Pleated Fondant

Here is a quick Step by step on doing the stencilled rolled fondant. I actually used a mixture of fondant and gumpaste, abut 70% fondant, to 30% gumpaste. Knead the 2 pastes together until smooth and pliable. I rolled by hand, but you could use a Pasta machine as well. Roll medium thin, a bit thicker than for roses. Cut paste into the size you want to work with, I made panels about 4 1/8" tall by 7" long, fold back a tiny hem on the left and right sides of the panel. Measure the height of your cake for accuracy, mine was 4" tall. Lay your stencil on top and position where you want the flowers to go, taking into consideration that the top pleats will be covered slightly by hollow gumpaste tubes on the top of cake. I used soft bristle artist brushes for the stenciling, colored dusting powders in Pink and Apple Green. Try and keep the top of the paste covered with saran wrap as you are stencilling one flower, then move the saran as you go along to keep the paste from drying out before you are ready to pleat it. After you have brushed color on all the cutout areas of the stencil, lift the stencil carefully off the paste. I used Wiltons Doweling to make the pleats. You will arrange them alternately one on top of the paste, the next on the underside of the paste, begin from the left and continue until you have reached the right side. I positioned them about 1/2" or so apart. When you have lined up all of the doweling to fit the piece of paste, carefully begin to move the dowels in to pinch the paste into pleats or gathers, by holding the doweling from the top and bottom with both hands on the outside pieces, begin to move the doweling in from both sides of the piece towards the center until they form the pleats. Carefully lift off the top dowels, and slide the bottom dowels out from the bottom. Lift the piece carefully with both hands at the top sides, attach to the iced cake. Each time you add a new panel, overlap slightly so the pleats will be even. Adjust as needed to straighten the piece. I only pressed the fresh paste against the side of the cake, the buttercream holds so you won't need to add gum glue. When all of the panels are in place you will then make the hollow tubes for the top. If you have measured the panel too tall as in photo #7 and it stands up too high on the top edge of the cake you will have to trim evenly with a pair of scissors. The hollow tubes are just a narrow piece of rolled, stenciled paste. Roll out paste, measure to about 1" tall by 3" long. Stencil with color and lay the finished piece on top of a dowel stick, carefully form it around to make a hollow tube, slide the dowel out. Bend the tube gently to give it a slight curve. Brush the underside with a bit of gum glue and attach to the top of the pleated panel. Leave a small space between the first tube and the next, roll a small piece of paste into a pearl shape, attach to each end of the tube with a bit of gum glue, then add the next tube, pearl, etc. until the top is covered. It took approximately 7 pleated panels to go around this 10" cake. It will depend on how loose or tight you make the pleats, and how long you cut your flat panels of paste. It is easier to work with panels about 7" long, longer than that and they will be difficult to lift and place on the sides of the cake without tearing.