Confession; I used to hate fondant. When I started taking cake orders I avoided decorating fondant cakes. I vowed to only decorate and sell buttercream cakes. But as I started getting more and more cakes orders, I saw the limitations in my business from not taking on fondant cakes. A lot of cakes ordered for children’s birthdays have fondant characters and decorations. The more I started teaching myself about cake decorating in general, I found tips and tricks to make decorating fondant cakes easier. So I decided to begin using fondant in small decorations. When I learned the basics of using fondant and bought the right tools I began to really enjoy using it in cake decorating. A lot of these tools are tools you would never think of using in cake decorating, but when you do use them they are truly essential to successfully decorating a fondant cake.
Must have tools for decorating fondant cakes.
Fondant can be sticky, so having a non-stick mat when working with fondant is essential. This mat also has measuring lines on it, which make measuring and cutting fondant a breeze.
Cornstarch is used to help prevent fondant from sticking. I use cornstarch on any molds or cutters so my decorations will easily slide out. Keeping a cornstarch dusting puff around makes dusting my surface, molds, and cutters much easier and convenient to use. They are super easy and cheap to make.
To make your own, follow this tutorial!
3. Ruler
A ruler is great to have even if you do have a fondant mat with measuring lines. You will still need to measure your cakes when covering them with fondant A ruler also provides a great guide for cutting straight lines for other fondant decorations.
4. Pizza Cutter
When I learned about this secret tool it was a game changer. It makes cutting fondant so much easier. And I didn’t even have to go out and buy it, I already had one!
5. Chef’s Knife
Having a sharp chef’s knife around makes cutting smaller fondant pieces quick and easy, and keeps the fondants edges smooth.
6. X-acto Knife
I love my X-acto knife! An x-acto knife is great for cutting very small fondant pieces. I also use an x-acto knife when I am using an image or template as a guide while cutting my fondant.
When covering a cake with fondant, a fondant smoother is an essential tool for shaping and smoothing rolled out fondant onto your cake. You will also need a fondant smoother to repair any tears or cracks on your fondant covered cakes. To see more about troubleshooting for fondant covered cakes read here.
8. Rolling Pin
I started out with a small fondant rolling pin which is great for small fondant work, but I would definitely recommend having a large one as well for bigger projects.
This is my favorite secret tool for working with fondant! You just fill the water brush pen up with water and it’s ready to go when you need to glue your fondant decorations. It saves time, dishes and space, and this homeschooling mama appreciates all of that!
10. Clay Extruder
A clay extruder is a great tool to use when you need rolled fondant for decorating your cake. I’m not a great hand roller. I can never get my rolled fondant even so an extruder is a life saver for me in these types of projects. You can use an extruder for details such as ropes and hair.
11. Tweezers
I use tweezers when attaching very small decorations to each other or to my cake. They work great for attaching eyes, noses and ears to fondant figures.
12. Plastic Wrap or Ziploc Bags
Fondant dries out super quick. As soon as you are done handling a batch of fondant you need to cover it with plastic wrap or seal it in a Ziploc bag. You can also use Ziploc bags to keep premade fondant decorations soft until you’re ready to attach them to your cake.
Because fondant dries out so quickly, I keep shortening close by when working with it so I can add moisture back to it if I need to. Shortening is also great to use on your hands to prevent the fondant from sticking to you.
14. Molds
Fondant molds make the possibilities of creating fondant decorations endless. There are so many fondant molds out there. This bow mold was one of the first fondant molds I purchased, and I still use it quite a bit.
15. Fondant Cutters
Fondant cutters make creating certain details on cakes much easier. For instance, I used this fence cutter on this farm animal cake and it saved me a tremendous amount of time and work!
16. Modeling Tools
Modeling tools help you sculpt and add detail to your fondant work. This set is a good beginners set. You will want to add more specific modeling tools to your supplies as you advance in your fondant work.
Yes, you read that right, spaghetti noodles! This is another neat tip that I’ve learned along the way. Instead of using toothpicks in your 3D figures use spaghetti noodles in case a child sticks the fondant figure in their mouth. Genius!
Decorating fondant cakes doesn’t have to be stressful. With lots of practice, patience and the right tools you can make beautifully decorated fondant cakes too!
Have I missed any must have tools for decorating cakes? What do you use that you couldn’t live without while working with fondant?
Happy decorating!
~Nicole
Leave a Reply