I am currently working on a cigar box cake and search the web for inspiration. I found a photo that I LOVE ( at http://www.fleurdelisacakes.com/SpecialtyCakes.html) and am wondering if anyone can give me any suggestions to make the cigars look real like hers?

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I would like to know of any tips too, I have one to make in December. I was thinking I would make the cigars from chocolate bars - we have a bar called a Flake in New Zealand. It is a long bar, with long 'flakes' of chocolate. Then I would use chocolate fondant, rolled and textured, then roll it around the 'cigar', securing it with an edible image label. But I would love to hear if anyone has any other ideas!

I've never done this, but since I see no responses as of yet...

If I were going to do it I would try rolling chocolate fondant really thin on a piece of parchment or clear vinyl, then wrap whatever you want for the inside i.e.. cake, RKT, pirouette cigar cookies in fondant to get the tube shape with rounded edges. Cut the Choc fondant in an oval to look like a tobacco leaf, wider than the actual cigar and wrap it like a crescent roll. Not sure how a cigar is actually rolled, but looks like you see the tobacco leaves in layers. The apply the label band. Maybe brush the rolled cigar with dk brown or black petal dust. I'd imagine if the fondant and the inner part was thin enough it wouldn't look too bulky. Prob have to practice to get the right size

Ya think?? Someone may have a better idea or an actual technique...

I have made this cake many times. Take a look at the latest one that I did a few weeks ago.

This is how I made mine.

I used 1/2 chocolate fondant & 1/2 modeling chocolate kneeded together. Then rolled them out to cigar size. Measure & cut to fit the top of the cake. I then hand painted them with nut brown leaving the streaked look which gives it a more realistic look. Let them dry. Wrapped each one in a custom printed wrap with the bride & groom's last name on them (I also went over the wrappers with the same brush with very little paint on them).

Hope it helps.

Wow that is cool! I know this is Tomoore's thread but you have helped me too. I hope mine turns out half as good. Is the lid gumpaste?

No, the lid is foam core board! I cut it to size, then painted it with the same paint color. When the paint was still tacky, I added the print outs of old cigar logos and went over those too with the barely damp wet brush. Have fun!

Wow!! Those look so real.

what type of paint did you use for the lid? just vodka and food coloring?

This site has answered sooo many of my questions as a beginner, I hope my suggestion could help others too!  This is a large cigar cake I made recently and heres how I did it to give the natural appearance.

I mixed fondant to a choclaty/dark brown another mixture a lighter shade - then twisted the two together to get a marbly effect but also almost blended....then twisted the lot again creating folds in the fondant, pressed it down and rolled out and covered.  These folds were visible but created the look of the rolled tobacco leaf . NB- just make sure of the direction of the 'marble effect' before covering...can't have the 'marble effect' running down the centre of the cake - must be more 'diagonal' - hope this make sense!

For the tobacco part I just used different shades of grated chocolate....applying this was a bit tricky - an extra pair of hands is necessary to 'tip' AND HOLD the cake while applying buttercream and grated chocolate to the front.  Some of the chocolate fell onto the board (which was not part of the original plan!) - but I left it for an 'ash' effect.

Hope this is helpful :-)

The best way to make them realistic is to make sure you wrap them the right way. Just rolling out a tube isn't a good idea...I wrote a blog article about this a while ago with some links to videos that could be helpful http://acaketorememberva.blogspot.com/2011/07/sometimes-cigar-is-just-cigar.html

Thanks for the info. This is very helpful for the cigar cake I'm making. 

Just don't attempt to smoke them.

(Which is what I tell my colleagues at work, when I give them boxes of "El Bubble" or "Pink Owl" bubble gum cigars, on the occasion of the birth of their firstborn children.)