Gingerbread Exchange Community

Sugarpaste Icing

    1 large egg white
    1 Tbsp liquid glucose, warmed
    3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Put the egg white and glucose in a bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon to break up the egg white. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix together with a spatula or knife, using a chopping action, until well blended and the icing begins to bind together. Knead the mixture with your fingers until it forms a ball. Knead the sugarpaste on a work surface lightly dusted with sifted confectioners' sugar until smooth, soft and pliable. If the icing is too soft, knead in more sifted confectioners' sugar until it is firm and pliable.

This icing will keep for up to a week wrapped in plastic wrap or a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using. If a thin crust forms, trim off before using or it will make the icing lumpy. Also, if the icing dries out or hardens, knead in a little boiled water to make it smooth and pliable again.

Sugarpaste is known as easy-roll or ready-to-roll icing, is very good quality and handy to use. Ready-made store-bought sugarpaste does not contain raw egg, so do use this if you prefer to avoid uncooked eggs. Sugarpaste works well for roof tops or ground cover (giving the look of thick snow-fall). It can also be rolled and cut and used as shingles or house siding. Personally, I do not like to use Sugarpaste for molding people, etc. But it does work for smooth coverage.