Sleek and smooth fondant covering on a cake is the ultimate canvas for beautiful decoration. For many cake decorators, learning how to work with fondant frosting is intimidating. What they don’t know is that easy fondant decorating is possible for anyone with the right information and a little bit of practice.

How To Work With Fondant To Cover A Cake

Easy fondant decorating begins with a perfectly covered cake. When you’re learning how to work with fondant, this is the first step you’ll want to practice. Begin with a dense cake, because a fluffy cake can collapse under the weight of the heavy covering. Cover the entire cake with a smooth, even layer of buttercream icing. This layer will help your fondant covered cake look better by smoothing over any flaws in the surface of the cake, and it will also help the final layer stick.

Next, measure the cake to know how big your rolled covering will need to be. Be sure to measure up one side, across the top, and down the other side, and add an extra inch or so. Sprinkle your work surface and the fondant with cornstarch, and knead until it gets soft and pliable.

Dust your rolling pin with cornstarch and roll out the fondant frosting to about 1/8-inch thick and wide enough to fit your measurements for the finished fondant covered cake.

Carefully roll the frosting onto the rolling pin and move it to the cake. Position the loose edge at the bottom edge of the cake with a little bit of overhang and slowly unroll over the top. Hold the rolling pin a couple of inches over the cake as you do this so the covering can gently fall into place. Let the sections on the sides of the cake drape loosely for now.

Smooth the top surface of the fondant covered cake with a smoothing tool or with your hands. Use a gentle buffing motion with very light pressure to get a perfectly smooth surface. The buttercream icing underneath will give a little, so you can smooth out any bumps and even sculpt subtle details if you’re making a shaped cake.

When the top of the fondant covered cake is smooth, work your way around the sides as you push the covering into the sides of the cake. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to trim the excess fondant frosting neatly around the base of the cake. Use your hands to smooth the sides and press in any loose spots with your fingertips.

Add Finishing Touches And Fix Mistakes

Get creative to finish your easy fondant decorating and fix any mistakes in your fondant covered cake. Clean up the bottom edge of the frosting with a a simple design of fondant rope, piped buttercream icing, or even fresh flowers. Make easy fondant decorations for the cake top by cutting shapes from rolled fondant and pressing them on the cake with a little bit of water to help them stick.

Learning How To Work With Fondant Takes Practice

Your first tries at fondant decorating may not turn out as well as you’d like, but with practice you’ll find that fondant decorating will get easier. Making a fondant covered cake is only the beginning. When you’ve mastered this first step in how to work with fondant, you’ll want to try easy sculpted bows, ribbons, flowers, and more. When you learn how to work with fondant, there’s no limit to the easy fondant decorating designs you’ll be able to create.