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Help with fondant rope around a 14" cake.

post #1 of 12
6/30/10 at 1:30am
Thread Starter 
Hello all,
I am trying to practise a rope border around a 14" square cake but no joy yet. The fondant just keeps breaking off and getting dry. I have used a lot of shortening and even added a bit of glucose but i just cant get it in one piece. Is my procedure wrong?

I roll out the fondant on a dusted surface and roll it between the table and my palm. It either gets too thin and break off or is too fat and doesnt look nice. I see all these lovely ropes on other peoples cake and they look so uniform and round. Mine looks sort of oblong and not uniform.

Please any tips will be appreciated.
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post #2 of 12
6/30/10 at 3:09am
If you are making the rope by hand you may want to try a clay gun or a mold to make the rope look uniform.
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post #3 of 12
6/30/10 at 3:26am
Also, roll it out on a counter with a **thin** film of veg shortening. Dusting your surface with cornstarch or powdered sugar is generally not a good idea. I have seen some people roll the rope using two fondant smoothers, although I do have better luck using my hands.
Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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Answers to the most often asked questions re: SPS. SPS instructions are on Page 15 of the Sticky at the top of the Cake Decorating Forum. Supplies can be ordered from Oasis Supply, Global or BakeryCrafts.
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post #4 of 12
6/30/10 at 4:07am
A trick I use to avoid having to do one looong continuous rope is to do it in equal segments separated by pearls/beads, like in these two cakes. I hate looong ropes that get misshapen in the handling or have seams. This is my solution.

http://tinyurl.com/2aknu3k

http://tinyurl.com/29ayarh
Housework makes you ugly.

It's marshmallow, not marshmellow! Aaargh, I have the strangest pet peeves!
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Housework makes you ugly.

It's marshmallow, not marshmellow! Aaargh, I have the strangest pet peeves!
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post #5 of 12
6/30/10 at 6:08am
You can use the clay gun with the disc with the three holes together. Once you have a long enough strip roll on the table gently, almost a twisting motion until you get the look you want. Never try to pick this rope up right off the counter, it will break. What I do is with a tiny dusting of podered sugar roll it up and then move and apply it.

Global sugar art has a new fondant ribbon applicator. Really cool worth looking at although the price is kind of steep for me.
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post #6 of 12
6/30/10 at 6:20am
I have had some success rolling the fondant by hand with a wooden dowel as a guide for my thickness. It has worked for smaller cakes. I also prefer the fondant pearl separator, because the rope can get a bit tricky the longer it's rolled.
April
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April
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post #7 of 12
6/30/10 at 6:27am
have u tried using tylose powder to help with the stiffening?
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post #8 of 12
6/30/10 at 7:38am
Thread Starter 
No, i havent tried the tylose powder yet. Will buy some and give that a trial too. Will the craft gun give a long rope though or do i still have to cut and join the rope. Thinking of biting the bullet and buying the gun. Do you get a lot of use out of the gun?
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post #9 of 12
6/30/10 at 8:17am
My frog cake (the orange and yellow one) was only a 10 inch and it was hard to get a rope long enough to cover it- I used the makins clay extruder. I endedup having to do two ropes, which you can clearly see in the pictures where they join. (it looked good at the time... it wasnt until I saw the pics I realized how bad it looked) that is just a long peice of rope to do in one peice.
Raisin' kids is like being pecked to death by chickens
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Raisin' kids is like being pecked to death by chickens
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post #10 of 12
6/30/10 at 9:46am
I never had luck with ropes from a clay gun, so I bought a silicone rope mold. That seems to be the easiest way I found to get that effect.
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post #11 of 12
7/2/10 at 6:39am
When you join sections of rope, don't cut each rope straight across. Cut them on a diagonal. This provides more surface area to connect them and the seam is virtually invisible.
Peace,
Diane

Learn to make loopy bows here http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-629785-loopy.html
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Peace,
Diane

Learn to make loopy bows here http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-629785-loopy.html
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post #12 of 12
7/2/10 at 6:45am
DianeLM that's a great tip- thank you!
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