How to Do Quilting in Fondant

eHow
June 10, 2011

Rolled fondant provides a blank canvas for the most intricate cake designs. Creating a textured diamond pattern on fondant to make it look like quilted fabric can be done using a tool called an embosser. Quilted fondant cakes are perfect for baby showers -- drape a large sheet of quilted pastel fondant loosely over a square or round cake to give the illusion of an actual quilt. Another popular cake design is the purse-shaped cake. Quilting in shiny black fondant gives a vintage feel to these chic sweets.

Things You'll Need

• Prepared fondant
• Cake with an optional crumb coat of frosting
• Cornstarch
• Non-stick pastry mat or parchment paper
• Pastry wheel or cutter/embosser tool
• Ruler
• Sharp knife

Step 1
Roll out the fondant to 1/8 inch thickness on your pastry mat or large sheet of parchment paper, sprinkled with cornstarch to prevent sticking. Trim the edges to the desired size with a straight-edge cutter or pastry wheel.

Step 2
Run the pastry wheel or embosser lightly over the fondant in diagonal lines going in one direction. Use a ruler to space the lines evenly and guide the embosser.

Step 3
Repeat the diagonal lines from the opposite corner to create a diamond pattern.

Step 4
Lift the fondant carefully from your work surface and drape it on your cake. For best results, ice your cake with a thin layer of frosting -- sometimes called a crumb coat -- before placing the fondant on the cake. The crumb coat of frosting will help the fondant stay in place on the cake.

Step 5
Press the fondant on the cake very gently and smooth any bumps or wrinkles. Trim any excess fondant with a sharp knife, straight-edge cutter or pastry wheel.

Tips

• The ridged embosser tool is recommended because it gives a stitching effect. If you don't have access to one, a pastry wheel or small pizza cutter will do the trick.
• It is easier to make a precise pattern on a flat sheet of fondant than to decorate an already covered cake.

References
Wilton: Fondant Quilting
Sweet Indulgences Cakes: Quilting Tutorial for Fondant or Gumpaste