How to Bake and Decorate in High Humidity

Wedding Cakes In Tropical Conditions


I would like to know how to bake and decorate in high humidity.
Question: Hi, I have moved a while a go to a country in the Caribbean. I am really keen on trying how my creativity and love for cake decorating will work here. However I find it very difficult as the heat and humidity is very high. There is no such thing here as room temperature.

Do you know any tricks to how I can win over the humidity. I have a wedding cake to make in a few months time and its a request for red velvet and 4 tiers.

I find that when I bake the cake it sweats, gets sticky on top and crumbles easy (do I need to bake it longer?) however it is cooked complete on the inside.

The question I'm really interested in is about fondant in this type of weather. How on earth do they do it, the other people that use fondant here. I tried to email a few to ask, but no reply. What fondant would hold in humidity? maybe Wilton? I don't know I have not had the chance to bring it here yet. I don't even know how I can dry gum paste flowers, figurines etc. Its all very sticky and melts as room temp is above average.

If you can help in anyway with baking and decorating in humidity I would appreciate it.

Sorry about the looooong question.

Lorelie's Response: Hi, The humidity in Connecticut sometimes gets high in the summer, so I have dealt with it a little bit. I have
never had the baking issue that you talk about and would ask that anyone reading this help out with an answer if they can.

As far as brands go Satin Ice Fondant is one of the best. I do use Wilton in a pinch for smaller projects.

The only solution that I have found when working with the fondant in humidity is air conditioning and dehumidifiers. Also finishing your cakes with fondant at the last possible moment so that it doesn't have as much of a chance to melt down.

I do not refrigerate the cake after it has the fondant on it so I never put it on until the day before. The basement comes in handy sometimes in hot weather. I think you will need to get air conditioning in order to bake and decorate in such high humidity. In your situation it is not safe to leave a cake out overnight in that heat.
Some say that Satin Ice can be refrigerated. So why not give it a try.

Thanks for visiting my website and don't worry no question is to looooong :)

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help out here.

Some of the links on this page are affiliates. This means that I will receive a small commission if you purchase a product through them. There are no extra charges for doing so. This helps me keep the information on this website free of charge. Because my name is attached and your satisfaction is very important to me, I only recommend products I have purchased or would purchase myself and which I believe you would benefit from.

Comments for How to Bake and Decorate in High Humidity

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Aug 15, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		massa neutral
by: rodney

Hey There,
I second Albert Usters Massa Grischuna. It's the best fondant I've come across for both humidity and dry air issues. I work in a warm kitchen at a hotel in NY, it gets humid but not to the extent you have to deal with, I'm sure- but I'm able to refrigerate the cake before AND after covering in fondant without the slightest sign of side effects. It costs a bit more than other brands but it's worth it- just be wise with how much you're using, don't go too excessive as a precaution but rather focus on getting a feel for exactly how much you need to use for each sized tier in order to yield minimal left over scrap.

Also, I get the idea that you didn't hear back from your peers because they're viewing you as competition- helping you succeed is the last thing they want to do.
Dec 05, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks for your helpful input Rodney!
by: Lorelie

Hi Rodney, I know its been a while since you posted here, but I just wanted to say thanks for your helpful input. It is much appreciated.
Dec 08, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		:)
by: rodney

oh absolutely, i've really enjoyed reading through your website!
Dec 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		What Hotel?
by: Lorelie

Thank you Rodney I am so happy that you are enjoying the website! May I ask what Hotel you work at in the New York? I would love to see one of your cake creations sometime. Do you want to share one or two?

Lorelie
Mar 16, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Decorating in High humidity
by: shell

Hi there, I am attempting to decorate a cake with fondant in 80% humidity, Queensland, Australia. I am using tycose powder to try and set the fondant (which is usually added for making figurines, flowers etc.) Will let you know how i go, it could be a long night...
Mar 21, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fondant in high humidity
by: Lynnelow

To Shell,
I am from Malaysia with super high humidity and I'm really curious how your fondant went with tylose? Do let us know here. Thank you!
Jul 23, 2012
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starstarstarstar 		humidity
by: shannon

I live in Houston, tx where the average humidity is somewhere around 75% it higher. I use satin ice fondant and chill, chill, chill. I crumb coat and freeze, ice and refrigerated, then I let the iced cake come back to room temperature (about 75*) before I cover in fondant. Which will work out any air bubbles that I can correct before covering w fondant. I use cornstarch when rolling it out if it feels sticky, and a smudge of shortening if it gets too dry. When the cake is complete, I put it in the fridge overnite. When removing it from the fridge I immediately put it in a cardboard cake box to help control the humidity as it returns to temp. It does get some amount of moisture across the surface of the fondant, but.as long as you don't touch it, ... It will dry smooth without discoloration. hope that helps!
Feb 27, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		none
by: Christa-Mari Bentham

Hi,
I live in Durban, South Africa. Today they predict the humidity to be somewhere around 92%. I have received a request to decorate cupcakes for a 12th birthday party. So I decided to make some fondant (couldn't find any in the shops) to make flowers. I strugled SO SO much just to get the fondant to dry a tiny bit! We don't have an aircon or a de-humidifier so I read up on some sites and noticed that many people say that corn starch dries fondant out if you use too much. So i decided to cover every petal of the flowers with corn starch. I am yet so see the results...It seems to stop the fondant sweating so much! Hold your thumbs! I could have made gum paste, but I want the girls to be able to eat the flowers.

Christa.
Feb 27, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Gumpaste recipe
by: Lynne

Hi Christa,
You can try this gumpaste recipe from 'Inspired by Michelle'.
http://www.inspired-by-chocolate-and-cakes.com/how-to-make-gum-paste.html

It works very well for me where it's very humid. :)
Feb 27, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tnx
by: Christa-Mari Bentham

Thanx Lynne,

I will go check it out! Im new to this kind of decorating, but I enjoy it so so much. The corn starch seems to help, luckily I hear that we are in for a cold front tomorrow, so that will help SO much!
Jun 03, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		hi
by: Anonymous

Hi Im from the Philippines and we have high humidity almost all the time. I use cornstarch to dust and sometimes add to the fondant itself. I mix some shortening as well. I also add tylose/CMC or Gumtex and it works well for me.
Aug 17, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tylose Powder
by: Morning Glory

I am making a wedding cake in South America ( in a farm) and it will be summer and quite humid. I am very stress because I have not done anything in fondant for at least 6 years!
Can I use Tylose powder to roll the fondat? Where can I get it?
Aug 23, 2013
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tylose Powder
by: Lorelie

Yes you can use Tylose powder to resist humidity.

Add 1-2 teaspoons of Tylose powder to 1 lb of fondant.

It can be used right away if need be.but is best if you let it rest overnight before using it.
You can find it here at Candyland Crafts
or at most cake decorating supply stores.
Jan 15, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		humid weather
by: helen

Add Gumtex from.Wilton to your fondant and roll.on using half cornstarch mixed,with icing sugar!stays well.
Apr 09, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar 		I have the same issue!
by: cakeladykaren

I have done wedding cakes for 35 yrs in NE and now live in Florida and want to continue. What a shock! I thought it would be no different than August in NE but it is totally different year round. I have been combing the web to get any help I can but so far there is none. I can keep my cakes cool inside but once they hit the outside air BOOM! Not Good!
I like to do buttercream but I've done a lot of fondant and gumpaste design work but now that just slides off.
Any Help is appreciated. I am not ready to hang up my apron, I love what I do.
Thanks!
May 09, 2015
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starstarstarstarstar
by: Lorelie

Cake Lady Karen I am so sorry that i am just seeing your question here. My bad. I deal with humidity here in CT in the summer but Florida is a whole other situation. Dry ice could be your best friend. I use that when it is really hot and humid. I pack the cakes in a double box with a little space in between. The dry ice in between the layers works beautifully to keep the cakes cold while delivering them. Here is a link to a post on FB that I posted about delivering a cake with the dry ice. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150167236792374.301175.159993292373&type=3
I hope that helps.
Dec 03, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstar 		satin ice gumpaste not great for high humidity
by: Anonymous

HI, ive just gone through this issue, i had a wedding cake to do ,fondant covered with gumpaste flowers, I was using satin ice gumpaste and the gumpaste flowers did not hold up at all in the high humidity, I live in Tonga in the South Pacific and its hot and very humid. I ended up having to make my own gumpaste and it worked out well, which came from the back of a Wilton Tylose powder jar :) I think if you added some tylose to your fondant it would also make it a little more stable in the high humidity.
Apr 11, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		How much tylose to add to fondant when covering a cake in humid climate
by: Mona

I live in Karachi, it's very humid her as it by the Arabia Sea. Kindly advice how much tylose to add to fondant when covering the cake so that it doesn't get too hard. I need to make the Cinderella carriage topper for a cake and at a loss as I don't know how much tylose to add to my fondant so that it doesn't get too hard, but holds well in this weather and is edible.
Thank you in advance
May 04, 2017
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starstarstarstarstar 		Fondant for High Humifity
by: Anonymous

Global Sugarcraft sells a fondant made for humid weather. It is expensive.
Oct 24, 2020
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starstarstarstarstar 		Refrigerating cakes
by: Jan

I live I Georgia and it’s a constant state of humidity here. If you need to refrigerate a fondant cake, put it in a box before you put it in the fridge. The cardboard should absorb the moisture.

Let your clients know you have a temperature guarantee and that the room the cake will be in should be at 72 degrees Fahrenheit. You can not guarantee anything else.

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