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 glues that can be used to stick fondant.

This 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 CMC glue.

CMC 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 a glue to hold fondant pieces as well as gumpaste pieces together.

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

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

Step by step instructions to make fondant glue (CMC glue)

Things you need are:

Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) powder
Water
A clean container to mix and keep the glue
A clean brush to mix the glue

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

1/4 tsp of CMC powder
2 tbsp water

And here is how to make the glue:

Measure 1/4 tsp of CMC powder into a clean container with lid.

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

Add the balance 1 tbsp of water and mix well.
At this stage, you might see lumps of the CMC powder. See 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, this glue can be made in advance and kept 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.