I have been making celebration cakes for people on special diets for as long as I have been making cakes and have spent a lot of time making sure the ingredients are safe to use for individual diets. I constantly check to see if the ingredients have changed or new products come on the market.
As a cake decorator are you are being asked more frequently if you can make cakes for special diets?
Do you get confused with ingredient lists?
I have put together a list of the common icings and sugarcraft ingredients used in the UK and allergy advice on each.
There are hidden ingredients that you may not think about. The main ingredient that causes confusion is Glucose syrup. This ingredient is found in most sugarcraft products.
Glucose can be made from any kind of starch and is used in sugary foods to soften texture and prevent crystallisation of sugars.
Most of the world seems to make glucose syrup from corn and call it corn syrup rather than glucose syrup. In Europe glucose syrup is made with corn and wheat..
If you buy your ingredients from a catering wholesaler there is a good chance the glucose in the product will be made from wheat, – this includes glace cherries and mixed peel.
To be sure what is in a product ask your supplier for the food specifications. This is a printed sheet which gives a description of a product, packaging info, shelf life, origin, ingredients and their derivatives and any allergy information.
You may be wondering ‘what is the problem with glucose?
Food labelling rules allow products containing wheat glucose to be sold as ‘gluten free’. The theory is that it should be safe for coaliacs and people with wheat allergies because it is so refined. However, speak to people with intolerances and allergies and you will find plenty of evidence that this is clearly not the case.
Always ask the customer if they know if wheat glucose affects them. To be on the safe side, I always use ingredients I know are 100 per cent wheat free.
Fortunately, new EU legislation will eventually make things simpler by forcing producers to specify if a product contains wheat glucose. This will take a while to come into practice as manufacturers are permitted to use up their old packaging before redesigning labels – so for the time being at least, err on the side of caution and choose products which are definitely wheat free.
Take a look at the list below for a one-stop guide to popular sugarcraft products and their allergens. If you want to add any brands I’ve missed, please do get in touch.
Key:
v = vegan
df = dairy / lactose free
nf = nut free
gf = gluten free
wf = wheat free
Sugarpaste
- Renshaws Regalice - v, df, nf, gf, contains wheat glucose
- Dr Oetker regalice - v, df, gf, wf, nf
- Pettinice - gf, wf, nf contains dairy products, suitable for vegetarians, not suitable for vegans
- Covapaste - v, df, gf, nf, contains wheat glucose
- Sweet success Pastrima - df, gf, nf, not suitable for vegans or vegetarians, contains wheat glucose
- Silver spoon ready to roll icing – no allergens
- M & B sugarpaste - v, df, nf, gf, contains wheat glucose
Most supermarkets stock silver spoon or Dr Oetger’s ready to roll icing so they are easy to find.
Marzipan
- Dr Oetger – v, no allergens except nuts
- Sainsburys –v, df, gf, glucose derives from wheat or corn
- Tesco - v, df, gf, glucose derives from wheat or corn
- Asda -v, df, gf, glucose derives from wheat or corn
- Waitrose – v, df, gf, glucose derives from wheat or corn
- Ingram brothers (available from catering wholesalers) - may contain milk, dairy and cereal containing gluten
- Silver Spoon – v, no allergens except nuts
- Squires kitchen - v, no allergens except nuts
- Odense - v, df, contains wheat gluten
Most supermarkets stock silver spoon or Dr Oetger’s marzipan so they are easy to find.
Flower paste
- Squires Kitchen - df, gf, wf, nf, contains egg white
- Sugar city platinum paste - v, gf, wf, df, nf
- Sugar city diamond paste - v , gf, wf, df, nf
- Sweet success Pastrima flowerpaste - gf, df, nf, contains gelatine – not suitable for vegan and vegetarians. Contains wheat glucose
Mexican / modelling paste
- Squires Kitchen Mexican paste – v, df, wf, gf, may contain traces of nut
- Squires Kitchen sugar dough – v, df, wf, gf, may contain traces of nut
- Squires Kitchen Pastillage – df, wf, gf, contains egg, may contain traces of nut
- Sugar City Mexican paste – v, gf, wf, df, nf
- Sugar city modelling paste – v, gf, wf, df, nf
Fondant
- Tate and Lyle - v, no allergens
- Silver spoon – v, no allergens
- MFG available from wholesalers – v, contains wheat glucose
Chocolate Paste
- Squires Kitchen dark chocolate Cocoform –v, df, gf, wf, may contain traces of nut
- Squires Kitchen milk chocolate cocoform – gf, wf, may contain traces of nut, contains milk
- Squires Kitchen white chocolate cocoform – gf, wf, may contain traces of nut, contains milk
- Regalice white chocolate sugarpaste - gf, contains milk, contains wheat derived glucose syrup
- Regalice chocolate sugarpaste – gf, may contain milk, contains wheat derived glucose syrup
- Tracey Mann dark chocolate paste - gf, may contain milk, contains wheat derived glucose syrup
Dried egg white
- Meri white – contains wheat, gluten and egg
- Supercooks dried egg white – df, gf, wf, nf, contains egg
- Squires kitchen pure albumin – df, gf, wf, nf, contains egg
Royal Icing Mix
- Tate and Lyle – contains egg
- Squires Kitchen – contains egg
- Sugar City – contains egg
Supermarkets now stock writing icing which does not contain any allergens so handy if you just want to pipe a simple message or decoration or you can use watered down sugarpaste which pipes from a piping tube really well.
Food colouring
- Sugarflair powder colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Sugarflair paste colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Sugarflair liquid colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Squires Kitchen powder colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Squires Kitchen paste colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Sugar City crystal colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Edable Art powder colours – no wheat, gluten, dairy, or nuts
- Orchard Products powder colours - gf, wf, contains lactose
Glucose Syrup
- Squires Kitchen – no allergens, glucose made from corn starch
- Dr Oetger – no allergens, glucose made from corn starch
- Silver Spoon – no allergen, glucose made from corn starch
- Bako commercial supplier – v, df, gf, nf, contains wheat derived glucose
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Hi Gemma, I’ve happened across your blog quite by chance and am so pleased I did! I was hoping to start offering gluten free cakes to customers but I use Covapaste and see this contains wheat glucose. It’s my sugarpaste of choice as I’m not keen on supermarket brands. Is Pettinice available in the UK?
I was also about to buy more Meri-white and use it for IMBC to top some gluten free cakes, it looks like it is Squires albumen for me!
Could you tell me, is it acceptable to make ordinary cakes and gluten free cakes in the same kitchen (not at the same time) and advertise/sell them as gluten free?
I’ll be passing your blog onto my Sugarcraft Guild members
)
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for your comments.
Pettinice is available in the UK. You could ask your catering supplier if they can get hold of it or I know there is a company Kent way. I’m trying to remember the name – it’s something brothers. I’ll try and find out.
The Dr Oetker egg white powder from the supermarket works very well if you only need small amounts. I have been searching for a free range version.
Regarding making gluten free cakes in the same kitchen. If you can keep your ingredients seperated and be aware of cross contamination, it shouldn’t be a problem. The best thing to do would be to give your local Trading Standards a call and discuss it with them. They will let you know if they think you need to change any way you do anything or how to label your cakes. They like to check that you are aware about ingredients, storage, cross contamination etc.
Good luck. Here is my gluten free sponge recipe if you want to give it a try.
http://www.icedgembakes.co.uk/gluten-free-and-dairy-free-baking-recipes/victoria-sponge-filled-with-jam-and-buttercream/
Gemma
Hi Gemma
I too am just starting to get cupcake and cake orders from people with food intolerances and my head has been in a spin as there seems to be conflicting information on the web – this is so useful!
The one area I can’t work out still is re the cupcake decorations such as sprinkles, sugarpaste flowers etc – do you have any advice on these? I asked in the local cake decorating shop and they seemed to think shop bought sugar flowers would be ok but I certainly want to make sure! I’m thinking I might have to make my own to make certain but would sugarpaste be ok?
Thanks
Jen
Hi Jen,
Thanks, I’m pleased I can help.
You could phone the companies that make your edible decorations, they should be able to tell you straight away or your catering supplier can get the food specifications for each product.
If you can’t find out the information I would not use the product to be on the safe side. A lot of commercial decorations will contain wheat unless they state otherwise.