What does each of us associate with his most important holiday - his birthday? Firstly, with gifts and congratulations. Secondly, with a large and delicious cake.
Recently, homemade cakes decorated with various figures made of mastic have become very popular. But what is this miracle composition? Is it possible to do it yourself? What is the principle of work? We will clarify this by the example of flowers from mastic.
Mastic cake - decoration of any holiday
While the baby is growing, all the holidays are arranged by the parents. Who sometimes can think ahead for a year to organize a celebration for their child. After all, everyone wants to see the baby’s joyful smile as often as possible.
Of course, parents constantly come up with new birthday scenarios, original gifts, a crumb outfit, and many other key factors for an ideal holiday. But when it comes to the cake, some mothers (because in most cases it is they who act as the home cook) panic. After all, they have no idea how to surprise the baby this time.
Although in fact, everything is quite simple. You need to make a cake with flowers from mastic! Such an original product will be not only beautiful and tasty, but also natural. After all, mom will do it herself. And she certainly will not add harmful preservatives to it.
Mastic - material not to be afraid of
A large number of mothers hesitate to pamper the child with cakes decorated with mastic. The thing is that such products look like a work of art, and mothers fear that they themselves will not be able to accomplish this.
In addition, it is difficult for an ordinary person who is not a confectioner to understand what it is, mastic. And how to work with such material. Not to mention how to make it.
However, according to reviews, such fears are in vain, mastic is almost the same plasticine. A little imagination, zeal and plastic mass will turn into amazing masterpieces that will certainly decorate any celebration. Well, making mastic (and flowers from it) is quite simple. And we will prove this in the next paragraph.
Mastic on the water
You can prepare mastic in different ways, but we will consider the most popular and delicious, selected by reviews. So, according to the first recipe, we will need the following ingredients in the indicated quantity:
- powdered sugar - half a kilogram;
- water - 50 ml;
- gelatin and lemon juice - one teaspoon each.
Dyes can also be added - for color.
How to make mastic, the flowers from which decorate the cake:
- The first step is to soak the gelatin in warm water. Leave for half an hour, then warm and mix thoroughly.
- Add lemon juice to the warm gelatin mixture, very carefully add the powdered sugar, continuing to stir continuously until it is possible.
- When the mass becomes too tight, put the mixture on a table or silicone mat and knead the dough. It should turn out elastic, not be hard, not crumble.
- Put the finished mass in a bag and send for twenty minutes in the refrigerator. This will improve its properties, make it more plastic. And a cake with flowers from mastic will be much easier to perform.
Mastic on condensed milk
The second recipe will surely appeal to the avid sweet tooth. However, children with an allergy to sweets should better refrain from using products from such mastic.
For its implementation, the following components should be prepared:
- powdered milk and powdered sugar - 150 grams of each ingredient;
- condensed milk - 1 can;
- lemon juice - 1 teaspoon.
Mastic with condensed milk step by step:
- Sift the icing sugar in one bowl, followed by the powdered milk. Mix.
- In the other, combine condensed milk and lemon juice.
- Add to them a dry mixture.
- Knead elastic dough.
- Put it in the refrigerator.
- After the necessary time has passed, you can begin the fascinating process of sculpting flowers from mastic.
Marshmallow Mastic
Marshmallows - marshmallows, which many add to coffee or cocoa, prepare original sweet sandwiches with it. But the tastiest thing is to fry it at the stake, sitting with friends in nature.
There are many reviews on the Internet that marshmallows turn out to be very plastic mastic. Even on the forums they notice that such marshmallows are of different colors, using it, you can save on dyes.
So, to make such a mastic, you will need the following ingredients:
- marshmallows - 200 grams;
- powdered sugar - half a kilogram;
- butter - one teaspoon.
How to make mastic and flowers from it:
- In a saucepan, cut butter into small pieces.
- Add marshmallows to it and stir.
- Put on a slow fire.
- Gently stirring, bring to a homogeneous mass.
- Remove from heat and add a little powdered sugar.
- Knead the dough and put in the refrigerator.
If you want to use natural dyes
For the manufacture of flowers from mastic, you can use store dyes. But it is better and safer for the health of the child and his young guests to “decorate” mastic with natural dyes. Make them very simple at home.
Having decided what tones are needed for decorations (flowers come in different shades, but they are all on green stems with the same leaves), you can proceed to purchase products for coloring mastic:
- strawberries, red currants, cranberries - will give a red tint to products;
- lemon peel is yellow, and orange peel is orange;
- red grapes or blueberries - purple, lilac;
- spinach, celery, dill - green;
- brown sugar - brown;
- beets - hot pink.
To obtain a vegetable dye, grate the desired ingredient, grind in a blender or twist in a meat grinder. This is necessary in order to get the juice, which we will further add to the mastic.
However, the natural dye will make the mass more liquid, therefore, to give it the desired consistency, you will need to add powdered sugar or powdered milk (as in the second recipe).
How to get more shades?
If you want flowers made from mastic, made with your own hands, to be more natural, you need to diversify the shades. But how to achieve this? Very simple:
- To make the mastic brighter and more saturated, you should add more coloring matter.
- To obtain new shades, you can use the universal color mixing scheme, which is presented in the article.
The easiest color option
For those who worked with plasticine in childhood, it would not be difficult to portray an animal, a typewriter, a fairy-tale princess or flowers made of mastic. For beginners, who were previously indifferent to modeling, the following advice will be a great relief: you can decorate the cake not only with hand-made crafts, but also made using stencils.
Surely everyone at least once tried or saw curly cookies. For example, in the animated film "Shrek", the main character is helped by a team that includes a gingerbread man. You can purchase stencils that “cut” the desired shape out of the dough in almost any supermarket.
Way for lovers of easy ways
For mothers who want to please their baby with tasty and realistic mastic colors, we offer step-by-step instructions.
To make the most delicate colors you will need the following materials:
- rolling pin;
- three glasses of different diameters;
- a coffee spoon
- toothpick.
Step-by-step execution:
- The initial step in making edible flowers involves rolling the dough. Too thick a sheet should not be done - it will be difficult to bite and chew. It is better to focus on a thickness of half a centimeter.
- With the help of glasses, cut three different circles on it.
- Make a notch along the edges with a spoon.
- Then, with a toothpick, outline the petals, as shown in the photo posted in the article.
- Using water (drip to the middle of the part), connect the flower, starting with the largest part and ending with a small one.
- Decorate the core with a ball of mastic of a different color.
You can also make a flower with details of three different shades. Or make the whole product colorful. To do this, pinch off piece of mastic of different colors and slice them into a ball so that the shades flow smoothly into each other. Then roll out and make a flower.
A way for creative natures
For those who want to try a more complex option, we offer a master class on colors from mastic. So how to make a cute rose on a cake?
The following materials will be required:
- rolling pin;
- a glass or glass - depending on what size the flower you want to receive;
- the spoon.
So, let's try to make a flower from mastic (step by step):
- First, roll out the dough sheet and cut out a few (7-10) circles. Only in this case the same size.
- Visually divide each of them into halves, the upper of which needs to be slightly pulled out with a spoon, as if smearing mastic. To make the edges wavy.
- Fold the circles in one line so that they are slightly on top of each other. "Beautiful" edge on top.
- Twist the petals into a straw, forming a rose.
Ready flowers put on baking paper and leave to dry for two weeks. Then the products can be stored in a tightly closed box.