Guest Post: Ruffle Cupcake Topper Tutorial

Hi Sugar Babies! This week we have another guest post from our friend, the Fondant Flinger.

Let’s learn how to make some cute cupcake toppers!

Ruffle Cupcake Topper Tutorial

Just a rather simple tutorial with very few tools. Here is what you’ll need:

Round Cutters
X-acto blade
Square of foam
Cutting mat
Small Rolling Pin
Ball tool
Fondant
Powdered sugar to keep things from getting sticky on ya
Plastic wrap to keep fondant nice and pliable
Small paintbrush (I use a fine point paintbrush for these)
Small amount of water or sugar glue

Using your small rolling pin, roll out your fondant on self-healing cutting mat dusted with powdered sugar. I like my fondant rather thing so I roll mine to approximately 1/8? thick. Using a round cutter about 2? in diameter, cut out as many disks as cupcake toppers you are making.

Remove excess fondant and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Carefully set aside the round disks to dry. You need to gently move them so your pretty little round disks don’t become misshapen ovals, unless you happen to love the look of misshapen cupcake toppers. If you do, feel free to haphazardly toss them aside to dry.

Take your excess fondant and again roll it out on your dusted cutting mat. I go fairly thin on the ruffles so shoot for 1/16? and you should be good to go. Once rolled out, take your X-acto blade (a nice, new, clean blade, mind you!) and cut a long strip about a 1/2? wide.

Again, wrap up the excess so that it doesn’t dry out on you while you work with your ruffle strip. Place the strip onto a foam square and using your ball tool, ruffle only the top edge.

I use a gentle “eraser” motion to make the ruffle, then I come back and every so often, place my ball tool half way off the ruffle and pull downward to pull the ruffle back towards the non-thinned edge.

Using a teensy, food-safe, fine point paintbrush apply a small amount of water or sugar glue to the fondant disk.

Take your long ruffle strip and on one end, fold the ruffle back and under to create a “loop”. Gently pinch the non-thinned portion to secure this loop. Place the loop on the first round disk so that the “seam” is under the ruffle.

To make the ruffles, continue to make “s” shapes with the fondant strip, and securing each loop by gently pressing down at the base of the ruffle. This also forces the little ruffle loop upward making it extra cute.

Continue around the edge of the round disk to create the first level of ruffles.

When you reach your starting point, overlap the second ruffle leaving about a 1/4? of the first layer exposed.

When your first ruffle strip finally runs out, simply roll out some more fondant, cut a 1/2? strip, ruffle the edge, create your first loop on the end and continue this whole fun process.