Quilling with Fondant & Gum Paste

July 12, 2011 By Melissa D. 64 Comments Add to favorites

Today I’m going to teach you the art of quilling with fondant and gum paste! It’s a technique that I’ve been wanting to try out for a while…and one that I’ve received a few tutorial requests on.

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!

So, quilling with fondant and gum paste, at least this version, is a lot less complicated. 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.

Also, 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.

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…

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! I hope that you’ll keep these unique decorations in mind for the cakes, cupcakes in your future! Have fun!

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Comments

Denise July 12, 2011 at 9:37 pm

Thanks for sharing this idea! Love it.
Lisa-maree Patterson July 12, 2011 at 9:40 pm

i love it !!!! mums a big fan of quilling im going to make this for her birthday on saturday !!!
Donna July 12, 2011 at 9:47 pm

I enjoy all that you post! Great tutorial on quilling. I’ve been wanting to do this technique for a while.
Kay Stevens July 12, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Thanks Melissa! Whether you’re a beginner or an experience designer, My Cake School,
is a wonderful teaching tool!! Melissa you rock!
heidilynn July 12, 2011 at 10:40 pm

Love this idea, Have seen it with scrapbooking but never occurred how it could be used with fondant..super ideas!
Trisha July 12, 2011 at 10:40 pm

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
seabass123 July 12, 2011 at 11:31 pm

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!
Linda de Mestre July 13, 2011 at 4:22 am

So sweet and pretty. Just gorgeous!
Linda
Cookie Lady July 13, 2011 at 5:23 am

Thats beautiful. Even I can do this. thanks
dedda July 13, 2011 at 9:36 am

Grat Melissa! Another new skill to try! Thank you!
Angela Barton July 13, 2011 at 2:32 pm

LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea!! Thank you for posting this!!
jayhawkcake July 13, 2011 at 3:09 pm

How fun! I have seen this before and wondered how to do it, thanks for making it look so easy!
Joy Hirst July 14, 2011 at 7:50 am

Looks brilliant..would love to be able to do something like this so will have to get practicing.
Melissa Diamond July 14, 2011 at 5:51 pm

Thank you so much for your nice comments everybody!!! I really appreciate hearing that it brought some smiles :0)
Francesca July 17, 2011 at 5:51 am

Thank you very much, this post is fantastic!!
TiffanyRybachuk July 18, 2011 at 7:10 pm

I just love this. I can’t wait to try it for the next cake I make. Great Great Great post! Thank You!
kalykreations July 21, 2011 at 6:34 am

Many thanks for your tutorials – all the very best to you… Lovely work!
~kaly~
mackenzie July 22, 2011 at 10:50 am

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.
Diana Viera July 22, 2011 at 6:40 pm

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
sweta July 24, 2011 at 12:54 am

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.
CakesOnTheLane July 26, 2011 at 2:56 pm

Love this cake!! So cute.
Homemade-Goodies July 29, 2011 at 6:03 am

I’d never considered quilling with fondant, how genius!! I will be sure to look for an opportunity to use this technique soon!!! Thanks!!!
monica September 5, 2011 at 4:24 am

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 .
Arlene September 10, 2011 at 11:04 pm

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!
Micki September 19, 2011 at 9:51 pm

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.
Melissa Diamond September 20, 2011 at 1:01 pm

Hello Micki— I’m using an FMM brand Multi Ribbon Cutter—Here’s a link –

link to globalsugarart.com
Dr Janet McComb November 16, 2011 at 5:43 pm

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!
Wafaa January 8, 2012 at 5:57 pm

AMAZING u r so talented ,BIG Thanks for sharing your idea:)
Melissa Diamond January 28, 2012 at 10:12 am

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!
Lucie February 15, 2012 at 2:21 am

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.
pat stang February 18, 2012 at 11:56 am

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.
Melissa Diamond February 18, 2012 at 1:16 pm

@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)
Konee Kakes February 28, 2012 at 11:27 pm

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.
Rita March 2, 2012 at 7:47 pm

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!
BeBe March 6, 2012 at 12:18 pm

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.
noura alshamsi April 26, 2012 at 1:06 am

I’ve always wanted to know how to do this technique. I will try it one day. Thank you.
Shauna June 16, 2012 at 4:32 pm

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.
MERY PARADA July 22, 2012 at 1:54 pm

ME ENCANTO ESA TECNICA, GRACIAS POR LA PUBLICACION, SALUDOS DESDE VENAZUELA.
masqueazucar August 30, 2012 at 5:55 pm

felicidades es realmente precioso y gracias por compartir la técnica… un beso y que Dios le bendiga
tutto per battesimo March 21, 2013 at 2:58 pm

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
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Aliya Tudor April 16, 2013 at 6:23 pm

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?
daria June 10, 2013 at 8:51 pm

Is so beautiful this thecnique, thanks to share it!
Sonia Friscia July 29, 2013 at 7:15 pm

Love this cake!!! So CUTE.
Lucila Mendoza July 30, 2013 at 1:25 pm

Very nice and it looks easy to follow…Congratulations!
Julieta Hernández August 8, 2013 at 8:53 am

Muchas gracias todos los Tutorials hermosos y muy bien explicados una vez más gracias
Dilrukshi September 8, 2013 at 3:34 am

New idea for me, and thanks for sharing.
siddhi October 13, 2013 at 8:04 am

good one keep it up
Naglaa Kotb January 15, 2014 at 8:53 am

Pretty colors and design
Carolyn Olson February 6, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Oh I done a little quilling many years ago! I want to do this!
Melissa Diamond February 6, 2014 at 4:53 pm

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)
stella Nanna April 16, 2014 at 6:28 pm

it’s Beautiful and you made it easy to understand thx
BeBe April 16, 2014 at 8:14 pm

Thank you, Stella!
glenda July 29, 2014 at 1:52 pm

i am not a member, but i want to be part of it.
seema July 29, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Love to learn the fondant design from you.. thanks for sharing it
Regards
Seema
JuanaMaria April 27, 2015 at 9:08 pm

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.
Doris Zeman May 28, 2015 at 10:20 pm

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.
Saskia Huisman June 3, 2015 at 3:23 am

Hai,

Thanks for this great idea, for my next cake! So lovely. Thanks for sharing it.
Greetings from Holland!
Sarah R. June 19, 2015 at 2:56 pm

Hey I think I’ll use that for my next cake
Shaukat Rizvi August 4, 2015 at 9:04 pm

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
BeBe August 4, 2015 at 10:42 pm

Thank you for your nice comment. We are happy you found the tutorial helpful.
mariquiat marikit March 10, 2016 at 11:38 am

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…
BeBe March 10, 2016 at 12:07 pm

Thank you, Mariquiat
Maureen Zaccaria August 14, 2016 at 10:34 pm

I so love this cake!! So beautiful!!
Melissa Diamond August 14, 2016 at 10:45 pm

Thanks so much, Maureen!! xo