You can buy edible glue, but after a while this can become a little pricey. Because of this It’s a good idea to start making your own. Every budding cake decorator should have a supply of Squires Kitchen CMC (Carboxymethyl cellulose) at home. Making sugar glue is really simple and only takes a few minutes.
Firstly let me run you through a few different types of glues you can use.
You can use cooled boiled water for more simple sugar decorations.
For sticking light decorations to a cake for example, use either Royal icing or melted down sugarpaste with water. Both of these glues can be kept for 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Strong glue for making models and flowers can be made by mixing CMC and water. Extra strong edible glue for for extra strength and support can be made by mixing of Pastillage and water, but It’s rare that you’ll ever need this kind of strength glue. Again these glues should be kept in the fridge but for up to 2 weeks.
Edible Sugar Glue Recipe:
Mix a ¼ of a teaspoon of CMC in and 50ml of cooled water in a container, I use an old cleaned sugar glue pot and fill it to the top. Put the lid on and give it a good shake. The mixture will appear lumpy so leave it over night and you’ll wake to a lovely clear looking gel sugar glue. See, very simple!
Using Sugar Glue: brush a very thin layer over the surface using a brush, leave for a few minutes to become tacky, then press into place
Top Tip!!! Whenever you use edible glues, Always remember less is more! You want the sugar to feel tacky not wet. Applying too much glue will make your models or flowers hard to handle and you’ll never get them to dry and stick firmly!
