fondant bow and round balls as border on cake

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Permalink Reply by jeri c on May 21, 2011 at 3:05am

You can make the bow early and allow it to set up... if you don't and it does not dry enough it will not hold it's shape.  If you want to make the streamers to fit the cake they can be placed on and set the bow on top of them. 

The round balls... I roll a piece of fondant into a long "snake" and then cut it in chunks about the size that you want the balls to be... then roll them in the palm of your hand until they are rounded.  I put them into a plastic container and keep it covered until I am ready to put them on the cake.

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Permalink Reply by denette lynch on May 21, 2011 at 9:03am

I have also read that people roll the fondant for the balls out to a consistent flat thickness then use the end of a round tip to punch out little circles, then roll them into balls.

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Permalink Reply by Shanna on May 21, 2011 at 10:34am

thank you everyone Jeri, so I make the bow then put the streamers after I set the bow down? sorry kinda nervous about the bow.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Cintron on May 21, 2011 at 3:43pm

Like jeri said, definitely make your fondant bow ahead of time. I just delivered a cake this morning with a bow on it - that I made on tuesday and it still wasn't dry! So if humidity is a factor where you are, you need to allow for that.  Remember to stuff pieces of tissue into your loops to help them keep their shape as they dry.  Also make sure you are not using pure fondant but a combination of fondant and gumpaste or there is another ingredient - teclose or something?  The idea is to use a stiffer ingredient with the fondant to help it dry in shape.

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Permalink Reply by Shanna on May 21, 2011 at 5:05pm

about gum tex? I brought some of that yesterday can I add that I haven't done the bow kinda nervous do I need to make the ribbon today too?

 

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Permalink Reply by Maranda Voetsch Griffin on May 21, 2011 at 6:33pm

I'd say anything you need to hold shape for your cake should be done ahead of time... probably today. I'm new to this too so it's great to read about all the advice and tricks on here... so excited to be a part of this group.

 

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Cintron on May 23, 2011 at 11:45pm

Yes, gum tex will work - I forget the ratio of gum tex to fondant but I'm sure it's on the can on gum tex.  I'm not sure what you mean by the ribbon vs. the bow - if you want to do curliecue streamers, then yes you should do those ahead of time as well.  If you want to do a "package" look with the bow on top and fondant strips going down the cake as if they are tied in the bow, then that would be done on the cake directly and do not need to dry like the bow does.  Good luck! And please post a photo when the cake is done!

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Permalink Reply by Dawn Becker on May 24, 2011 at 12:01am

I add 1 Tablespoon tylose to every pound of fondant.  It's probably the same ratio using gum tex (same thing maybe?)

 

Make the bow itself as far in advance as possible.  Make the streamers when decorating the cake.  Lay the streamers on placing them as you wish and then the bow over that so the streamers look as if they are a part of the bow.

 

Good luck!!  Show us the finished product.

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Permalink Reply by jeri c on May 24, 2011 at 12:45am

Sorry for the late response... work just gets in the way of my computer time and had 2 meetings tonight after work.... The streamers... depends on if you want them to have the curly bumps in them.  I did a cake ( it is in my photos) for a graduation last year and I did allow the streamers to dry before puttting them on (it is the cake for Ashlie) Then I also did a sweet 16 cake with zebra stripes and did not do the streamers ahead.  I like allowing them to set up and puttting them on after they have dried.  They just look nicer.  Is really hard to hold their shape directly on the cake last minute.   I have tylose powder and have mixed it into black gumpaste and it works well.  If I am doing a lighter color... I prefer using gumpaste and adding color to it. 

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