Make a Fondant Bow

Fondant is a stiff sugar mixture used for decorating cakes. It's pliable and a great medium for sculpting with for cake designs. And a bow is a very traditional and beautiful addition to a cake, suitable for all sorts of occasions such as birthdays, graduations, anniversaries or just because the recipient loves bows. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to shape a bow for adding to your own cake.

Steps

Bow-Tie Style

  1. Make enough fondant for the size or number of bows you wish to make. Don't put it in the fridge! It needs to stay warm to be malleable.

  2. Roll the fondant into a square piece. Start from the inside and roll outward.

  3. Cut the rolled fondant into strips about 1 in" (2.5 cm) wide. For a bunch of bows, this is ideal -- but for one large bow, you may want to go bigger. A pastry cutter will ensure a straight line, but a knife does just fine as well.

    • The length of the strips can also vary, but should generally be four to six times the width. For one thick bow, cut a strip about 3" (7.5 cm) wide and a strip 1" (2.5 cm) wide to adhere the center.
  4. Brush some water on the ends of a strip. This will hold the fondant together.

  5. Fold each strip into a loop, joining the two ends at an angle. Press the ends to stick them together. Pinch the center of the bow to give it texture. Do this by flipping it over and folding it in. Start in the center, pinching, and force in the edges.

    • Insert a bunch of plastic wrap inside the loops to round them out. Stretch out the center of the bow loops to give it a ribbon-like appearance.
  6. Repeat to make several loops. Use longer strips for the lower loops, if you're layering them.

  7. Wrap a small piece around the center. Wet the back of the piece with water and curve the piece before you adhere it. Pinch and twist off the back.

    • Adjust as necessary, fluffing out the sides and adding texture by stretching and folding.
  8. Lay additional strips on the cake for ribbons leading up to the bow before you attach the bow itself. This will give your cake a gift-wrapped look.

    • Also add any trailing ends of ribbon. If you'd like, cut a V shape in the end of the fondant for a more ribbon-y feel and pinch the ends closest to the bow.
  9. Place the bow on top of the trailing ends. Put a bit of water on the back side to adhere it to the base. Voila!

Pom-Pom Style

  1. Roll out your fondant. Take a rolling pin and start in the center, rolling out both ends until it's thin like fabric. If you have a textured rolling pin, even better.

    • Roll out the fondant till it reaches at least 6" (15 cm) long. Judge the width by how many bows you'd like to make. It may be easiest to roll it out to 12" (30 cm) to have two sets of ribbons.
  2. Cut out 1" strips. If you have a pastry ribbon cutter, great! That will add a pattern to the sides. Otherwise a knife will do. Give the ends a straight edge.

    • Sprinkle with cornstarch if you have it available to keep it from sticking.
  3. Form a V shape on the ends of each ribbon piece. This is pretty easy to do with a pizza cutter. You may want to cut off a bit more on some pieces -- the top levels will be easier to work with if they're a little smaller.

  4. Put a little bit of water on the inside of one end. Make sure your hands are dry and squeeze each piece into a loop.

    • Press the two ends together. Round out the loop and make sure the ends are even. You may want to let the loops dry for about an hour or so.
  5. Start forming the bow. Put 8 loops in a circle for the base of your bow. Add a glob of icing in the center to anchor the next level.

    • Put 6 loops on top of the 8, in the windows of the loops. If you need to adjust the size, cut off a bit of the ends, but maintaining the V shape.
    • Add another bit of frosting to the center. The next level should be 3 pieces. Adjust as necessary. Done!
  6. Finished.



Tips

  • Keep fondant at room temperature and do not let it dry out. It should not be refrigerated or it will stiffen and possibly crumble.
  • Use sparkle dust to vamp up your bows!

Things You'll Need

  • Fondant
  • Rolling pin
  • Ruler
  • Knife/pastry cutter
  • Cold water
  • Small paint brush
  • Cornstarch

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