Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Lokum paste is a rolled covering and modelling paste built the way Turkish delight is built: cornflour and modified starch are cooked with water into a thick, clear gel, then that gel is kneaded out with a large quantity of icing sugar until it becomes a smooth, pliable dough. A little tylose is worked in at the end, which gives the paste body and lets it hold an edge once it has dried.
The finished paste is ivory white, soft and stretchy, with a satin surface and a clean sweet taste. It rolls thin without tearing, drapes over a cake with sharp corners and smooths beautifully with the palm of the hand, and the offcuts can be coloured and used for cut-outs, plaques, bows and modelled pieces. It is a good choice when you want the handling of a commercial fondant but prefer to make it yourself.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 979
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 20 cm round cake, covered with a 3–4 mm layer
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Icing Sugar Mixture
Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats.
for the cooked gel
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B
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54 |
1.9 ounces
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Modified Starch
Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
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C
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1.5 |
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Potassium Sorbate (preservative 202)
Potassium sorbate, listed on labels as preservative 202, is a food-grade powder used in very small amounts to stop mould and yeast growing in jams, pastes and fillings. It is optional at home if the paste is kept refrigerated and used within a few weeks.
optional
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D
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6 |
0.2 ounce
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Tylose Powder
Tylose (CMC, carboxymethyl cellulose) is a white powder used in sugar craft to stiffen fondant and sugar pastes. A very small amount makes the paste firmer, quicker to dry and able to hold a shape, which is why it is used for modelling and for sharp edges.
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E
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145 |
0.6 cup
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Water
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cold |
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F
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2.5 |
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Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
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G
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32 |
1.1 ounces
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Glucose Syrup
Glucose syrup, also known as confectioner's glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolysis of starch. Glucose is a sugar. Maize (corn) is commonly used as the source of the starch in the US, in which case the syrup is called "corn syrup", but glucose syrup is also made from potatoes and wheat, and less often from barley, rice and cassava.
Glucose syrup containing over 90% glucose is used in industrial fermentation, but syrups used in confectionery contain varying amounts of glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade, and can typically contain 10% to 43% glucose. Glucose syrup is used in foods to sweeten, soften texture and add volume. By converting some of the glucose in corn syrup into fructose (using an enzymatic process), a sweeter product, high fructose corn syrup can be produced.
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H
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76 |
2.7 ounces
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White Vegetable Shortening
White vegetable shortening is a solid, flavourless fat made from vegetable oils. In sugar pastes it keeps the paste soft and pliable, stops it drying and cracking while it is being rolled, and is also rubbed on the hands and bench when kneading.
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soft |
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I
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41 |
1.4 ounces
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Corn Starch
Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch or maize is the starch derived from the corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. Corn starch is a popular food ingredient used in thickening sauces or soups, and is used in making corn syrup and other sugars.
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J
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1500 |
3.3 pounds
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Icing Sugar Mixture
Icing sugar mixture, also known as confectioners' sugar or powdered sugar, is pulverised granulated sugar crushed together with a small amount (about three percent) of cornflour. This icing sugar is great to use when making icing for kids' birthday cakes or dusting sweet treats.
for kneading in
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sifted |
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1957
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Weigh out everything before you start. Sift J (icing sugar mixture) into a large bowl and have a clean bench dusted with icing sugar ready, along with plastic wrap or a bag for storing the finished paste. |
All ingredients measured and within reach; the paste is worked while it is still warm |
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2 |
Mix |
In a heavy saucepan, whisk A, B, I and F (icing sugar mixture, modified starch, corn starch and cream of tartar) with E (cold water) until completely smooth. If you are using C (potassium sorbate), stir it into the water first so it dissolves. |
A thin, milky liquid with no lumps at all |
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3 |
Cook |
Place the pan over medium heat and stir constantly with a spatula or whisk, reaching into the corners of the pan, until the mixture thickens and turns from milky to translucent. Keep cooking and stirring for 3 to 5 minutes once it starts to bubble. |
A heavy, glossy, translucent gel that pulls away from the base of the pan; no raw starch taste |
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4 |
Enrich |
Take the pan off the heat and stir in G and H (glucose syrup and white vegetable shortening) until they have melted into the gel. |
Smooth, shiny and evenly combined, with no streaks of fat |
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5 |
Cool |
Scrape the gel into the mixer bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap so it does not skin, and leave it to cool. |
Warm to the hand, not hot, about 40°C (104°F) |
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6 |
Knead |
Sift D (tylose powder) through the first part of J (icing sugar mixture), then add the icing sugar to the warm gel a few handfuls at a time with the dough hook on low speed, letting each lot disappear before adding more. |
A soft, heavy dough that gathers on the hook and leaves the sides of the bowl |
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7 |
Knead |
Turn the paste out onto a bench dusted with the remaining icing sugar and knead by hand, rubbing a little shortening on your palms if it sticks, until it is smooth and satiny. Add only as much of the last icing sugar as the paste will take. |
Smooth, firm and no longer sticky, holding a thumbprint without cracking |
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8 |
Rest |
Wrap the paste tightly in plastic wrap, then seal it in a bag or airtight container and leave it at room temperature before use. |
Rested at least overnight; the paste firms up and rolls without tearing |
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9 |
Use |
Knead the paste briefly to warm it up, then roll it out on a bench dusted with icing sugar or cornflour to about 3 to 4 mm thick for covering a cake. Colour any offcuts with paste colour for decorations. |
Even thickness, smooth surface, no dry cracks at the edges |
Important Notes
This scaled batch makes about 1,950 g of paste, enough to cover two 20 cm round cakes about 3 to 4 mm thick with trimmings left over for cut-outs and modelling. Store it tightly wrapped in plastic and then in an airtight container at room temperature, never in the fridge, where it will sweat. Kept airtight it will hold for several weeks; if it goes firm, knead it back to life with a little shortening on your hands. Work it warm on the day it is made and rest it overnight before rolling, as the paste continues to firm as the tylose takes up moisture. The preservative is optional for home use and only matters if the paste is being kept for a long time. Keep the cooked gel moving in the pan; if it catches it will speckle the finished paste.
Tools & Arrangements
Digital scales, a heavy-based saucepan, a whisk and a heatproof spatula, a stand mixer with a dough hook, plastic wrap and an airtight container, a large rolling pin (a non-stick one is helpful), a sieve for the icing sugar, and fondant smoothers and a pizza wheel or paring knife for trimming.
