Cutting out 2D Fondant Pieces
Hi All, I’m making a cake for my daughter next month. It will be iced with buttercream but I would love to do a flat fondant decoration to place either on the side of the cake or on top but I’ve never done that before. I tried last night just to see what I can do and either my fondant was too soft or I didn’t have the right cutting utensils or both! I was using Duff’s fondant mixed with a little gumpaste..I tried using both an x-acto knife and one of the wilton gumpaste tools that’s like a little knife but the fondant kept sticking and the edges are all jagged…I did use cornstarch to prevent sticking but it didn’t work when I was trying to cut out a big circle that I want for the shape of a head/face. Will anyone be nice enough to guide me a little in the right direction? Also, is it too early to start this type of decoration? Her party is on 7/21. I don’t want it to get rock hard as it will be laying flat on the cake and it will probably be hard to cut through it.
Thx all! :)
Jessica
6 Replies
If you’re using Duff fondant, try rolling it out and then place your rolled out piece in the fridge or freezer for about 5 minutes. Duff’s fondant is a lot like Fondarific – it should harden a bit when it’s cold and it makes it SO much easier to cut. Cut it with your exacto knife while it’s still cold.
Jenniffer White, Cup a Dee Cakes - http://cupadeecakes.blogspot.com
Thanks for the tip Cupadeecakes! I will try that. :)
Jessica
I did a cake a few months ago that was all hand cut. Like Jenniffer from Cup a Dee Cakes said I let my fondant set up a little before I tried to cut it. I used an xacto knife but I dipped the blade in shortening between every few cuts. This helped with the blade getting stuck and pulling the fondant.
I used straight fondx but I did add some tylose powder to help it harden up. Here is my hand cut cake
PrimaCakes has it right; use shortening on your blade. I add tylose to my fondant, too, for this technique (though I haven’t used Duff’s).
As for timing, if you cut it and store it in a sealed plastic zip top bag it won’t get hard, but it might stick to the bag… and depending on your reason for starting so early, it may not be worth the potential issues. Good luck!
Thank you all for the tips, I really appreciate it! Jennifer, your hand cut cake is amazing!!
I will try adding tylose to the fondant. This is just a trial run because I’ve never done anything like this, I don’t really work with fondant but I wanted to try it for this cake. I will see how this one goes and then maybe make it again a week before her party. (keeping fingers crossed!) :)
Jessica
Thank you Jessica.. would love to see cut decoration comes out!!
