Make Butterflies and Chrysanthimums Out of Fondant
Edited by Laurel Waddell, Lynn, Eng
You've seen the shows on TV. You know, the ones where baking celebrities make life sized handbags out of frosting and fondant. You imagine yourself making something just as amazing; maybe not so elaborate, and maybe on a much smaller scale, but made by you, to proudly present at a birthday party or a baby shower.
Homemade baked goods are so much nicer than the cupcakes you can pick up from the supermarket deli. Family and friends always appreciate the time you take to bake something from scratch. But this time you can add some beautiful toppers that look like the ones that you see at the professional specialty bakeries.
Contents
What you will need
- 1This provides you with a clean smooth surface for rolling out your fondant.A Pastry roll and cut mat.
- 2Spacing rings allow you to roll out the fondant at a precise thickness.Small rolling pin with 1/8 inch spacing rings.
- 3This tool has balls on its ends for shaping petals.Small/large dog bone fondant tool.
- 4A 1/4 inch dowel, about 10 inches in length
- 5Blush brush (I've cleaned and sanitized mine)
- 6Food grade paint brush (not pictured)
- 7Plastic sculpting knife
- 8Pink Fondant shaping foam
- 9Small and medium mum cutters
- 10Small butterfly cutter
- 11Six small flower forming cups
- 12Wilton star tip No.2
- 13You can make fondant from scratch, but I prefer to use Wilton's ready made fondant. I consistently get the results I need with this product, and it leaves me with more time to be creative.A small package of white rolled fondant.
- 14Corn starch
- 15Vegetable shortening
- 16Wax paper - I lay this out on my counter for setting things aside to dry.
- 17For this fondant project I have chosen the colors teal and brown.Gel icing coloring.
- 18Silver edible glitter
How to Create Lovely Flowers and Butterflies
- 1Wrap the section you will be using in a piece of saran wrap as well. Fondant dries out very quickly. This will be enough for six mums and six butterflies.Using your crafting knife, cut off 1/4 of the package of fondant and wrap the remaining 3/4 square up in a large piece of saran wrap to use for another project.
- 2Add 1 teaspoon of warm water to a small container.Pinch off a ball about 1/4 inch in size.
- 3Tear the ball into pea sized pieces, add to the water, and allow it to sit until it begins to dissolve. (After it starts to break down stir it with a spoon.)Make edible glue.
- 4Measure out 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into a small container.
- 5Measure out 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening into a small container.
- 6Divide the fondant you will be using in half.
- 7Swipe a toothpick into the food coloring and pass it along the surface of the fondant - one "swipe" for teal and three "swipes" for brown.Add color to the two pieces of fondant, one color at a time to keep the fondant from drying out.
- 8Then fold the fondant around the "swipe" of food coloring. Kneed well until the color is even. Immediately wrap the fondant with saran wrap.Very lightly coat your hands with vegetable shortening.
- 9Lightly spread some vegetable shortening over the roll and cut mat.
- 10Position the two flower cutters and the butterfly cutter next to each other with the cutting edge facing up.
- 11Pick up the fondant and lay it over the cutters. Gently roll over the fondant with the rolling pin. Use your fingers to gently press any area that may not be completely cut through.Roll out the teal colored fondant using the rolling pin with the 1/8 inch spacers.
- 12Gather the teal fondant together and wrap it tightly and set it aside.
- 13Gently remove the fondant flower with the small end of the dog bone tool. Do the same for the other flower, placing it on the other pink foam sheet.Position the cutter with the fondant still inside it over the one of the thin pink foam sheets.
- 14Pat the blush brush into the cornstarch, then pat the flowers with it.
- 15Dip the large end of the dog bone tool into the cornstarch. Beginning with the large flower, and working from NEAR the outside tip of each petal, gently press the ball tip into the fondant and pull inward to curl and widen the petal.Position one finger in the center of the flower to hold it in place.
- 16Dip the ball end into the cornstarch again and gently press it into the center of the flower to "cup" it. This curls the leaves a bit more and gives the center more depth.Slide the flower onto the thick foam sheet.
- 17Leave the ball end positioned in the center of the flower and turn the foam pad, flower and all, over so that the flower is resting on the end of the tool.
- 18With the paintbrush, add a tiny dot of edible glue to the center of the flower in the cup.Place a flower forming cup over the flower and turn everything over so that the flower is sitting in the forming cup.
- 19Position the flower on the tool, but this time place the smaller flower inside of the larger one.Repeat this process of curling the petals of the smaller flower, using the small end of the dog bone tool and "cupping" the center.
- 20Use your plastic sculpting knife to gently fold the petal tips down.
- 21Center your butterfly over the dowel to dry.Turn one of the flower forming cups over and lay the dowel in the cutout in the bottom.
- 22Repeat steps 10-21 to make two more flowers and two more butterflies.
- 23Now repeat steps 10-22 to make three flower/butterfly sets with the brown fondant.
- 24Roll out some teal fondant and cut three circles using the large side of the small icing tip.
- 25Push the balls into a slightly flattened shape.Roll the circles into balls.
- 26With the paintbrush place a tiny dot of glue on the bottom of the balls and gently press into the center of the brown flowers.
- 27This time, roll out some brown fondant, cut out three circles, roll into balls, flatten, and glue to the center of the teal flowers.
- 28In a humid climate, drying can take up the two daysAllow to dry overnight.
- 29Add some silver food grade glitter with your brush on the petal tips an the edge of the butterflies wings to really make things sparkle.
- 302 Wilton star tip and add your pretty little creations to the top of each cupcake.Frost your favorite cupcakes using your No.
Enjoy
The holidays or a special event can provide many opportunities for you to show off your creativity and crafting ability. Now you can be the celebrity within your circle of friends and family.
Tips
- Fondant dries out quickly if it is not covered with airtight wrapping. The first time you use your package of fondant, tear two sheets of saran wrap and lay them out on the counter. As soon as you cut free the amount of fondant you will be using, center the remaining fondant on one of the pieces of saran wrap. Fold tightly, making sure there is no air in the packaging. Turn it over and place it on the reaming piece of wrap and fold tight. Then place it in a Ziploc baggy. Store in a cool dry place.
- The key to widening and curling petals is to press just hard enough to gently pull the surface of the petal back towards the center of the flower. Depending upon how the butterfly is positioned along the angled dowel, this will determine how wide her wings will be opened.
- A standard size frosting tip can be used to measure out consistent fondant amounts. By rolling and cutting out several circles with the tip, you can be certain that each amount of fondant is the same. This works well if you are making several balls that all need to be the same size.
- Very lightly brush your fondant creations with Ever Clear using a food grade paintbrush if you wish them to be shiny.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
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Article Info
Categories : Desserts
Recent edits by: Lynn, Laurel Waddell
