Sugar Paste

Sugar Paste and Confections



( click any photo to enlarge it )




ChocolateKingdomPlaquesCirca1988

Made for Pennsic royalty and given as a gift to the Kingdom of Calontir to distribute to the other kingdoms. Plaques are made from summer coating (colored "chocolate") and piped through various sizes of tips. The pattern was drawn on paper with waxed paper placed on top. Then I followed the design with the various colors of summer coating. The final step was to place the colored plaques on slightly larger dark chocolate bases. Finished size was approximately 8"x8" and held nearly a pound of chocolate each.




ChocolateKingdomPlaquesSecondGroupCirca1988

Made for Pennsic royalty and given as a gift to the Kingdom of Calontir to distribute to the other kingdoms. Plaques are made from summer coating (colored "chocolate") and piped through various sizes of tips. The pattern was drawn on paper with waxed paper placed on top. Then I followed the design with the various colors of summer coating. The final step was to place the colored plaques on slightly larger dark chocolate bases. Finished size was approximately 8"x8" and held nearly a pound of chocolate each.




ChocolateKingdomPlaquesCirca1988

Made for Pennsic royalty and given as a gift to the Kingdom of Calontir to distribute to the other kingdoms. Plaques are made from summer coating (colored "chocolate") and piped through various sizes of tips. The pattern was drawn on paper with waxed paper placed on top. Then I followed the design with the various colors of summer coating. The final step was to place the colored plaques on slightly larger dark chocolate bases. Finished size was approximately 8"x8" and held nearly a pound of chocolate each.




ChocolateKingdomPlaquesSecondGroupCirca1988

Made for Pennsic royalty and given as a gift to the Kingdom of Calontir to distribute to the other kingdoms. Plaques are made from summer coating (colored "chocolate") and piped through various sizes of tips. The pattern was drawn on paper with waxed paper placed on top. Then I followed the design with the various colors of summer coating. The final step was to place the colored plaques on slightly larger dark chocolate bases. Finished size was approximately 8"x8" and held nearly a pound of chocolate each.




GreenDragon1989

A spur-of-the-moment creation. The body is formed of a chocolate and Rice Krispy mixture which was dropped ont the board to form the general outline of the dragon. The snout was drizzled on with care. The whole dark chocolate dragon was then covered with green chocolate (summer coating). The wings are cardboard and covered with the green chocolate. The eyes and tongue were made of marzipan. The claws are of slivered, blanched almonds.




LaurelSugarPlateCirca1993

Made from sugar paste (gum paste). The green laurel wreath was drawn on with non-toxic marker and painted in before the center gold was applied. The center gold portion is from non-edible gold coloring. The gold is surmounted by a leafy green border which in turn supports red flowers with a gold center. The edge of the plate is bordered in gold. The whole plate was sprayed with acrylic laquer so that the recipient could keep it for years.




ThreeSpanishSugarPlates1990

Three 8" sugar paste plates using a Spanish design from the 1500s. Details are with each separate picture.


BlueFlutedSpanishSugarPlate1990

A plate made from sugar paste with a 16th century Spanish design. The plate's edges were fluted for visual interest. The design was drawn on with non-toxic marker and then painted with paste food colors. Because it would be handled, I sprayed it with acrylic laquer to keep the colors from smudging and to prevent moisture from damaging the plate. It was not intended to be used for food.


BlueSpanishSugarPlate1990

A plate made from sugar paste with a 16th century Spanish design. Except for colors, it is identical to the red plate. The design was drawn on with non-toxic marker and then painted with paste food colors. Because it would be handled, I sprayed it with acrylic laquer to keep the colors from smudging and to prevent moisture from damaging the plate. It was not intended to be used for food.


RedSpanishPlate1990

Made from sugar paste (gum paste), this 8" plate has the same 16th century Spanish design as the blue plate. It was sprayed with acrylic laquer to keep it longer and avoid damage from moisture.




RunestoneReliquaryBox1989

A 5" sugar paste box made to hold a marzipan reproduction of the Pennsic Runestone. The names of the creators of the Runestone are on either side of the box with the designs being inspired and/or taken from Celtic examples in period manuscripts. Panels of sugar paste are joined with royal icing. If you look carefully at the right hand side you can see that the icing was not trimmed nicely.




SugarGobletComar-LisaCirca1988

Made of sugar paste (gum paste). It is a copy of the Italian wedding beaker (enameled milk glass, Venice, late 15th century) which is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The design is the same as on the original goblet. The gold is painted on. The blue and red are food paste colors. The other raised areas are icing from a number 1 and 2 tip. The portraits of the Italian man and woman were replaced with portraits of King Coman and Queen Lisa of the Middle Kingdom to whom the goblet was given. The Middle Kingdom is one of the kingdoms in the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA).




SugarPlaquesTFYC1991

Made from sugar paste. Each plaque is about 5" square with a rope border which was pinched into different shapes. The designs are the arms from the various kingdoms of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). Designs were drawn on with a non-toxic marker and then painted with paste food colors. The finished plaques (12 in all) were sprayed with acrylic laquer so that the recipients could keep them without suffering from moisture damage.


SugarPlaquesTFYC1991-2

See previous description.




SugarPlateRonin-Katya1992

An 8" plate made of sugar paste (gum paste). Edges were fluted by hand. Center design is the arms of the Middle Kingdom painted on with paste food colors. The names of the king and queen, along with the date of elevation, surround the kingdom arms. A rose is painted on each section of fluting. Gold dots continue the decorations. Gold is painted on the edge of the plate which was sprayed with acrylic laquer to minimize damage from moisture and allow the plate to be kept for years.




SugarPlatesCloseUpforCoronation
SugarPlatesforCoronation

Plates are 8" with various fluted designs on the edges. The central female picture is patterned after an Italian Majiolica plate from the early 16th century which is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Surrounding each portrait are different patterns and designs which incorporate design elements from the border of that Maiolica plate. The design is drawn on the sugar paste with a non-toxic marker and painted with paste food colors. The gold was a non-edible gold used by artists. Each plate was sprayed with acrylic laquer so it would keep. The plates were given to guests at a Coronation feast in the Middle Kingdom. Some not-yet-painted plates are shown at the top.




SugarPlatesEastCoronation1991

Plates are 8" with hand-fluted edges. The center design (the arms of the East Kingdom) was painted with paste food colors. The laurel wreaths were painted before the non-edible gold color was applied. The center section is surrounded by a border of vines and leaves, taken from medieval books and incorporates the name and date for the king and queen. A purple rose with a gold center (made by indenting the damp paste with the end of a nut pick) has been painted on each fluted segment. The edge is painted with gold and the whole plate was sprayed with acrylic laquer in order to preserve it.




SugarTablewarePeriodColorsCirca1988

Made from a 16th century recipe for sugar paste using gum tragacanth and rose water. The yellow bowl is colored with saffron and was formed over a yogurt container. The lid was made to fit the container and has a small bone deer in the top. Two ropes of yellow sugar paste were added to the lid and decorated by pressing in a design from a nut pick. The center plate is a light green, colored from spinach. It has a gold design. The pink goblet is colored from saunders. The cup part was formed over a yogurt container and set on a thick base which has a wooden support inside. The join was made by a rope of pink sugar paste with a pricked design. On the cup are cutout sugar paste leaves with gold paint with a small green and gold stone held in place by more sugar paste. A gold design decorates the stem and base of the goblet. The pink (saunders) and yellow (saffron) roses are hand formed on a stick according to the instructions from the 1500s.




SugarTriptych1990

Three pieces of sugar paste which are joined by handmade lucet cord through holes in each panel. When folded over, the side panels cover the middle one completely. Center panel was drawn with non-toxic marker and then painted with paste food colors to represent the King and Queen looking out from a window which is surrounded by vines. Side panels contain the personal arms of King Comar and Queen Lisa along with the kingdom arms for each (laurel wreath around the crown for the king, wreath of roses around the crown for the queen).


SugarTriptychBackSide1990

The back of the triptych has two different diaper patterns with different borders. On the right hand panel you can see that the date of AS XXV is thicker and smudgy. This happens from time to time when painting on sugar paste. Later on I would learn to use a sharp knife to scrape away any excess paint. The triptych was not sprayed with acrylic laquer.




SwanPlateFrontViewCirca1992

Inspired by a French plate by Palissy in the Cleveland Museum of Art. All items are made of sugar paste and are not attached to the plate so the scene can be re-arranged as desired. The 12" base plate was formed on a pizza pan and the edges were curled up in a random pattern. The pond is painted on with paste food color. Pipe cleaners support the swans' necks and curve into an oval inside the body. Wings were formed and attached separately using a cardboard template. Feathers were drawn on using a nut pick. Flowers and leaves were hand formed of colored sugar paste. The lizard and cygnets were made of white paste and handpainted.


snakeplate1

Palissy's plate, late 1500s (ceramic, not confection!)


SwanPlateOneViewCirca1992

A side of the Swan Plate. Items include two swans, three cignets, a lily and lily pads with a frog on one, a fish with its head out of water, a snake, turtle, lizard, another frog, ferns and 9 flowers with leaves.




Tadashi-AriakeSugarBox1990

From my "box period". Formed of sugar paste and joined with royal icing. Items were first drawn with non-toxic marker to provide an outline and then painted with paste food colors. Lid features the portraits of the recipients surrounded by a vine and leaf border taken from a medieval book. Side panels were different. This one shows a rose border with Ariake's Japanese symbols. There is a velvet lining laid inside the box which contained a gift.


Tadashi-AriakeSugarBoxAnotherView1990

See details with the other photo. This side shows Tadashi's symbol.




SugarPasteComfitBox1990

Painted with food paste colors. Panels are "glued" with royal icing to form box.




MountEislinnMarzipanBread1988

Homemade marzipan covers a "hill" of spicy bread and raisins. Parsley trees and marzipan tents cover the representation of Mt. Eislinn at Pennsic. Finely chopped parsley forms the grass.




CleftlandsCooksGuild-21989

A subtlety representing a walled city in three layers. The bottom layers consisted of four different items: an "extra-ordinary good cake" from May, Norwegian herb-nut bread, Digby's "Excellent Cake" and an almond rice dish enclosed in a pastry shell from Robert May. The bottom layer was covered with homemade marzipan and decorated with almonds and candied orange peel. The middle layer was a box of pretzel dough enclosing "pommes dorees" and covered with "asida", a medieval Andalusian confection. The top layer was saffron-colored pie dough enclosing an orange and apple pie. The people are made of marzipan, representing the people in a story about the "Dream".




ChocolateMidrealmPlaque1988

Made from "summer coating". The design lay under waxed paper and the colored chocolate was piped from a bag to follow the design. When completed, the plaque was attached to a semi-sweet chocolate base and weighed about two pounds. Twelve such plaques were made, one for each of the kingdoms of the Society for Creative Anachronism.




RunestoneReliquaryBoxAndMarzipan1989

Box is made of sugar paste and joined with royal icing. It was painted with food paste colors in a celtic design. The marzipan is cut and carved like the Pennsic Runestone, but hard to see in the photo.




MarzipanGeometric1989

A sweet dough was baked and then iced to form the base for the marchpane. Food paste colors were mixed with homemade marzipan, rolled out and cut to form the geometric pattern.




MarzipanBaronial1990

A base of sweet dough was backed and iced before the colored homemade marzipan was added to the top.




SkraelingAlthingBaronialCoronetBox1990

The coronet box was made from sugar paste and joined with royal icing. The decorations are from food paste colors and various brushes. The arms of Skraeling Althing are on the top with the recipient's arms on the end. The sides have the arms of Ealdormere.




MarzipanMarquetry1989

A base of sweet dough was baked and iced before the colored homemade marzipan was rolled out, cut into shapes, and added to the top.




FirstSugarPasteGobletAndPlate1990

My first attempt at a sugar paste goblet and plate. The bowl was formed over a small plastic cup. The stem is a plastic wedding pillar encased in sugar paste and painted. Raised dots of royal icing add to the decorations. The plate was painted with food paste colors and has yellow and blue royal icing dots.




TadashiBirthdayMarzipanDragons1989

Three-dimensional dragons made from homemade marzipan. Made to decorate Tadashi's cake shown in another section of the website.




SugarPlaques1990Group-1Front

A series of 21 5" sugar paste plaques with the arms of each of the kingdoms and principalities in the Society for Creative Anachronism as of Pennsic XIX (1990). Each plaque has a "snake" of rolled sugar paste added as a border with different patterns and designs pressed into the borders. Plaques were sprayed with acrylic laquer so they would keep.


SugarPlaques1990Group-1Back

The back of the previous plaques. Each back had a different design using elements from the front. There are 100 squares on each back. There were 21 plaques total. That was a lot of work.


SugarPlaques1990Group-2Front

See previous description.


SugarPlaques1990Group-2Back

See previous description.


SugarPlaques1990Group-3Front

See previous description.


SugarPlaques1990Group-3Back

See previous description.




FrenchSugarPasteDoll1992

Doll was formed over styrofoam shapes - a cone for the body, egg for the head, and pipe cleaners for the arms. The hat's base is thin cardboard. The clothes were made in sections and applied to the forms, then painted with food paste colors as well as a gold paint. The doll is held onto the sugar paste-covered styrofoam round with toothpicks. Ribbon was added to the base to hide the bottom edge. Her necklace is a gold chain.


FrenchSugarPasteDoll1992Side

See previous description.




SwanButterDishesCirca1992

Pipe cleaners bent into an oval (for the body) and curved to form the neck form the base for the sugar paste which was pressed on and shaped by hand. The wings were cut out and applied with royal icing as were the crowns. The backs of the swans were flattened so that butter could be set there for a "royal feast".




MedievalTilesSugarPasteCirca1992

These are 5" or 6" squares of sugar paste whose edges have been rolled or turned up in different patterns, then painted with gold paint. The tile designs are actual medieval floor tile designs. Much of the coloring was gold with food paste colors added where appropriate. Unfortunately, the camera acted up.




SugarPastePotAndRoses1990

The roses are made of sugar paste on wire stems. The leaves were of sugar paste also with artificial ferns added to the sugar paste pot. The pot was painted with food paste colors and sprayed with acrylic laquer so it would keep.




DavidTangwystlCoronationBoxCompleted

The completly assembled coronation gift. A painted sugar paste box encloses a marzipan-covered fruitcake (not visible) and sits on a wooden shelf. Under the shelf are gold sugar paste figures representing a story from the kingdom of Ealdormere. The whole thing sits on 1/2" plywood covered with white fabric. All the sugar paste was sprayed with acrylic laquer to prevent damage from moisture.


DavidTangwystlCoronationBox5Panels

The designs on the top of the box represent the arms of the king and queen with symbols from the major baronies of Ealdormere. One side panel and one end panel for each person represent parts of their personal lives and accomplishments.


DavidTangwystlCoronationBoxInside5Panels

The inside of the lid has a medieval poem in French representing the duties of a servant and was painted and calligraphed with food paste colors. The colors of the end panels represent important qualities in Ealdormere and have silly sun faces painted in gold.


DavidTangwystlCoronationFruitcake

While the cake strictly should be in another section, it formed part of the sugar paste gift. It was a fruitcake topped with homemade marzipan which was built up to form the shape of the Ninja Turtle. This was then covered with rolled fondant and the three-dimensional turtle was painted to represent the recipient (David). No, Donatello Turtle didn't have the white belt!


DavidTangwystlCoronationSugarFigures

Most of the sugar paste figures were hand-sculpted by Jean Knox although I did some details. These were sprayed with gold spray paint since they weren't intended to be eaten. The figures represent characters in an Ealdormere legend.




KWSeneschalSugarPasteCookiesPennsic1991

The sugar paste "cookies" were cut out with a cookie cutter and painted with the recipient's "kingdom" and a symbol of that place. Made at Pennsic, they suffered from evening damp.




SugarPastePlatesPennsic1991

The sugar paste plates are about 8" in diameter and about 1/2" deep. The edges have been formed in a variety of designs and patterns. The designs are the arms of various SCA kingdoms. The gold is a non-edible paint and the plates were sprayed with acrylic laquer so they would keep.




TangwystlEdibleBookCover1991

The covers are made of sugar paste with a design stamped into the front cover which was then painted. Some small gold beads were added. The lace is lucet cord. This project was to make an edible book so that the bard, whose poem is inside, could be made to "eat his words".


TangwystlEdibleBookCoversAndPages1991

Details of the front and back covers. The four pages are cut from rice paper and painted with food paste colors and calligraphed with a non-toxic pen.


TangwystlEdibleBookInsideCovers1991

Details of the inside of the covers, painted with food paste colors.




MarchpanesIcedCandiedPeel1991

An attempt to follow a period recipe for a marchpane. The sweet dough had the edges turned up. After baking, the icing was added with a design cut from candied orange peel. This was then set back into the oven for the icing to set.




LargeSugarPasteServingBowls1991

The bowls ranged from about 7" to 12" and were painted with food paste colors. Food was served in them at a medieval feast.




NineManMorrisMarchpane1989

Made on a base of sweet dough which was baked and iced. The decoration is from colored, homemade marzipan and forms a playable nine-man morris game. Much simpler than making a chessboard as done in the Elizabethan period.




ChocolateDragonFewmets1989

Two draconian fewments made of chocolate for a Bestiary Day. The story of the fewmets is, I hope, in the article section of the website.




SmallSugarPasteBowlsCirca1990

Approximately 3-4" in diameter, made of sugar paste with designs based on the recipient.




BristolVillageSugarPastePlatter1990

A sugar paste platter, approximately 7" long. Designs are painted with food paste colors. The center design is the logo of Bristol Village. Around the rim are names of some of the residents of the Bristol Village Retirement Community.




DagIlsaSugarPastePlate1990

The sugar paste plate is approximately 8" in diameter and 1/2" deep. The picture was traced by using an opaque projector with a non-toxic pen and painted with food paste colors.




PaintedSugarPasteCandies1990

Small tin cookie cutters were used for the sugar paste shapes which were then painted with food paste colors. Some shapes are made with a marbled paste - green and white rolled out together.




ComarLisaBeakerSide1

A goblet of sugar paste made to look like the 15th century marriage beaker which is in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The designs are painted with food paste colors and have some royal icing dots applied to mimic the raised glass dots on the original beaker.


ComarLisaBeakerSide2

See previous comments.


ComarLisaBeakerMuseumOriginal

A photograph of the late 15th century marriage beaker, Italy, made of enameled milk glass.