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asked May 11th 2015

Fondant strips

Hi
I’ve been asked to do a girls communion cake and they showed me a picture of one that she liked on couture cupcakes and cookies called Eva’s christening cake . My problem is how to achieve the uniformed rounded fondant strips. The picture of the cake is on the third page. If anybody knows the easiest way to do this id love to hear. Thanks

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Hi
I’ve been asked to do a girls communion cake and they showed me a picture of one that she liked on couture cupcakes and cookies called Eva’s christening cake . My problem is how to achieve the uniformed rounded fondant strips. The picture of the cake is on the third page. If anybody knows the easiest way to do this id love to hear. Thanks

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Hello nigel-mellon

Is it the cake with the jewl encrusted cross and statement sugar peony?

The fondant strips can be easily achieve by using FMM strip cutters which are made in various strip sizes:
http://www.cake-stuff.com/equipment-c7/cutters-c56/frill-shape-cutters-c153/jem-strip-cutter-no-5-icing-cutter-50mm-wide-p4741

What I normally do is cut a piece of silicone or parchment paper the exact height of the cake and approximately half the diametre. This paper is a handy wrap round and precise template of the cake. Cut the fondant strips and lay them along the paper. Round the edges off with two smoothers as you place the strips ensuring they are evenly placed top and bottom. Leave an inch of paper at the end without fondant strips. Allow the fondant to set up a little, moisten the cake with a little water, lift up the parchment and fondant strips and adhere to the cake. Use smoothers to make good contact between fondant strips and cake then peel away the paper. Begin again until the cake is covered. I find silicone paper works best because the strips stick to it better than parchment. If you haven’t got silicone paper acetate strips work just as well. I hope this is ok.

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Hi madeitwithlove
Thanks for your reply . Yes that is the cake I was looking at . That sounds like a great idea I will try that , just wondering would fmm ribbon cutters do the same job? I have them ordered but wasn’t sure if they would work.

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The ribbon cutter will work in exactly the same way. I use the strip cutter because I don’t have a straight hand when cutting so the strip works better for me. I kept saying silicone paper, what I mean is wax paper, my parchment paper is siliconised. Hope it works out for you. x

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Thanks MIWL. I’ve ordered both so hopefully they will do the job.

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Great job! I meant to say in my earlier reply, smear the parchment/wax paper with a little trex or any white vegetable fat. This will help adhere the the fondant strips to the paper and make it easier when you lift it to place against the cake. If your cake has a small diameter the template can be cut the exact size of the cake all round so you’ll be able to get all strips on at once. If the diameter is big do it like I said above in sections because it will be easier to handle when lifting. I did a big cake the first time using the complete diamter of the cake and found the fondant strips distorted. That’s when I thought it would be better to reduce the size of the template for easier handling. Take care to line up top and bottom and also when you line up next lot of strips. It’s just like lining up a stencil. If you cut a few strips of fondant with a craft knife you could start practicing the technique now before your cutters arrive. It helps if two people adhere the template to the cake, one to hold the end and the other smoothing it against the cake. I’m sure you will manage but if you try and remember little things like the trex and leaving a little overlap at the end it will help stick the strips on without too much bother. I really hope it works for you, it’s made my life a lot easier. If you ever want to find how to space vertical lines have a peek here:
http://www.cakeflix.com/blog/how-to-measure-vertical-lines-on-irregular-cakes
The calculation can be done for either irregular or regular lines, it takes the guess work out of how many strips to cut. Hope it helps. x

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Thanks MIWL. Just wondering would it be better to add some cmc powder to firm up the sugar paste strips. Also should I ice the whole cake then add the strips or ice the top and add the strips directly to the ganache.

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Yes add a little cmc to firm up the paste, you’ll find it will handle a lot better.
If you ice the cake first you’ll find the finish will have more body and look cleaner but it’s up to you whether or not you ice. Your strips will have a small amount of shortening on it when you take the wax paper off. Don’t worry about it, shortening gets absorbed back into the sugarpaste, just gently wipe it off with some kitchen paper if you have an excess.

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Cheers MIWL. You’ve been a great help.

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