Fabulous

Fondant
Topper
Tutorials

Created exclusively for Craftsy

by Lesley Wright
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 Meet the Expert

02 Oh, Baby! Cute Little Fondant Faces

13 Tiny Fondant Sneaker Tutorial

18 Achieve a Glossy Finish on Fondant

22 A Very Handy Modeling Hand Tutorial

27 The Number One Topper Tutorial

Lesley is English, but has lived in California for three years. She has
been baking full-time since May 2011, and counts herself as very lucky
that she doesn’t have to do a proper job as well! Lesley run a small
bakery business, The Royal Bakery, from home and creates just one
or two cakes a week for customers. She spends the rest of the time
on her Facebook page, and the Craftsy blog, or thinking, talking
and writing about cake. Althoug
Although h she’d rather
rather eat a bag of potato
potato
chips than a slice of cake, she’s a big fan of chocolate ganache
and is often to be seen eating leftovers with a spoon. Lesley has one
husband, one son and one cockatiel, which she thinks is quite
enough of each.

1
  � b y !
 O h B Cute Little Fondant Faces

Fondant baby gures can really add a wow factor to baby shower
cakes, rst birthday cakes, christenings cakes and Communion cakes,
too. This fondant baby faces tutorial demonstrates how to create the
right shape, position the features and give three different expressions
to your fondant baby gure. It’s certainly not the only way to model
a baby’s face, but it is simple and will give you scope to elaborate once
you learn the basics.

Part 1: Here’s how to model a cute baby face from fondant.

STEP 1: Begin by tinting some

fondant to a esh tone and
rolling a ball. The size of the ball
will depend on the size of the
baby you are modeling. I prefer
using Wilton fondant without
Tylose added, and I color it with
Wilton copper. If you are using
a softer fondant, you may prefer
to add Tylose.
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STEP 2: Place your nger just slightly off-center and roll gently from
side to side. You are aiming to atten the top half of the ball and
narrow it slightly.

View from the front. View from the side.

STEP 3: Make tiny holes for eyes using a CelStick or toothpick halfway
down the face. This should be at the point where the head starts to
widen. The distance between the eyes is up to personal taste, but I like
there to be as much distance between the eyes as there is between
the eye and the side of the head.
Slightly moisten a very ne paintbrush and add a little water to each hole. 3
 STEP 4: Use tweezers to place a tiny black sprinkle in each hole. If you
can’t get nd black sprinkles, tiny dots of fondant will work, or you can
forgo the holes altogether and use an edible black pen to draw on the dots.

STEP 5: Roll a tiny oval of STEP 6: Paint a tiny dab of

fondant. Babies have cute
button noses, so keep the  
oval very small.
water or edible glue on the face
just below the eyes. Attach the
nose. If water seeps out from
underneath as in the photo, wait
a minute for the nose to stick,
then use a soft, small paintbrush
to brush cornstarch onto the wet
area to absorb the water.

STEP 7: Use a piping tip to create

an indentation for the smile.
It’s important that the smile is
positioned halfway between the
nose and the chin.

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 STEP 8: Once the smile shape is
indented, you can leave it like this,
or rene it with a few extra steps.

STEP 9: Use a small, at paint

brush and insert it into the mouth.
Gently slide it from side to side
to widen and dene the shape
and also smooth the edges.
Do this slowly and carefully.
By pushing the brush further into
the indentation and pulling it out
and down at the same time, you
can open up the mouth and pull
the bottom lip out slightly.

STEP 10: Use a toothpick or CelStick to make little indentations at the

corners of the smile.

STEP 11: Use a second small

paintbrush to shade the inside
of the mouth with a little petal
dust. I use a combination of red,
orange and white.

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 STEP 12: Use the same paintbrush and color combination to dust the
cheeks. Tap most of the color or the brush before you begin dusting.
Dust a large area from under the eyes to the corners of the mouth to
the side of the head, so as not to concentrate the color too strongly
in one area.
If you nd you’ve used too much color, put some cornstarch on
a Q-tip or tissue and rub it over the cheeks to disperse the color.

STEP 13: It’s good to work on

your model on soft foam, but
another idea for stopping the
back of the head from becoming
at is to occasionally put it in
a spoon. Measuring spoons work
really well, as they are usually
completely spherical.

STEP 14: Roll two small

balls for the baby’s ears.

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 STEP 15: Paint a tiny dab of water
or edible glue on the side of the
head. The ear should be centered
horizontally on the side of the
head and be positioned between
the nose and mouth vertically.

STEP 16: Use a at blunt tool or end of a paintbrush to squash the

front of the ear at against the side of the head.

STEP 17: Gently press the ear a STEP 18: Add a little tuft

little atter against the side of the of hair by rolling a long thin
head. Repeat on the other side. teardrop shape.

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 STEP 19: Squash the fatter end of
the teardrop and curl the pointed
end back on itself.

STEP 20: Attach the hair high on the baby’s forehead. And there you
have it, a happy, smiling baby!

Part 2: But babies are not always happy and smiling!

Here’s how to make a few changes for a baby that’s not
quite so happy.

STEP 1: Start as normal, but

this time add the nose rst. The
nose is positioned lower than
halfway down the face, where the
head starts to widen. For a more
realistic nose, add a couple of tiny
nostrils by indenting holes right at
the bottom. Flatten the top of the
nose just slightly against the face.

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STEP 2: To make an unhappy STEP 3: Use the at paint brush
face, insert the piping tip the again to pull out a pouty
other way around. Dust inside the bottom lip.
mouth as before.

STEP 4: Using a Dresden tool, the tip of a knife or a toothpick, make

three indentations for each eye. The rst is horizontal, the second
and third form a “V,” meeting at the inside corner of the eye. The
positioning is the same as before — halfway down the face and with
as much space between the eyes as there is to the side of the face.
Add ears using the same method before, and maybe try a little ringlet!

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 Part 3: Some babies have a perpetually surprised face! Try
these steps to achieve that look. This method also shows
you how to form a neck at the same time as the head.

STEP 1: Start with a fondant ball as before, but this time, place your
nger on the bottom of the ball and start rolling back and forth. Gently
pinch, pull and roll the fondant until you have rolled a neck. This takes
a while, so take your time. The length doesn’t matter too much; you
can cut off any excess later.

STEP 2: Side view. Try to catch a

glimpse of your own prole in the
mirror. Your head is not a ball on
top of your neck, but sits forward
with the back of your head and
neck forming quite a smooth
line. Try to emulate that with your
model if possible.

STEP 3: Side view. Shape the

head as before, so that it’s
narrower and atter at the top.

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STEP 4: Add the nose and eyes
as before. Use a CelStick or
toothpick to make a hole for the
mouth. Remember to position the
mouth halfway between the nose
and bottom of the chin.
STEP 5: Use a ne pointed
paintbrush to widen the hole a
little and gently pull down the
bottom lip slightly.

STEP 6: Shade inside the mouth

and dust the cheeks as before.

STEP 7: Roll a small teardrop and

atten it with your nger. Use a
Dresden or other veining tool to
indent some lines in the shape to
make a tuft of hair. Use a mold to
make a tiny bow, or create one
using your favorite bow method.

STEP 8: Add the bangs and bow

to the head.

STEP 9: It’s best to always

wait for the elements of your
gure to dry and rm up before
assembling them. Usually, long
toothpicks or bamboo skewers
run up each leg, into the body
and then the head is held on
with a toothpick. You can insert
a toothpick into the neck now,
as it might be dicult to do it
later when the fondant is dry.

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 STEP 10: If you like, use a brown edible pen to add small eyebrows
high up on the forehead to add to the surprised expression.

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 T � y
Fondant Sneakers Tutorial

These tiny sneakers are the perfect addition to baby shower cakes
and cupcakes. In pink, blue, or perhaps white for babies that are still a
surprise, they are sure to elicit an “Awww!” from party guests. And they
also make a cute keepsake for the parents-to-be! Overall, they’re great
to add to your cake decorating bag of tricks.
There are a number of wonderful how-tos around for making life-
sized baby shoes, but this tiny sneaker tutorial shows you how to make
truly tiny ones, and will help you to perfect your advanced fondant
techniques. The main shoe part is made from a single ball of fondant,
and no template is needed.

STEP 1: Roll around half an

ounce (15g) of fondant into a ball.
The color is up to you, but this
will be the main color of your
nished sneaker. Cut it in half to
get two equal shoe-sized pieces.
I’ve put a piping bag coupler
in the photo to show the size
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of the ball.
 STEP 2: Roll each piece into a STEP 3: Pinch the center of
short, fat sausage, then slightly the shoe a little to give a soft
squash one end into a slant to hourglass shape.
make the toe.

STEP 4: Use a Celstick or the end

of a paintbrush to make a hole in
the back of the shoe.

STEP 5: Use the Celstick to work

the fondant down inside the sides
of the shoe. You’re aiming for a
slightly curved shape that’s lower
than the front and back.

STEP 6: Use the Celstick to pull

up the fondant inside the back of
the shoe to create the raised heel
shape. Gently roll the Celstick
inside the hole at the back

pressing on your ngers on the

outside to thin the fondant and
create the right shape.

STEP 7: Repeat Step 6 in the

front of the hole to pull up the
tongue. Press the Celstick a little
way into the toe of the shoe.

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STEP 8: Now take a sharp knife and score a line that separates the
sides of the sneaker from the tongue. This runs from the side of the
shoe at the front, to the top of the tongue. You could refer to a real
sneaker or a photo for a better idea of the shape.

STEP 9: Now lay the knife at and

insert the edge into the scored
line. Gently rub the knife up
and down while applying a little
pressure — you’re aiming to raise
the side up a little bit and atten
the tongue, so that the sides and
the tongue look like two separate
pieces. Repeat on the other side.

STEP 10: Now cut a circle of

white fondant to form the toe
cap. Mine was about 3/4" (1-1/2cm)
in diameter. At this point you can
add some stitching detail along
the edges of the two sides and
around the hole if you like, using
a stitching wheel, or the end
of a toothpick.

STEP 11: Moisten the end of the

shoe and attach the circle. You
need to place it so that it butts up
against the two score marks you
made earlier.
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 STEP 12: Use scissors or a knife to trim off the excess level with the
bottom of the shoes. This doesn’t have to be neat, you’ll be covering
the edge later.

STEP 13: Cut a strip of white

fondant about 1/8” (1/4cm) wide.
This strip runs from the toecap on
one side, all the way around the
back of the shoe to the toecap on
the other side. You can do this in
two pieces and have a join at the
back if you prefer.
Brush a little water onto the shoe to attach the strip. If you moisten
the strip, you might nd it too soft and sticky to handle.

STEP 14: Cut a shorter strip of white fondant, just slightly wider than
your 1/8" (1/4cm) piece. This covers the bottom edge of the toe cap
and overlaps the join between the toe cap and the previous strip.
16
There’s my thumb for a size comparison.
 STEP 15: Cutor extrude
extremely thin strips of white
fondant for the shoelaces. Make
eyelet holes in the shoe with
a Celstick or toothpick, and
moisten it slightly with water. Lay
a fondant strip from one hole to
the other and poke the ends in
using the toothpick. If you poke hard enough, you should be able to
break off the excess fondant just by pulling it.

STEP 16: Repeat as many times

as you like. I do three cross
pieces and then two loose laces
dangling from the nal two holes.

STEP 17: Add a little star to each side for a Chuck Taylor look, if you
like. A nal strip up the back of the shoe is also effective.

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 Achieve a Glossy Finish on Fondant!

Sometimes cake decorating and cupcake design demands a glossy

nish to make a fondant element look realistic. There are a number of
ways to achieve a sheen with fondant.

Here’s a look at the best high shines.

1. Steaming

PROS: Treating a cake with a blast of steam serves a dual purpose.

It’s a great way to remove traces of corn starch or powdered sugar
left on fondant after rolling it out – especially useful for dark-colored
cakes, but it also gives the cake a glossy nish. Small items, like
18 cupcake toppers, or setting the dusted color on gum paste owers,
can be held over the steam from a boiling kettle or pan of water. Just
be very careful, as the steam can burn! For whole cakes, an electric
steamer is needed.
CONS: The disadvantages of this method are that too much steam
can cause water droplets and drips to appear on the surface of the
fondant. In addition, the glossy nish does eventually dry out and
the cake will need to be re-steamed to maintain the shine.

2. Shortening
PROS: Rubbing
a vegetable shortening
(such as Crisco or
Trex) over the surface
of the fondant will
produce a very
convincing sheen.
CONS:  Similarto
the steaming method,
the shortening is
eventually absorbed
into the fondant and
may need to be reapplied before the cake is presented.

3. Egg Whites
PROS: Create a
subtle sheen by
dipping fondant
in egg whites. The
egg white coating
dries after a few
hours to a sheen
perfect for natural-
looking berries
or succulents.
Further coats can
be applied for a
glossier nish. Use
pasteurized egg
whites from
a carton to ensure
you meet food
safety standards for
fondant decorations
that may be eaten.
CONS: The disadvantages of this method are that the egg whites
can drip and pool, so be careful to tap any excess liquid off your 19
 decorations before leaving to dry. Do not touch until dry
to avoid ngerprints.

4. Corn syrup/alcohol
PROS: Glaze the fondant with a mixture of corn syrup and alcohol
that dries to a permanent high gloss. Several coats can be applied to
give the highest sheen, which doesn’t fade or become sticky, and is
perfectly dry to the touch.
CONS: The disadvantage of this method is that brush strokes can
sometimes be seen, so try to avoid brushing over the same area again
once the syrup mixture has started to set. And do not touch until dry
to avoid ngerprints.

How to make corn syrup glaze:

STEP 1: Mix together equal amounts of corn

syrup and clear alcohol. You can use vodka or
a grain alcohol, like Everclear. The amount you
make depends on how many decorations you
need to apply the sheen to. Usually 1 tsp corn
syrup mixed with 1 tsp alcohol is sucient for
any small items.

STEP 2: Create the fondant or gum paste

element you wish to glaze.
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STEP 3: Leave to dry.
The length of time this
can range from an hour
to overnight, depending
on the thickness of the
glaze. Additional coats
can be applied for a super
high gloss.
This glaze would be
perfect for adding a
high sheen to sculpted
car cakes!

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  A Very H��dy  Modeling Tutorial

It’s said that hands are one of the hardest things to draw because they
are so familiar to us. We know them, well, like the backs of our hands,
so can easily spot when they’re wrong.
Modeling hands from fondant or gum paste can be just as problematic,
but with this detailed tutorial, you should soon be creating realistic
hands ready to pose into any gesture.
Creating realistic hands involves a gentle touch and just a little bit
of know-how. Take a look at your own hands and wrists — a little
observation goes a long way!

STEP 1: Color some fondant or gum paste to

a esh tone. (I prefer to use Wilton fondant
without tylose added and color with Wilton
Copper.) Roll the required amount into a
smooth ball.

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 STEP 2: Roll one half of the ball
between thumb and forenger
to create a wrist. The length of
the wrist doesn’t matter as you
can cut off any excess later, but
it’s best to make it long enough
to insert into the clothes on
your gure.

We’re making a left hand, so hold

your own left hand up, palm

STEP 3: Flatten the other end. STEP 4: Flattenthe shape a little

more toward the edges.
facing you. Notice how the pinky side of your hand is a pretty straight
line from your wrist, but the thumb side has a very denite angle?

STEP 5: Place the shape on

its side on your work mat to
create the at pinky side of the
hand. Continue to gently smooth
and atten the hand toward
the edges.

STEP 6: Spend a little time

creating the angle on the thumb
side of the hand. You’re aiming
for a very soft triangle shape, with
the top of the triangle being the
future tip of the thumb.

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 STEP 7: Make a cut parallel to the STEP 8: Make a second cut
angle of the thumb and about half parallel to the bottom of
the length of that side of the triangle.
the “triangle.”

STEP 9: Remove that section

of fondant.

STEP 10: Roll the thumb very

gently between your thumb and
forenger to round it slightly. Rub
the other cut edge to smooth
and thin it slightly.
Once again, have a look at your
own hand. You will notice that
your ngers join your hand at
about the point where your
thumb ends.

STEP 11: In order to cut four equal-sized ngers, make the rst
cut in the center of the hand. The cut should end level with the tip
of the thumb.

STEP 12: Make two more cuts to create four equal-sized ngers.

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 STEP 13: Place your hand on
a foam pad and use a ball tool
to create an indentation for the
palm. This will bring your hand to
life.

STEP 14: Gently roll each nger

to create a rounder shape and
smooth the cut edges.

STEP 15: You can add details like

ngernails using small piping tips,
and make knuckle indentations
with a toothpick.
If you need to form the hand into
a st, there are a couple of extra
steps that will help create the
right shape.

25
 STEP 16: Make a light indentation in the palm of the hand with
a boning tool or knife. The
indentation should be just behind
the ngers. Refer to your own
hand to see where it creases.

STEP 17: Flip the hand over and

gently pinch the fondant where
it bends to create the knuckle.
Repeat Steps 16 and 17 to create
the nger knuckles.

26
  e  # 1
   h Topper Tutorial

Every birthday and anniversary milestone deserves a big number on

top to remind the celebrant of how far they’ve come.

This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to make a fondant number

topper.
27
 I use number cookie cutters I bought from a local kitchen store. They
are about 3" in height. Any size cutters can be used.

STEP 1: Roll out your fondant around 1/8” thick. I use Wilton brand,
which is nice and rm, so you may need to add Tylose Powder/CMC
to your fondant. Cut out one number. Flip the fondant over, and cut
a second number.

STEP 2: Flipthe second number right-side up, so you now have a

mirror image of the original.

STEP 3: Moisten the

back of your rst
number with a little
water. Pipe a line of
royal icing down the
center. *See note
at bottom.

28
 STEP 4: Lay a bamboo skewer
on top of the royal icing. It is
not absolutely crucial to use
royal icing, but it does add some
extra stability.

STEP 5: Moisten the reverse of

the second number and lay that
on top of the rst, pressing down
gently to seal the edges of the
two numbers together. Make
sure the edges line up all the way
around. It is important to keep the
number facedown at this point.
This ensures the bulge from the
skewer is only ever visible from
the back of the number and not from the front.

You could leave the number to dry face-down and use it as it is.
However, I prefer to nish it off with a contrasting edge using a
fondant extruder and some other extra decorations. I wait for the
number to dry, however, so that it is easier to handle. Make sure you
dry the number facedown so that the bulge from the skewer doesn’t
show at the front.

29
 STEP 6: Use
a fondant extruder
with a at die to extrude a length
of fondant in either a contrasting
or toning color. If you don’t have
a fondant extruder, you can still
complete this step by cutting a
long strip of fondant. Measure
the depth of your number at the
edge. The width of the strip you
extrude or cut should closely match this measurement.

STEP 7: Lightly moisten the edges of the number with a little bit
of water.

STEP 8: Starting at one side of the If you like, you can further
skewer, wrap the length of fondant decorate your number to match
around the number, using a at the cake’s theme.
paint brush to gently ease it into the
corners and curves. Cut the excess
off at the other side of the skewer.
30