Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
Hi hilaryb
If you put in the search box’ the mat’ you’ll see several opinions. I bought the large mat some years back and found it a total waste of money. However, at the NEC in November I demonstrated the new version which is a great deal better. I was given a set as ‘thank you’ for doing the demonstration and find it invaluable.
Hi nain0830
There has been mention of adding a little tylose powder to the sugar paste to make it more stable. I have never done this so can’t really say how it would taste. My method is to knead the sugar paste up the night before, leave it out in the open for a short while until it feels drier and slightly stiffer, cover it up and use the following day, just knead it slightly or press it down flat and roll as usual. Try not to overdo the icing sugar as that will just cause the paste to be over dry and crack. Good ventilation helps as well so if you own a fan have it running while rolling out. I know it can be nightmare, nearly everyone experiences this at some point. I’m sure other members will help out with more suggestions.
My suggestion is using ‘The Mat’ to roll out sugarpaste if it’s sticky or humid, as it’s protected from the air as you roll. Once it’s on the cake I dust with a little icing sugar before using smoothers. When it’s all finished I polish with a piece of sugarpaste to remove surplus icing sugar.
