How to Make Fondant Glue

How to make fondant glue?

In my other post on the best glues to stick fondant decorations on cake, I talked about 3 types of fondant glues that can be used to stick fondant cake decorations. 

This fondant glue post is an extension of that post, and I am sharing here, step by step instructions on how to make the Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) Glue or also known as edible fondant glue or CMC glue.

The CMC powder that is used in cake decorating often comes in powder form. It is commonly used in cake decorating particularly with fondant when making 3d figurines and shapes. This powder helps to stabilize fondant, enabling the formed shapes and figurines to set and hold their shapes better. This powder can be easily obtained in cake supply shops.

Not only is CMC used for making such decorations, it is also very effective as edible glue to hold fondant pieces as well as gum paste pieces together.

This fondant glue has excellent drying and holding properties, making it the best edible glue for sticking large or heavy fondant decorations and for making gum paste flowers.

And the good thing about this quick fondant glue is that you can actually make it in advance and keep it for a few weeks (in an airtight container).

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Step by Step Instructions to Make Fondant Glue

Things you need are:

• CMC powder
• Water
• A clean container to mix and keep the glue
• A clean brush to mix the glue

For the purpose of this tutorial, the exact amount of CMC powder and water I use is as follows:

• ¼ tsp of CMC powder
• 2 tbsp water

And here is how to make the fondant glue:

• Measure the CMC powder into a clean container with lid.

• Next, add 1 tbsp of water and mix it with a clean brush.

• Add the remaining 1 tbsp of water and mix well. 
• At this stage, you might see lumps of the CMC powder. See the image below. I am showing this against a black background so that you can see the lumps better. The lumps are perfectly ok at this stage. 

• Simply leave the glue aside for about 15 minutes to 20 minutes. The lumps will dissolve automatically.  See image below. This is how the glue will look like after left aside for 15 to 20 minutes. 

• Give the glue one last stir with the brush. Remove brush and close the container with its lid. 

And your CMC glue is ready for use. 

Note:

As I mentioned earlier, you can make this edible glue in advance and keep it for a few weeks. If you notice the glue getting thicker, you can always add a bit of water to bring it back to the right consistency. There really is not hard and fast rule about the right consistency for the glue but you would definitely not want it to be too runny that it takes a long time to dry and does not stick well or too thick that you get lumps of it on your fondant.