How to Decorate with Fondant

Create a fondant rose. Pinch off a few coin-sized pieces of fondant and set them on a sheet of wax paper. Set one ball of fondant on the end of another sheet of wax paper and fold the opposite end of paper over the ball. Squish the ball with the wax paper and use your finger to smooth out one tip of the squished fondant. This will make the tip of your rose petal. Do this for all the balls to make petals. To assemble the rose, roll one petal into a cylinder and begin applying the petals to the base of the cylinder till you shape a rose.^[9]

• The more pieces you use, the more petals you'll make. Roll each piece into a ball.

Make fondant lace. Buy a lace stencil from any craft supply or cake supply store. Roll out your fondant into a large rectangle so that it's thin. Set the stencil over your fondant. Use a small rolling pin to firmly press against the fondant while you roll across the stencil. Remove the stencil. You should see the appearance of the lace impressed on the fondant.^[10]

• The thinner you roll the fondant, the more delicate the lace will appear.
• Make sure your stencil stays in place as you roll the fondant or the lace pattern will blur.

Try fondant bows. Roll fondant into a rectangular shape so it's 1/8" thin and cut it into short strips. Each one of these strips will make a loop in the bow so cut as many as you'd like. Take a strip and fold it over so you can pinch the ends. Set the loop aside to dry for a few days. Do this for all of your strips. To assemble the bow, squirt a little melted chocolate or royal icing on a piece of wax paper. Set the loops into this edible glue, turning some loops on their sides. Continue placing all the loops until your loops resemble a bow. Let the bow dry overnight.

• If the ends of a strip won't pinch together, moisten an end with a little water. This time, the strip should stay together.
• Add more melted chocolate or royal icing if you make multiple rows of loops in your bow.

Stamp out fondant shapes. Roll out your fondant till it's the thickness you want. Take a cookie cutter in the shape you'd like to make and stamp down into your fondant. Repeat this until you've cut as many shapes as you like.

• You can use a variety of shapes or try using one shape, but making different colors.
• You can also buy specially designed fondant cutters that are more detailed than traditional cookie cutters.

Color your fondant. Dip a toothpick into icing color of your choice. Dab the toothpick onto your fondant before you roll it out. Knead the fondant until the icing color is evenly distributed and the color is uniform. Go back and add more icing color if you want a brighter color. Remember that some colors (pink and violet) will fade under fluorescent lights and in sunlight.

• To create a marbled look, dab the toothpick with icing color onto the fondant. Hold the fondant with both hands.Twist and knead the fondant only a little, so that the colors marble.

Store your fondant decorations before using them. If you're making your fondant decorations even a little in advance, they may droop or fall by the time you're ready to serve the cake. To remove the moisture that causes this drooping, let your decorations dry in at least overnight (or up to 2 days) in a muffin tin.^[11]

• If you don't like the idea of drying and storing your fondant decorations, consider using gum paste instead of fondant. Gum paste is easier to use when rolling out flowers and they'll store longer without drooping.