Cake decorators emergency help needed!!!

[NeverGotMyPuppy]

I'm trying to make Dumbo out of modelling paste. I've done 6 other animals no bother but his ears have just snapped for the 3rd time. This timeI tried doing the ears as one piece, glued them to the head then cocktail sticked them to the body. Left it to dry for 3 days.

Someone help?!

For something thin like that I would use modelling paste or flower paste as it’s stronger when thinned

Did you mix in those to make it harden more? If not try that.

*tylose

They are just pure modelling paste

Or petal paste as pp suggested. Dries harder and thinner, then stick on with edible glue.

If you’ve got time, get some flower paste for the ears. It rolls thinner and dries harder.

This is Mrs Jumbo

Am I just making them too big? Very happy to get flower paste if that will solve it!

As u can see I'm very much a novice!

Another vote for flower paste, it dries significantly quicker! Also just watch how much colouring you use... lots of liquid colour will make it wetter and won’t help, but a small dollop of gel paste colours will do the job and keep it relatively dry

I don’t think they look too big but you could get away with them being a tad smaller. With things like that I always make a few and pick the best, so make a few different sizes perhaps.

Thanks everyone, I've just bought some flower paste from Amazon, arriving on Wednesday. Gulp.

Im using gel colours. I might try and redo the head of its stonger, that candle is getting wonkier by the moment...

When you say "snapped", I'm imagining the paste is too dry and brittle. I had the same with a rainbow once! Used fondant with tylose but it dried too much and everytime i touched it, it would break apart.

If you have modelling paste still, you could try:

• mixing with a bit of normal fondant to soften it
• making the ears thicker
• not leaving to dry out
• mixing some vegetable fat in (Trex), just a tiny bit but softens it and stops it drying out so quickly

If none of those work, you still have the other paste you've ordered.

And they are very cute OP! Love the trunks.

Thank you! I was getting a bit worried that they look as crap as I feared they do!

They have just bent and then torn this time. I want to cry! I still havent tried shoving the metal up his poor bottom!

You can roll flower paste thin, cut the ear shapes, then sort of flute the edges using something like a chop stick or a round pencil as a roller.....

Yeah that's a good idea. Thank you. I've thought of nothing but this jeffing cake for ages!

Nothing to add that hasn’t already been said, so just wanted to say that they look great! Hope you manage the ears ok.

@NeverGotMyPuppy ah, ok, torn sounds like the paste is too soft then - ignore my suggestions which will just make it softer!

Has Dumbo's head set? Just wondering if you could cut a channel so that the ears (once hard) could be pushed slightly in rather than trying to stick to the outside? Otherwise my suggestion would be flower wire pushed through the ears and into his head - will be thinner than a cocktail stick so the ears can be thinner and should set easier. You can get it in Hobbycraft if you have one nearby?

His head has indeed set.

I have thick wire to suspend him - I can order thinner. What gauge would you suggest?