake. As a basis it is necessary to use dry biscuits or butter cakes. The product should not be too saturated with syrup or liquor. Cake with mastic should be stored in airtight boxes or plastic bags.
• If the mastic has cooled, it is difficult to roll out, then heat it a little in the microwave to give plasticity.

What kind of dishes do you need

To make mastic for the cake with your own hands at home, you need to prepare the dishes. To do this, you need a container for mixing components, which can be enameled, plastic, ceramic, glass. To heat the mass in a microwave or oven, prepare a mold made of porcelain or glass that is resistant to temperature. In addition, you will need a rolling pin, a microwave, a mixer, a clean work surface.

Step-by-step recipes for making homemade mastic for cake decorating

How to make mastic at home? The composition can be very different, but powdered sugar remains the same and the main component. There are many methods for preparing this material for a cake with your own hands at home, but the simplest is marshmallow paste. The finished mass is stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly with cling film. Before sculpting it is slightly warmed in the microwave or oven. Ready-made figures must be allowed to dry.

Milk mastic

Milk cake mastic is one of the most famous, popular types. Its color turns out to be a little yellowish. The milk mass at home is easy to manufacture, convenient to use. Suitable for the base of the cake, creating small flowers and other figures. Required Components:

• 350 g of infant formula;
• 1 can of condensed milk;
• 350 g of powdered sugar.

Step-by-step production of milk mastic for a cake with your own hands at home:

• Add all the ingredients to the pan, knead.
• Knead until smooth and elastic.
• Form a ball, sprinkle with powder.
• Wrap the mastic with plastic wrap, leave for 30 minutes.

How to make marshmallow mastic? Preparing this type of plastic mass is not difficult. The quantity of components given in the recipe is enough to cover the product completely and fashion several figures. Marshmallow is better to choose plain. Essential Ingredients:

• marshmallows - 200 g;
• icing sugar - 500 g.

A step-by-step master class of mass on the basis of marshmallows for a do-it-yourself cake at home:

• Marshmallows put inside the container for heating in the microwave. If there is no such device, then heat in a water bath. Add a piece of butter. We set it for 40 seconds or more so that the volume of the base doubles.
• Sift sugar powder in portions, knead mastic with a spoon. If you want to make color, add dye right away.
• When stirring with a spoon becomes difficult, sprinkle the table with powder, knead with hands. This process takes a long time, since there should not be air bubbles in the mass.
• When the mastic has stopped sticking, we wrap it with cling film, leave it for half an hour. After that, you need to knead it, rolling out using a rolling pin.
• You can store the mass in the refrigerator for up to three months. Before use, it must be heated in a microwave, knead with the addition of powdered sugar.

Chocolate Mastic Recipe

The consistency of chocolate mastic resembles plasticine. It allows you to make different figures that will have a pleasant brown color and taste. Chocolate for mastic must be selected milk, white, bitter, depending on the result that you want to get. Essential Ingredients:

• water - 3 tsp;
• icing sugar - 200 g;
• chocolate - 100 g;
• marshmallows - 150 g;
• butter;
• potato starch.

A step-by-step recipe for chocolate mass for a home-made cake at home:

• We shift inside the marshmallows, add two teaspoons of water. Mix chocolate with a teaspoon of butter and tsp. water.
• Heat the marshmallows in the microwave to increase its volume. We melt chocolate there and grind so that there are no pieces.
• Mix marshmallows with sifted icing sugar, add chocolate. Knead the mass until smooth. Beat with a mixer with spiral nozzles.
• Sprinkle with starch and knead to a soft elastic mass.
• We wrap the mastic with a film, let it brew for half an hour.

Powdered sugar and gelatin mastic recipe

One of the most successful ways to make do-it-yourself mastic for a cake at home is this recipe. The mass is white, soft, easily rolled out in a thin layer, universal (suitable for sculpting flowers, figures, covering). You can store the mastic at room temperature, but it must be heated in a microwave before working. Required Components:

• gelatin - 25 g;
• cold water - 1 cup;
• sugar - 2 glasses;
• invert syrup - 170 ml;
• icing sugar - 1.2 kg;
• starch - 300 g;
• salt - 0.25 tsp

A step-by-step recipe for making mastic for a cake with your own hands at home:

• First, we will deal with invert syrup. It replaces molasses, maple syrup, liquid honey, confectionery glucose. To cook it, put on a quiet fire a saucepan with 700 g of sugar and 300 ml of hot water. Bring to a boil with constant stirring. Pour 4 g of citric acid, mix, cover, cook for 30 minutes over low heat. Remove the lid, let the syrup cool for 15 minutes. Add 3 g of soda, after which profuse foaming should begin. Mix the syrup with a spoon several times at intervals of 10-15 minutes to leave the foam. Set aside 170 ml of syrup for mastic, the rest is stored in the refrigerator.
• For mastic fill gelatin with half a glass of water. We prepare it as indicated on the package. After ready, filter so that there are no grains.
• Mix the remaining water, salt, sugar, invert syrup. We put on a small fire, bring to a boil with constant stirring.
• When the mass boils, reduce the heat, boil for 8 minutes, but do not need to mix.
• Turn on the mixer, pour the boiling mixture into the gelatin. Beat at maximum speed.
• Beat for a long time, so that the mass increases three times. It should become homogeneous, lush, white, shiny and wrap on corollas.
• After changing the nozzles to spiral ones. Sift the powder, add in several passes. We continue to whisk.
• When the snow-white dense mass is ready. We close the container with mastic with cling film, leave for a day at room temperature. After knead on a table sprinkled with starch.

Marzipan mastic comes out smooth and supple. It is used to completely cover the surface of pies and cakes. Less commonly used for sculpting flowers, fruits, and other figures. Ingredients Required:

• sugar - 1 cup;
• almonds - 1 cup;
• powdered sugar;
• cocoa powder - 1 tbsp. l .;
• almond essence - 3 drops;
• water - 0.25 cups.

Step-by-step recipe for marzipan mass for a home-made cake at home:

• Without peeling, dip the almonds in boiling water, boil for a couple of minutes, transfer to a colander. When all the water drains, pour the almonds on the board. Remove the shell, rinse the kernels, fry in a dry pan for 15 minutes with constant stirring. Grind the nuts in a blender until mashed.
• Sugar is mixed with water, heated until the syrup dissolves and thickens, so that a flexible, solid ball rolls from it.
• Mix syrup with almonds. Warm up for 4 minutes. Pour the essence.
• Sprinkle the board with powder, spread the mastic and knead.

This type of mastic is considered very common. Judging by the reviews, it is used to form small patterns, use for a cornet or the smallest nozzle. What is protein-drawing mass made of? Its feature is the addition of protein and lemon juice. Necessary components:

• icing sugar - 200-220 g;
• lemon juice - 1 tsp;
• protein - 1 pc.

The phased production of protein drawing mass for a cake with your own hands at home:

• We transfer the protein to the container. Beat it a little with lemon juice.
• Gradually interfere with the sifted powder in batches.
• The mass should drain slightly from the scapula, but not be liquid.

Flower

Do-it-yourself flower mastic for a cake at home is a unique type of mass that perfectly retains its given shape, freezes in a short period of time, and is easily molded. Required Components:

• cold water - 30 ml;
• icing sugar - 250 g;
• liquid glucose - 1 tsp;
• gelatin - 2 tsp.

Step-by-step preparation of flower mass with your own hands at home:

• Pour water into a small bowl, pour gelatin, leave for 10 minutes. After heated to dissolve in a water bath.
• We mix glucose into gelatin, mix.
• Gradually add the sifted icing sugar in portions.
• We spread the thick mastic on the surface, sprinkled with powder, knead until the stickiness disappears. Wrap in a film, let it brew for half an hour.

How to make mastic color or shiny

Mastic - very popular for decorating cakes, sculpting figures, tight-fitting. It is a white plastic mass. For jewelry to be original, bright, the material must be painted. For this, food colors are used, which can be liquid, dry and helium. Mastic coloring can occur in several ways:

• Liquid dye or helium is added during the preparation of mastic. The color comes out even, for which there is no need to additionally mix the material. To get multi-colored mastic, you need to add several colors.
• When the mastic is ready, you can color it like this: dip a wet toothpick in a dry dye, stick a ball of plastic mass. Then mix thoroughly until a uniform color is obtained.
• Dilute the dry dye with boiled water, alcohol or vodka in the ratio of 1 tablespoon of liquid to the tip of the powder knife. Dip a toothpick in the dye, pierce the mastic in several places, knead.
• To make a marble effect, apply a few drops of dye, roll into a sausage, wrap the edges in the middle, add more paint. Repeat this pattern until you get the right striped streaked color.

What should you do if you have only a few colors and you don’t have the right shade? Then you should know about the combination rules:

• light green - yellow and purple;
• green - blue and yellow;
• khaki - green, brown;
• lavender - lilac, blue;
• blue - yellow, orange, green;
• violet - blue, red;
• strawberry - red, pink;
• mint - green, blue, white;
• mother-of-pearl - add kandurin;
• champagne - white, yellow, brown;
• dark red - a little black and red;
• orange - yellow, red;
• gold - orange, yellow, red;
• coral - yellow, pink;
• terracotta - brown, orange;
• brown - green, red;
• fleshly - yellow, red;
• black - red, blue, brown in the proportions of 1: 1: 1.
• gray - red, blue, brown, select the proportions yourself until the desired shade is obtained.

If you are not stocked with food colors, then herbal ingredients will come to the rescue:

• yellow - carrot juice, turmeric powder, saffron, diluted in alcohol, water;
• pink and red - cranberry, beetroot, pomegranate, currant, cherry juice, red wine;
• orange - orange juice;
• green - juice of spinach, parsley, sorrel, green stuff;
• purple - juice of grapes, blackberries, blueberries;
• chocolate - cocoa powder;
• black - activated carbon.

Another common question when working with mastic - how to make it shiny? When the cake is decorated with this plastic mass, it is necessary to prepare a solution of vodka and honey in a ratio of 1: 1. Cover the mastic with vodka-honey mixture with a soft brush. After a few minutes, the vodka will begin to evaporate, then the jewelry will get a glossy beautiful shine.

Video tutorials: how to cook mastic for a cake at home

Mastic is a product that allows you to sculpt figures, like plasticine. However, this smooth and delicious outdoor material dries quickly. There are many recipes for plastic mass based on different products, which you will learn about in the video below for beginners. This option of decorating a birthday cake with your own hands at home will surprise all guests. This special paste is intended for modeling pastries, creating a variety of decorations, giving baking a more aesthetic appearance.

Homemade honey mastic

Marshmallow Mastic Recipe

Sweet condensed milk mastic

Culinary mastic can turn the most ordinary cake into a real masterpiece. It can be used as a glaze and sculpt interesting figures. There are many different types of mastic. Consider the most popular of them.

The easiest to prepare is milk mastic. Mix powdered sugar, powdered and condensed milk in 1: 1: 1 proportions. Note that the powder must be thoroughly ground, otherwise the mastic will be inelastic. Stir the mass until it looks like a stretching chewing gum. If desired, you can add food coloring. When you are done, the mastic will be ready. Pack the mass tightly in cling film and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour. Then pull it out, pour starch on the table and roll the mastic into a thin layer. From it you can create beautiful elements for decoration or use as a cover. It is worth noting that the color of milk mastic will not be snow-white, but the taste more than compensates for a small flaw. The recipe for gelatin mastic is more complex, but the result is more aesthetic. Take 2 tbsp. l gelatin and soak them in a saucepan with plain water. Leave the mixture for 2 hours. Then heat it and bring the gelatin crumbs to complete dissolution. Note that you can not boil water, otherwise gelatin will lose its adhesive properties and deteriorate. When the lumps completely dissolve, add 2-3 cups of powdered sugar to the composition. Mix the mass well. For color mastic, add food coloring to it. If you use dye in liquid form, add another 0.5 or 1 cup of powdered sugar. This is necessary to seal the mass. To prevent it from becoming sugary-sweet, add 0.5 or 1 tsp. lemon juice. All is ready! Mastic from marshmallows (marshmallow air sweets) became very popular. Put marshmallows (200 g) in a saucepan and add 2 tbsp. l water. Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Please note that sweets will swell and double in volume, so pick up more dishes. When you pull out the sweets, you will see the resulting stretching mass. Add food coloring (if necessary) and 2 cups of powdered sugar to it. While adding it, mix well. If it becomes too thick, sprinkle powdered sugar on the table, shift it there and knead it with your hands until it stops sticking. Using the same technology, you can cook marshmallow mastic. Many people are interested in the chocolate look of mastic. You will need only two ingredients - liquid honey and black or white chocolate. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. For 100 g, set 1 minute time. If the chocolate has not melted to the end, repeat the procedure, and so on until the desired result. Between the heat stir the chocolate. It should completely melt, become smooth and shiny. Then mix chocolate and honey in a 2: 1 ratio. Stir them with a spoon, and then start stirring with your hands. At first it will be too liquid, but with stirring it will become thick and viscous. Tear off a piece from it and try to roll it into a ball. In this case, the mastic is ready. If you do not manage to create jewelry for confectionery with your own hands, use molds and cut beautiful figures. If you still can’t get the molds, make them yourself from cardboard. For example, you can make tulips with tablespoons. Stick the mastic on the inside of the spoon and remove the excess. Then carefully peel off the layer to maintain its shape. When the petals are slightly dry, create a bud on the cake itself. You can create a whole composition of tulips. Confectioners recommend making decorations for the cake 2 weeks before making it. During this time, the details will have time to dry well and will keep in shape.

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

Mastic for cake for a close-fitting: preparation method

Mastic is a sweet decorative material that allows you to make it original and bright. Ready-made masses are sold in stores, but self-made mastic for wrapping the cake will be best. At home in the manufacture, you can adjust the taste of the paste and its consistency, as well as to be sure that it is made only from natural ingredients.

Marshmallow Mastic

It is convenient to work with this paste, as it easily rolls out and does not harden during cake coating. Solid marshmallows give a single color, and when using different marshmallows, you can achieve several shades without adding dyes.

Required:

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

Marshmallows are finely chopped and filled with milk. Next, you need to either heat the mixture in a microwave or melt in a water bath. When the marshmallows begin to melt, butter is added to it. Souffle can be removed from the fire when it is completely dissolved. Powdered sugar is added in parts to the resulting billet. The mass is constantly mixed. Readiness can be determined by its consistency - the best mastic for wrapping the cake should resemble an 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

Easy and quick to prepare milk mastic for wrapping the cake. The recipe includes inexpensive products, and to create a paste does not require special skills in cooking. Ready-made mass tastes good - condensed milk makes mastic look like toffee.

Required:

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

Powder, milk and lemon juice are mixed. Next, it is necessary to add the condensed milk in parts, while kneading the workpiece 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 down at room temperature for half an hour. Such a workpiece 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 and does not crumble, and also helps to mask the external imperfections of the cake.

Required:

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

Pour gelatin with water and wait until it begins to swell. Then we add honey to it and heat it all over low heat until the gelatin dissolves. The honey mixture is added to the icing sugar, and then it all mixes well. If the spoon does not cope with the density of the mass, then it should be kneading with your hands. The workpiece must lie in a plastic bag 30 minutes before use.

Ready mastic for dressing the 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 after the blank remains, then from it you can mold flowers or figures. The sweet mass turns out to be very soft and easily rolled out with a thin layer, necessary for covering the product.

Required:

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

Gelatin is soaked in water and then cooked on low heat until it dissolves in a liquid. Stir the preparation periodically and do not bring to a boil. Next, mix the icing sugar with gelatin and lemon juice. The mass is mixed until completely homogeneous, covered with cling film and put away in the refrigerator for an hour. After that, you can begin to cover the product.

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

Mastic coloring

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

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

If you do not want to buy artificial colors, you can use natural products. Beets, pomegranates, cherries, carrots, cranberries, orange and blackberries give vibrant hues.

Covering the cake: step by step instructions

1. The surface of the cake should be made smooth, since any bulges, tubercles or pits will be visible under the mastic. To make it even, you should coat the top and sides of the confectionery with a thin layer of cream that will smooth out all the bumps. After applying it, the cake should be cooled in the refrigerator.
2. The kitchen table is abundantly sprinkled with starch or powdered sugar, and then homemade mastic is laid out on it. To close the cake, it is necessary to roll it 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 mastic: first from above, and then from the sides. When smoothing, you need to ensure that air bubbles do not form - this will ruin the appearance of the product.
5. Excess mastic is cut off along the bottom edge of the cake.

If the close fitting is not very neat, you can mask the flaws by decorating - cream inscriptions or voluminous figures.

Rules for working with home mastic

There are several general rules that you should adhere to when wrapping the cake yourself with mastic:

1. To prepare the mass, you should carefully choose the powder. In the presence of large sugar crystals, the slimming may break.
2. Mastic is not applied to cream made from sour cream or excessively soaked cakes, as the coating may dissolve from contact with moisture.
3. If the mastic for the slimming cake has frozen and stopped rolling, then heating it in the microwave will help. After that, it will again become plastic.
4. To give the coating of the cake a mirror shine, lubricate the slinky solution of vodka and lemon (1: 1). The smell of alcohol from the product will disappear, and the glossy shine will remain.

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

The fashion for decorating cakes with sugar dough, or, as we commonly call it, mastic, came from America several years ago. And today this type of design is becoming more and more popular! Such a cake invariably catches admiring glances at any holiday. And this is not surprising, because with the help of mastic, you can create almost any decoration for a “sweet masterpiece”.

Home-made cake is the most delicious dessert and many housewives already know how to cook it.All the stages of its preparation, subject to the recipes and the use of fresh and high-quality products, are not particularly difficult.In addition, modern household appliances significantly facilitate the work and reduce the time spent on kitchen, which is a great advantage compared to those recent times, when to get a magnificent cream or biscuit you had to rotate the whisk with your hand to exhaustion.

The cost of homemade desserts is an additional argument in favor of their own cooking.

But the question of decorating a homemade cake causes many people to feel insecure, at least. There are different ways to solve this problem: the cake is simply not decorated, or they use ready-made confectionery products - chocolate medallions, pieces of marmalade, nuts or raisins in chocolate or in glaze. Of course, this is the way out. But such an exit does not satisfy those for whom confectionery art is a favorite hobby, in which there is a desire to constantly improve their skills.

First you need to know that mastic for home-made cakes can be of several types. Consider the most common and affordable options.

Knowing the features of the preparation and use of each of them, you can easily make mastic for decorating your cake at home.

Milk mastic  It is prepared on the basis of condensed milk, powdered sugar and powdered milk.

To make milk mastic for the cake, take 1 cup of powdered milk, 1 cup of icing sugar (and keep 1 cup of icing powder in stock), 150 g of condensed milk and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Sift the powder, discarding all the non-sifted lumps (when mixing the mastic, they will not dissolve, and the mastic will turn out with grains). Mix a glass of powder with a glass of milk powder, pour condensed milk and lemon juice into the mixture and knead the mastic dough. Add sugar powder if necessary. The mastic for coating the cake should be uniform and elastic, should not stick to your hands. Give the finished mastic a little “rest” in the refrigerator and you can decorate the cake!

This type of mastic is perfect for coating cakes, as mastic has a pleasant milky taste. However, it is important to know that this mastic will never turn out snow-white, but will have a cream shade. If you want to make mastic for a cake of saturated bright tones, then use food colors. To paint the mastic with the help of natural juices (beets or spinach) will be problematic, because they will greatly “liquefy” it.

To make marshmallow based cake mastic  (“Marmyshkuyu”), you will need marshmallows air marshmallows (Bon Pari, Tuchki-Tanyuchki, etc.), lemon juice and sifted icing sugar. For 100 g of marshmallow - 200-250 g of powder, 2 tbsp. lemon juice.

Marshmallows need to put in a large container, sprinkle with lemon juice and heat in the microwave to increase in volume. It takes me less than one minute. During heating, you can mix marshmallows once or twice. When the marshmallows "disperse", it must be thoroughly knead and knead with a spatula (the mass will look like chewing gum). Gradually add the powdered sugar and knead the mass like a dough. Keep in mind that while the mass is hot, it is able to absorb more powdered sugar than necessary. Do not rush to add powder more than the specified weight, give the mastic a little "rest" and cool down (ideally - an hour or two). If necessary, you can add powder to a ready-made cold mass, but remove it if you knead excess - no longer.

The indisputable advantages of this type of mastic include the fact that this mastic is suitable for coating cakes and for sculpting figures: a little butter (1 tbsp) and a little less powdered sugar were added during the kneading process - you get a soft and supple mass for coverings. Without oil and with a lot of powder - dense, tight mastic for modeling.

Another advantage of this mastic is that you can get perfectly white color using white “marshmallows” or colored mass using multi-colored marshmallows. A great option for those who do not have a set of food colors in their kitchen arsenal. Mastic has a pleasant sweet taste and aroma of air marshmallows (vanilla, strawberry, lemon - depending on which flavor was added to the “marshmallows”).

In order to make chocolate mastic for the cake  (“Chocomastics”), take 100 g of marshmallows, 100 g of chocolate, 1 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp. fat cream, 200 g of powdered sugar.

To start, melt the chocolate (in a water bath or in the microwave), add the marshmallows and mix. Heat until the marshmallows increase in volume and mix well. A homogeneous, viscous mass should be obtained. Pour warm cream into this mass and add oil. Stir well, until completely homogeneous. Now gradually add the sifted powder and knead like dough. Ready mastic is soft and supple, but no longer sticks to your hands. Wrap it in film and let it lie down. Such mastic can be used to cover cakes and sculpt figures from it. Remember that for sculpting, the mass should be denser than for tightening (the density is regulated by the addition of powdered sugar and / or a small amount of starch).

Chocolate mastic has a pronounced taste and aroma of chocolate and may be brown or cream in color, depending on which chocolate you used. If desired, this mastic can also be tinted with food colors, but only if you decide to make a mastic based on white chocolate. It is best to add dye at the kneading stage of the “dough”.

And the last kind of mastic that is easy to make at home is gelatin mastic.
  To prepare it you will need: 1 tsp. gelatin, 40-50 g of cold water, 0.5 tsp. lemon juice, icing sugar, dye - optional.

To make this mastic, soak the gelatin in water until it swells (according to the instructions on the package, it can take from 10 minutes to 1 hour). When the gelatin swells, heat it until it dissolves, but in no case boil it - this makes the gelatin lose its properties! In a warm gelatin solution, add lemon juice and, if desired, a dye. Now mix in the sifted icing sugar. I can not say exactly how much powder will be needed (about 100 g). Look at the mass - it should be soft, plastic and not stick to your hands. Try to stretch the mastic - it should stretch well.
  At this stage, you no longer need to add powder (if you overdo it, the mastic will quickly become "oak"). Wrap the mastic in film and, according to tradition, remove the "rest" for a couple of hours.

From gelatin mastic excellent figures are obtained, because it dries quickly enough. But to tighten the cake for the same reason, it will not succeed. The taste of gelatin mastic is neutral (just sweet), because, in fact, it has nothing but sugar.

Well, now a few specific recipes for making mastic for cakes:

SUGAR MASTICS

One of these methods is sugar mastic for the cake. At home, this option of decoration is absolutely not difficult. To overcome the far-fetched fear - “I just won’t be able to” - it’s enough to remember how in childhood each of us molded plasticine figures. Then, after all, there was no fear? So, everything will work out.

You can buy ready-made sugar mastic for cake in specialized stores. At home, cooking it is also not difficult.

Sugar mastic for cake at home - basic technological principles

To begin with, we’ll look at the question of what mastic is and what result you need to get in order to easily create decorations of any complexity from sugar mastic for a cake at home.

As already mentioned, by consistency, it should be similar to plasticine: flexible, with a connected structure, without lumps. Frozen sugar mastic for the cake at home should not immediately. This condition is satisfied when using the appropriate components for binding.

Such properties are inherent even in ordinary wheat flour dough: after all, the dough also dries, maintaining a certain shape, if left in the air. If you make wheat flour, it turns into a sticky mass. But this ingredient is not quite suitable in taste for sugar paste. Therefore, professionals introduced sugar flour, that is, powder, as the main ingredient in the confectionery mastic.

Carbohydrates make up almost 100% of the sugar mass. Although they have binding properties, they do not have the flexibility inherent in flour because of the lack of protein, unlike flour. Flour contains about 70% carbohydrates, but the remaining 30% contains moisture and fats, as well as proteins that can absorb and retain moisture. That is, this small amount of protein is enough to create the necessary plasticity. But the fats contained in the flour will significantly increase the weight of the mastic. Therefore, we need another component with a lighter structure. Starch does not contain fats, has both a loose structure and binding properties, so its addition to powdered sugar creates the desired consistency of sugar mastic for the cake at home.

Confectionery mastic in an industrial environment is created on the basis of collagen contained in gelatin. Through the use of industrial technology, a paste of higher quality is obtained. Gelatin is fat-free, and the high content of animal protein allows you to bind crystalline sugar carbohydrates to make a plastic paste.

Sugar mastic can have a different density, taking into account its purpose. So, when adding more water, you can get a sufficiently liquid consistency to cover the surface of the cake by pouring. Making figures, flowers, lace from sugar mastic for the cake at home, you need a thick sugar dough, so that it retains the desired shape.

In a word, to quickly and easily learn how to work with mastic, you need to know its biochemical composition and physical properties.
  This will help not only to successfully cope with the confectionery mastic purchased in specialized stores, but also to prepare the desired pasta yourself.

Adding acid to the mastic not only adds flavor to the confectionery. Lemon juice or acid crystals diluted in water inhibit the drying of the mastic and give extra time in order to have time to create an ornament before the mastic dries.
Sugar flowers are flavored with different flavors, with the help of additives. For this purpose it is possible to use fruit syrups, but then the amount of added water must be reduced, taking into account the moisture contained in the syrup.

Another important nuance: often in the recipes of sugar mastic there are such ingredients as glycerol  and glucose. Please note that these components are sold only. in specialized stores. Although they have a similar name to the components used in the manufacture of confectionery products, they are slightly different in composition from glucose for injection and glycerin for external use, sold in pharmacies.

On   food color quality, helping to create culinary masterpieces should also pay attention. When buying multi-colored powders, make sure they are edible. Otherwise, it is better to use improvised natural paints contained in conventional products. Here are some examples:

Orange color  can be obtained from carrot juice;

Yellow  - when adding turmeric powder, Indian saffron to sugar mastic for cake at home

Raspberry, any shades of pink  - from beet juice;

Red color  - from cranberry juice, pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, cherries; If you add a little lemon juice to the cherry juice, you get a blue color;

Blue color  can also be obtained from red cabbage juice, blueberries, red grape varieties;

To receive green color  it is necessary to squeeze the juice from the leaves of spinach (it has a neutral taste, without aromatic oils);

Brown color  for mastic can be obtained by mixing powdered sugar with cocoa powder or adding melted dark chocolate to the mastic.

The remaining colors and shades can be obtained by combining the listed food colors. Remember that orange and red fruits contain a fat-soluble vitamin, β-carotene: therefore, to obtain a saturated color, the juice from the fruits must be isolated using a small amount of vegetable or animal fat. You can get the desired color by insisting the listed products in alcohol, followed by evaporation.

Now you can get sugar mastic for the cake at home in any color and realize your wildest and most refined ideas for decorating your own culinary masterpiece. It remains only to prepare the mastic, choosing an acceptable recipe:

Milk-based sugar mastic

Ingredients:
  Finely ground powdered sugar 120 g
  Powder cream of any fat content 160 g
Corn Starch 80 g
  Condensed milk 8.5% 110 g
  Glycerin (special) 50 ml
  Vanilla or fruit flavor, alcohol
  Citric acid 5 g
  Water for sour solution 20 ml

Cooking:
  When using dry milk concentrates, you can use products with any fat content, since the dry substance when mixing sugar mastic for the cake at home will not have time to transform the fats contained in it and pass it to the test. Fats will begin to work when you use the product, participating in the creation of taste and in the digestion process.

Dilute citric acid in water. You can use lemon juice instead. Combine all dry mastic components.

If mastic of different colors is needed, then dyes can be dissolved in an acidic solution, dividing it into the desired number of colors. In this case, it will be appropriate to replace the water for a solution of citric acid, for example, beet juice, which will allow you to get a mastic of bright pink or raspberry color.

To achieve pale pink shades, combine beetroot juice with water to reduce the concentration of food coloring, but do not reduce the acid content, otherwise the mastic will dry out very quickly, which will interfere with working with it, creating jewelry.

Sift surely the powder so that the mastic is very plastic and sugar crystals do not break the structure. Add the dry mixture to the condensed milk, first stirring intensively with a silicone spatula, and then transfer the dough to a silicone surface and continue to knead with your hands.

When making jewelry, take the right amount of mastic, and cover the rest with a film so that it does not wind off and does not dry out.

It is also better to roll mastic with a thin layer using silicone rolling pins of different thicknesses. If necessary, crush the work surface with powder. To give gloss, finished products from mastic are lubricated with a brush dipped in syrup with the addition of glycerin.

Gelatin Sugar Mastic

Ingredients:
  Powder 600 g
  Lemon juice 30 ml
  Corn starch 50 g
  Gelatin 20 g
  Glycerin 1 tbsp. l
  Water 200 ml (for jelly and for dissolving gelatin)
  Vanilla 2-3 g
  Glucose 10 ml

Cooking:
Brew starch in water. When it has cooled to room temperature, add glycerin and glucose to the resulting jelly. Separately, dissolve the gelatin in a water bath, without bringing the heating temperature above 40ºϹ. Sift the icing sugar more than the required amount for the preparation of mastic, so that if necessary, use it for the desired consistency, sprinkle the surface of the desktop, on which you will knead the sugar dough. From the bulk of the powder, knead the dough by pouring in it first starch jelly, and then melted gelatin.

Add liquid ingredients gradually while working intensively with a silicone spatula and mixing the whole mass. Continue to knead the mastic on the table or silicone rug until the mastic acquires the necessary plasticity, uniformity and at the same time stops sticking too much to the hands. Cover the finished mass with a film and leave for some time so that all the ingredients react with each other.

If you want to get mastic of different colors, then divide the finished white mastic into pieces, introduce the dissolved dye and continue to knead the dough until a smooth, uniform color is obtained. When sculpting flowers and shapes, use icing sugar to roll layers, sprinkling sugar dough.

In the process of sculpting, all the colors of the mastic should be covered with a film so that a dry crust does not form: take only the amount necessary to make a flower or figure, and immediately hide the rest under the film. Think in advance how to put the right flowers and shapes to dry, prepare the necessary shapes for them to fix the dough in the right position.

Bulk sugar mastic

Ingredients:
  Milk 200 ml
  Water 200 L
  Powder 800 g
  Perfume
  Lemon juice 50 ml
  Gelatin 40 g

Cooking:
  The consistency of the finished mastic should look like thick sour cream. This mastic is designed to smoothly cover the surface of the cake when complex relief patterns are not required.
  Pour powdered sugar into boiling milk and, dissolving it while stirring, remove the milk syrup from the heat and cool it to 30-40ºϹ.

Dissolve the gelatin in water and, having filtered it, pour it into the milk mass, whipping both parts with a mixer at a low speed. Add vanilla or the necessary fragrance, dye, if you want to give the coating a certain color and lemon juice.

When the finished mastic cools down and thickens a little, pour it onto the surface of the cake, starting from the center: the mass should drain from the cake at random. Put the cake on a stand with a side so that the mastic does not spread on the work surface and does not stain the shelves of the refrigerator.

The surface of the torus should be perfectly smooth. To prevent mastic from sliding on its surface, it is advisable to make a layer of marzipan, or crush the top of the cake with starch, cocoa powder or powdered sugar, depending on which ingredients are suitable for the product.

Also, before pouring the cake with mastic, it is desirable to cool it well so that the mastic hardens faster. Carefully collect the remnants of liquid mastic that escaped into the dish during pouring. You can add powdered sugar to them, knead cool sugar dough and make curly decorations for the cake: border, bow, lace. Glue the details of the sugar figures to each other with a brush dipped in water.

Protein sugar mastic

Ingredients:
  Squirrels 5 pcs.
  Cognac or liquor
  Vanilla
  Lemon juice 50 ml
  Powder 1.0 kg
  Gelatin 30 g
  Water 100 ml
  Glycerin 40 ml

Cooking:
  Beat the chilled egg whites until a stable foam, gradually add the sifted powder, without stopping beating. Introduce lemon juice into the protein mass, add vanilla and cognac.
  After dissolving the gelatin, pour it into the proteins with hot, continuing to knead the dough. When the mass thickens, transfer it to a work surface dusted with powder and bring the mastic to a state of cool dough, cover with a film and after a couple of hours the mastic is ready to work with it.

Sugar mastic honey-chocolate

Ingredients:
  Dark chocolate 2 parts
  Honey, floral 1 part

Cooking:
  For chocolate cakes, or cakes coated with chocolate icing, this recipe for sugar mastic is a real find, allowing you to stylishly decorate a chocolate dessert.
  Making chocolate honey pasta is pretty easy. The only drawback: chocolate-honey mastic must be prepared in advance, because for plasticity it must be kept for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator, in a plastic bag.
  Melt the steamed chocolate and pour in the honey, without stopping stirring, until a thick mass is obtained that will stick to the dishes. After cooling slightly, wrap the mastic in a film.

Marshmallow Sugar Mastic

An effective way to get the desired consistency of sugar mastic for the cake at home is marshmallows. They are gelatin and corn syrup sweets. Under industrial conditions, these ingredients are whipped to a sponge condition, adding flavorings and food coloring. Adding these sweets to the sugar mastic for the cake at home greatly simplifies the task of preparing sugar dough. If you want to get the best possible result, then use these sweets only as an additional ingredient for the viscosity of the dough, in combination with the gelatin mastic prepared according to the recipe 2 described above.

Ingredients:
  Marshmallow 1 part
  Gelatin mastic 2 parts

Cooking:
  Knead the sugar dough as described in the second recipe above. Melt the marshmallows for a couple, but do not overheat. Pre-crush the candies so that they dissolve as quickly as possible. Do not use the microwave: it will dry the marshmallow, which makes it difficult to work with the dough. Having heated them by steam and thereby moisturizing the mass, make it easier for yourself when kneading the dough.

Only prepare mastic with marshmallows in advance, allowing it to lie down at room temperature, in sealed packaging. Make sure that the candies used are fresh and choose a white color so that the mastic does not turn out ugly, with a gray or brown tint.

Marmalade sugar mastic

The composition of marmalade includes a fruit base and agar-agar. Only marmalade for mastic needs to be sorted by color to get a certain mastic color.

Ingredients:
  Icing sugar 700 g
  Marmalade 250 g
  Water 50 ml (or lemon juice)

Cooking:
  Prepare a water bath for marmalade. Cut it into small pieces, put in a smaller container, fill it with water and put it to steam, constantly stirring with a silicone spatula. Bring the fruit mass to a temperature of 60-70ºϹ, so that it acquires a gelatinous consistency.

Sift the powder, pour it slide on a silicone surface and make a recess in which pour the melted marmalade into small portions and quickly knead the mastic. For such a mastic, heat is needed. When working with it, keep the mass sealed in a film, close to the heat source.

Marmalade mastic can be used to make flowers. To close the surface of the cakes, add more water to the mass and use the pouring method.

Sugar mastic for the cake - useful tips and tricks

- Sugar mastic - a troublesome kind of decoration. To make sure that the decoration from it turns out to be successful, prepare both the mastic itself and the decorations from it in advance, before starting to bake the cake.

-Sugar mass in sealed packaging can be stored for up to two months in the cold, except for protein mastic. Finished jewelry should dry indoors, in low humidity.

-To work with mastic on the one hand it is convenient to lubricate the hands and the mat with food glycerin, but on the other hand, the readiness of the sugar dough can be determined by how easily it sticks off the hands. Shortly before the consistency of the mastic becomes visually plastic, to check it, rinse the glycerin film off your hands and try the sugar mass with your hands without a protective coating to determine its readiness.

How to cover a biscuit with this sugar-gelatin mastic:

First, the biscuit must be coated with cream, boiled condensed milk or jam to smooth out all the bumps of the biscuit.
  On the surface of the biscuit prepared and primed with cream, boiled condensed milk or jam, the sugar mastic will lie flat and smooth, there will be no protrusions and bumps.

After the surface of the biscuits is prepared, you need to measure the diameter of the billet to cover the cake.

The diameter should be no less than the diameter of the biscuit, plus double height and another 5 centimeters for bends and bumps. For example, if you have a cake with a diameter of 20 cm and a height of 5 cm, then to cover the biscuit roll mastic to a diameter of at least 35 cm \u003d 20 + 2x5 + 5.

It is convenient to roll out sugar mastic on a greased and powdered sugar table, and even better between two sheets of plastic film, mastic rolled on a plastic film is very easy to transfer to a biscuit, this can be done right along with the film, which then simply needs to be separated from the mastic and continue to level the mastic on the surface of the biscuit.

The thickness of the rolled sugar mastic to cover the biscuit should be about 5 mm, after you put it on the cake and level it, it will stretch to the required 2-3 mm.

If you roll sugar mastic immediately to a thickness of 2-3 mm, it can easily break when working with it.

If there are no professional tools, then buy clay in the box to which the modeling tools are attached. Also, preferably 2 ironing tools for wrapping the cake and a knife for cutting the mastic, such as for cutting pizza, a food marker, this is if you make the inscription directly on the mastic.

On a note! Any mastic - from marshmallows, sugar-gelatin or milk - will perfectly replace marzipan at home. Just keep in mind that it is not always advisable to cover the whole cake with mastic - mastic coatings, although very beautiful, are quite tough.

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"Cooking mastic at home"

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Chocolate Mastic

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