The great thing about decorating with fondant is that it can be shaped into just about anything you can imagine. And once you learn a few simple techniques, you can create hundreds of different looks. This video demonstrates how to make some of the most basic fondant shapes-ribbons, bows, and coiled ribbon roses. Putting them all together, you can create the cake design pictured here, the Ribbon Rose Hobnail Cake–perfect for a baby shower, bridal shower, or wedding cake. 

Episode 1: Leveling and Splitting Layer Cakes		Episode 2: Crumb Coat for Fondant Cakes		Episode 3: Buttercream Effects

Episode 4: Fondant-Coated Cake		Episode 5: Doweling and Stacking Multi-Tiered Cakes		Episode 6: Fruit Leather Decorations

Episode 7: Simple Fondant Shapes		Episode 8: Stamping		Back to Series Intro

Ribbon
The most basic fondant shape is a ribbon, which you can then use to create bows and ribbon roses.

Start out by rolling your fondant to the thickness that your pattern calls for-it’ll usually be 1/4  or 1/8 inch thick.

Gently place a ruler on the fondant and mark the width you would like the ribbon to be. Then use the ruler as a guide to cut the ribbon with a sharp knife. Be careful not to press on the ruler so hard that it marks the fondant.

The trickiest part about ribbons is moving them so they don’t stretch or tear but there’s an easy trick-just roll them up into a loose spool….

…Brush the surface of the cake where the ribbon will go with a small amount of water or piping gel,

…and unroll the fondant ribbon onto the cake.

Bows
To make a bow, you start with a ribbon that’s twice as long as you want to loops of your bow to be.
Cut the ribbon in half widthwise into to equal strips.

Pinch the corners at one end of the strip, and then press both corners in toward the center pinched point. Do the same thing at the other end of the strip.  And then repeat with the second strip.

To create the bow’s loop, fold the pinched ends together. You can wrap the loop around a dowel or a rolling pin to make sure the loop is nice and round.

Let the loops dry out overnight or even for a few days so they don’t lose their shape when you assemble them. Then finally place the two loops pinched end to pinched end.

Cut a piece of rolled fondant into a small strip, and wrap it around the pinched ends. Then you just attach the bow to the cake with a dab of buttercream.

Ribbon Roses
Ribbon roses are a simple coiled flower shape you can make from a basic ribbon. Simply fold your ribbon in half lengthwise, but don’t create a hard seam.

Then roll up the ribbon so the seam side will face outward. You can pinch the ribbon as you roll to give the rose a more ruffled look.

Your rose will end up with a tapered “stem” of fondant-use a sharp knife to trim it off so that it can lay smooth when pressed against the cake.

If the rose is small, you can just brush the back with water to attach to a cake, or if it’s large, you’ll need to use a dab of buttercream or royal icing.