Making icing frangipani\'s HELP!!!

hi i bought pettinance icing to make frangipanis for a cake but its not working properly they get really soft and tacky. any tips please or recipes for icing that work to make these.

Dust a little cornflour on your board.

use the readymade white icing in the solid squares from the supermarket.Roll it out to the required thickness, and cut leave shapes for the petals, and layer the centres, so the fold nicely like the real flowers.use a little yellow food colouring to gently paint the yellow in the middle.Ive made these before for a cake too, and they really are beautiful.

and i just re read your post PROPERLY, lol.Dont roll it so thin

Go to a cake decorating shop and see if they have any flower paste. It is a mix of icing and gum paste, its better for making your flowers. If you cant get any, see if you can get hold of your local cake decorators guild, they might beable to help you out.
Good luck, Jan...

Use icing sugar, not cornflour.

I am a cake decorator. You should not use pettinice.That is for covering the cakes.You should buy flower paste.It is in small containers.It's sets hard and is easy to shape and mould.

I use pettinice to do things other than covering cakes.Sure, it's softer, but not impossible.Sometimes I leave my fondant icing a while after colouring because it warms in your hands and makes it stickier.The longer you touch it, the more it will do it.

And use cornflour, not icing sugar

Edible Sugar Modelling Pastefrom google
Microwave Method
Time 15 minutes standing, 15 minutes making, 1 Hour Resting
Ingredients
1lb (500gm) of icing sugar (Confectioner's dusting powder)
4 teaspoons of powdered gelatine - in the UK this is one packet
50 ml water exactly
2 teaspoons liquid glucose
2 level teaspoons gum tragacanth or use CMC (Carboxy Methyl Cellulose) instead
1 teaspoon of Trex, Spry Cookeen or White Flora vegetable type fat
Note the glucose is essential for elasticity and the gum tragacanth gives hardness and strength.
1 wooden Spoon - use for all stirring sieving
I Pyrex jug
1 sieve
1 large mixing bowl
6 strong polythene freezer bags
A teaspoon or so of extra white fat.
Method
Prepare the gelatine by putting the water into a Pyrex jug and sprinkle on the powder gelatine.Stir to mix then allow to stand for at least 15 minutes.
Next sift the icing sugar and gum tragacanth into a large bowl.
Now after the 15 minutes put the gelatine mix in the microwave oven and heat on medium/low setting dependant on oven for 15 to 20 seconds until lukewarm.
Make sure the gelatine is fully dissolved, if it isn't give it a little more heating if required.
Now add the glucose and the white fat and rewarm for 30 seconds ensuring all is dissolved and fully melted.
Mixing up the Modelling Paste
Metal spoons cause greying so use a wooden spoon to make this.
Make a well in the centre of the icing sugar mix and add the warm liquid, pouring it all in at once.Initially mix it with a wooden spoon and then your hands.
The mixture will look all wrong at first sight like threads of cooked poached egg.BUT keep mixing by hand now until it draws together.
Put some white fat on your hands (more than once if required and knead really well.All of a sudden it will come together and seem like a fondant paste.
Shape it neatly and now cut it into 4 or 5 pieces.Put each piece into a separate strong polythene bag, wrapping the bag around it well, then put those bags into another polythene bag and finally put them all into a strong plastic sealed container.
DO NOT USE CLINGFILM (GLAD WRAP) AS IT MAKES IT WET.
Leave the paste to rest for 1 hour at least, preferably 24 hours before use.When you make it in sections this paste can easily be frozen 2 hours after making.You can also keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks for normal use.But I have had best results with this paste by using it within 48 hours of making it.
If you know you intend to keep the paste for a fair time smear the thinnest layer of hand warmed white vegetable fat over the surface of each paste section before wrapping up.
Use the paste to make fine flower petals, leaves and holly, snowmen, boxes, stars.
All items can be dusted with food powders, steamed and when dry glazed with sugarcraft glaze for extra shininess.