Today I’m going to teach you the art of fondant quilling for your cakes and cupcakes!
This is a cake decorating technique that I’ve been wanting to try out for a while…and one that I’ve received a few tutorial requests on.
Now that I’ve tried it, I want to add quilling to everything! This is such a unique and fun way to decorate cakes.
What is Quilling?
Quilling (with paper) is an artform that goes waaay back to the Renaissance….when French & Italian nuns and monks used quilling to decorate book covers and religious items. Fascinating! I found this on my trusted source of information, Wikipedia :0) — If you would like to read more on the history of quilling, click here!
Quilling with Fondant and Gum Paste for Cake Decorating
Quilling with fondant and gum paste, at least the version that I’m going to demonstrate today, is a lot less complicated than paper quilling. You won’t need any quilling tools….just some nice, thin strips of fondant or gum paste.
I used fondant for mine, but I did knead in some CMC powder (or tylose) to give it a more elastic consistency. This makes it easier for me to handle…plus, it dries more quickly than straight fondant.
Drying the Quilled Fondant Pieces
While some quilled pieces can be applied to the cake while still soft, I think that it is much easier to apply them after they have had a chance to dry. Depending on the humidity in your area, & whether you are using gum paste or fondant, this make take as little time as a few hours, or closer to a day or so. I let my pieces dry for a day.
Look at all of the fun designs!
Now…..let’s get down to business.
My fondant stripes were varying lengths depending on the size and amount of coiling that I wanted– but to give you an idea, the width was a little under 1/4 inch.
Let the quilling begin! Here, I am making a tight coil of fondant.
My next coil is much looser. I’m using a little tylose glue to secure some parts of the piece to itself. A little water or piping gel would work for this also. (By the way, to create tylose glue, simply add a little warm water to tylose powder and allow to dissolve.)
Here, I’m making a C scroll. These make good butterfly wings!
Here, I’m making an S scroll of fondant. I used a tiny bit of tylose glue to keep everything in place within the coil.
Here, I’m making a teardrop shape. I started with a coil on one end of my strip. Then, I pinched it into a point before gluing the other end fo the trip to the coil. This teardrop gives is a nice petal shape for flowers.
Fondant hearts are simply coiled on each end and pinched in the center. My pink heart is coiled pretty tightly whiole my white heart has smaller, looser coils.
Time to design the cake with our Quilled Fondant Pieces!
Now that you know how all of this works, you can make up some great cake designs of your own- and for just about any theme! Quilled T-Rex anyone? :0)
I glued my big daisy petals to the front side of my 8″ fondant covered cake. I used tylose glue but a little melted candy melts/candy coating would have done the trick too. So would small pieces of dampened fondant.
You can use quilled fondant pieces on buttercream cakes also…just keep in mind that the heavier pieces may have to be placed on top of the cake rather than on the front side.
Want to see the cake?
I think that the top is my favorite part…
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Quilling with Fondant & Gum Paste
Learn how to create elegant fondant quilling for your cakes and cupcakes in this step by step cake decorating tutorial! We love the unique look of this beautiful cake decorating technique!
Materials
- (For this tutorial, I decorated an 8 inch tier covered in fondant- Apply these design to any size cake you like! I've also used quilled fondant designs on crusting buttercreams with no trouble.)
- Fondant or Gum Paste (If using fondant, knead in a little tylose powder so that the pieces will dry firmer and faster.)
- Your Coloring Gels of Choice- I used Americolor Sky Blue, Lemon Yellow, Wilton Rose, Americolor Electric Green, Black
- Fondant Multi-Ribbon Cutter (Optional)
- Food coloring pen for ladybug dots (you can also use buttercream or coloring gel applied with small brush)
- Edible Glue like tylose glue (tylose powder+ warm water) or piping gel
Instructions
- Knead a little tylose powder into your fondant (or use gum paste). Roll it out to about 1/8 inch thickness or less, and then cut strips of fondant either with a knife or with a multi ribbon cutter set to about a 1/4 inch wide.
- Create the various coiled shapes, teardrop shapes, etc. for the flowers, ladybugs, etc. that you will be creating.
- Allow the pieces to dry for several hours or until they have firmed up. You can make the pieces days in advance as long as you keep them out of direct sunlight or fluorescent light (so that the colors won't fade).
- Apply to the cake with your edible glue of choice. (Examples of "glue" could be tylose glue, fondant with a touch of water kneaded into it until tacky, melted candy coating, buttercream, etc.)
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More Fondant Quilling Cakes to Share!
*Update! We have continued to make fondant quilled cakes over the years. Here are a couple more of our favorites from our Member Section that you may like to try one day!
Thanks for sharing this idea! Love it.
i love it !!!! mums a big fan of quilling im going to make this for her birthday on saturday !!!
I enjoy all that you post! Great tutorial on quilling. I’ve been wanting to do this technique for a while.
Thanks Melissa! Whether you’re a beginner or an experience designer, My Cake School,
is a wonderful teaching tool!! Melissa you rock!
Love this idea, Have seen it with scrapbooking but never occurred how it could be used with fondant..super ideas!
Melissa this made me smile after a tough day! Just so cute in every single way! I made the coconuts and will be posting pix with link to you this week! Thanks you made our family luau fantastic
Love the 3D art form that it brings to a cake; so cute. Melissa brings refreshing ideas and inspiration to all the novice cake decorators….thanks Melissa!
So sweet and pretty. Just gorgeous!
Linda
Thats beautiful. Even I can do this. thanks
Grat Melissa! Another new skill to try! Thank you!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!! Thank you for posting this!!
How fun! I have seen this before and wondered how to do it, thanks for making it look so easy! :-)
Looks brilliant..would love to be able to do something like this so will have to get practicing.
Thank you so much for your nice comments everybody!!! I really appreciate hearing that it brought some smiles :0)
Thank you very much, this post is fantastic!!
I just love this. I can’t wait to try it for the next cake I make. Great Great Great post! Thank You!
Many thanks for your tutorials – all the very best to you… Lovely work!
~kaly~
I’ve made this cake today. Doesn’t look as good as yours but for a 1st attempt at ever covering a cake in fondant it looks pretty good.
I love your cake! The quilling affect is absolutely cute and whimsical looking:D It is something that I have wanted to try and tutorial makes it look fun! Thanks for sharing. ~ D
Hi, pretty looking n colorful. I had a question about white chocolate decorations…I tried to make some the other day…but the chocolate would not set hard. After I meltaed it in the microwave…it looked too runny. After I piped a few designs n left in the freezer for about 10 mnts….it looked set…but became softer rifht after I moved it to the box lined with butter paper. What went wrong?? Is there some specific kind of white chocolate I need to use? Awaiting ur reply. Thank you.
Love this cake!! So cute.
I’d never considered quilling with fondant, how genius!! I will be sure to look for an opportunity to use this technique soon!!! Thanks!!!
I love the idea my colombian friend and I make 160 invitations for my daugther quinceanera on this style was fun and I like the foundat design .
I was one of those inquiring about quilling and I really appreciate that you took the time to show us how it’s done :) THANK YOU!
Another bouquet of roses to you for this fabulous post.
I do have a question I don’t think anyone else asked.
Where do we find that roller cutter. Does it have a professional name?
I want one….so please, please answer. Thanks.
Hello Micki— I’m using an FMM brand Multi Ribbon Cutter—Here’s a link –
http://www.globalsugarart.com/product.php?id=17248&name=FMM%20-%20Multi-Ribbon%20Cutter
I made this for my daughter’s September birthday. I used darker colors for the flowers instead of pastels. It turned out beautifully, and was a lot of fun to do!
AMAZING u r so talented ,BIG Thanks for sharing your idea:)
Wafaa–thank you!! I hope you’ll try it. — Janet, I’m so happy to hear that you made the cake and had great results! I agree, quilling is a lot of fun!
I’m just starting out a cake company and am SOOO busy that I can’t imagine having the time to share my ideas like this – complete with pics and links and everything! Thanks so much – you are very generous.
I absolutely ADORE this cake. I have done a little bit of quilling (paper) for scrapbooking … I do love the look of quilled items. When I saw this blog post though, I was amazed! How beautiful is this! I have to try something like this.
Oh, and by the way … I’m a relatively new cake decorator. When I made my first buttercream cake, I really wasn’t all that satisfied with it because it was “lumpy” and I had no idea how to smooth it out to look like fondant. Now I know … and I am so entirely hooked on buttercream. I haven’t tried fondant yet … but I will.
@Lucie~ Thanks so much!! I don’t have my cake business anymore~otherwise, like you…there is NO way I could do all of these tutorials, lol !! — This site is my job now ;0)
@Pat– I love quilling too! The possibilities are endless! Thanks for your nice words, and I’m so glad that you are hooked on buttercream now! :0)
This is the first time that I see quilling on fondant. I love the design and thanks for sharing how to make the design. Very helpful indeed, especially for me who is interested in cake decorations. Thanks so much.
Hi Melissa,
I LoVe your site! Can I ask how do or how would you recommend getting the quilled pieces to adhere to a crusted buttercream??
Thank You=) Always look forward to your videos!
Hi Rita, you could use buttercream to glue your quilled pieces to crusted buttercream. Your pieces would need to be lightweight…..and hold them in place a few second until they stick.
I’ve always wanted to know how to do this technique. I will try it one day. Thank you.
So many great ideas on your site! I love it. I have worked with fondant before but never knew about this idea of quilling. So cool! Thank you.
ME ENCANTO ESA TECNICA, GRACIAS POR LA PUBLICACION, SALUDOS DESDE VENAZUELA.
felicidades es realmente precioso y gracias por compartir la técnica… un beso y que Dios le bendiga
Excellent pieces. Keep writing such kind of information on your site.
Im really impressed by your blog.
Hello there, You’ve performed a great job. I’ll definitely
digg it and for my part suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited
from this web site.
If you are using black fondant pieces on a white buttercream cake, will there be bleeding? I’m making a zebra striped cake & customer wants buttercream with black stripes. You think it’s better to pipe black buttercream stripes on it or use fondant stripes?
Is so beautiful this thecnique, thanks to share it!
Love this cake!!! So CUTE.
Very nice and it looks easy to follow…Congratulations!
Muchas gracias todos los Tutorials hermosos y muy bien explicados una vez más gracias
New idea for me, and thanks for sharing.
good one keep it up
Pretty colors and design
Oh I done a little quilling many years ago! I want to do this!
Thanks everyone for your comments on this! I’m just now seeing some of these–
@Carolyn~ It’s such a fun cake to make, and I bet you’ll have lots of ideas to work with from your quilling days! ;0)
it’s Beautiful and you made it easy to understand thx
Thank you, Stella!
i am not a member, but i want to be part of it.
Love to learn the fondant design from you.. thanks for sharing it
Regards
Seema
Gracias por compartir esta tecnica a mi me encanta trabajar con el fondat, esta Hermosa, DIOS LE BENDIGA. ❤ PD: ESPETO NOS SIGA DELEITANDO CON SUS DISEÑOS.
Thanks for this great tutorial and to everyone for all the additional information. Thanks especially to Bebe for the process of using quilling on buttercream. I’m going to do a buttercream graduation cake with this technique.
Hai,
Thanks for this great idea, for my next cake! So lovely. Thanks for sharing it.
Greetings from Holland!
Hey I think I’ll use that for my next cake
I was always fascinated by this technique but never knew how to make a start.
You have explained it so well and made it very easy. Thanks a lot for for sharing
Thank you for your nice comment. We are happy you found the tutorial helpful.
So amazed….I love quilling the moment I saw it…I will do it one day…just start baking again….tnk u so much…God bless you for sharing…
Thank you, Mariquiat
I so love this cake!! So beautiful!!
Thanks so much, Maureen!! xo
Stunning!!! I accually just saw how to make paper quills so I can’t wait to try it with fondant!!!