Decorating Tools

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Muslin Bags

I put cornstarch and powdered sugar in muslin bags for dusting. Tapping the bag on my work surface controls the amount of cornstarch or powdered sugar that is distributed. Only a light dusting is needed; too much has a tendency to affect the texture of the dough. If you don’t have a muslin bag, you can also use a powdered sugar shaker or a large, soft brush to dust the surface.

Rubber Gloves

When dying and kneading sugar dough, gloves come in handy for keeping your hands clean.

Rolling Pins, Large and Small

Silicone or plastic rolling pins, which are nonstick, are ideal for rolling out fondant, sugar paste, and tart dough. Wooden rolling pins tend to dry out fondant and sugar paste.

Tea Towels and Plastic Wrap

Covering sugar paste and fondant with a plastic-wrapped damp tea towel keeps them from drying out as you work; see page 134.

Cutters

I like to have a wide variety of cutters when I’m making fondant and sugar paste decorations, including cookies cutters, petal cutters, and leaf cutters in different shapes and sizes. Most baking and cake decorating stores will carry these, but you can also easily find them online (see Resources, page 332).

Double-Ended Ball Tool

A ball tool is a basic instrument with two ball shapes fastened to either end of a thin bar. When you need to shape, thin, roll, ruffle, curl, or curve your fondant and sugar paste pieces, this tool is all you need. They come in a variety of sizes and materials. I like small, medium, and large versions in seamless metal, silicone, or plastic, which makes a smooth impression in the sugar. Ball tools can be found at any cake decorating store.

Foam Pad

When making sugar decorations, it’s best to work them on a durable, soft material that is malleable and won’t leave an impression. You can find foam pads in any cake decorating store. Before they were widely available, I used the kind of foam kickboard that kids normally use for swimming. So, if you can’t find a foam board, there are many similar materials out there that work just as well!

Sculpting Tools

This is where, I think, a little goes a long way. There are many different cake decorating modeling and sculpting tools on the market today. Some of the basic ones I recommend are a dog bone tool, a flower forming and shaping tool, and a veining and shell tool. These all have a specific use, but you can also be very creative with how you use them. In a cake decorating store, they will come in a variety pack. I like using seamless tools that are plastic, silicone, or metal. Throughout the cakes in this book, my go-to instruments are a ball tool (see above) for shaping and a veining tool for creating a center vein in leaves and feathers.

Molds

Silicone molds, available at cake decorating stores or online (see Resources, page 332), come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A few that I use often are for petals, leaves, flower centers, lace, and brooches. For flowers and leaves, it’s great to have a few basic petal and leaf forms that can be reused for different shapes. I also have a flower center form with multiple sizes and shapes that I use for a variety of different flowers. Miscellaneous shapes such as lace and brooches are fun, especially when creating textures and unusual forms that would be difficult to replicate by hand.

Pastry Wheel

I use a pastry wheel for cutting a flawless straight-edge when making fondant and sugar paste decorations. It is useful when making patterns such as on the Chevron cake (page 249).

Utility Knife

A craft utility knife, such as an X-Acto knife, is helpful for making precise cuts in sugar paste and fondant.

Ruler

Use a ruler with a pastry wheel or utility knife to make a straight line when cutting sugar paste and fondant. I like to use a beveled, transparent ruler, which is lightweight and easy to read.

Wires and Wire Cutters

Sometimes you will want to attach sugar paste decorations, such as petals, leaves, flowers, and feathers, to wires. Use paper-covered wires, which come in a variety of gauges for light- to heavy-weight decorations. I use various colors for different applications, for instance white for light colored decorations where the wire would look best transparent, green for leaves or petals, and brown for branches. Heavy-duty wire cutters are used to trim wires as well as dowel rods.

Floral Tape

Green, white, and brown floral tape is used to attach and arrange multiple pieces of wired sugar arrangements. Use the color that matches the wire.

Stamens

Miniature flower centers, found in craft and cake decorating stores, are ideal for making flower centers such as for poppies and peonies. They can be attached to a wire using floral tape. They come in a variety of different colors, but if needed, they can also easily be painted with liquid dye or powder dye diluted with vodka.

Compostable Fruit Trays and Egg Cartons

You can use the paper tray or carton’s natural shape to arrange sugar pieces, especially petals and leaves, so that they dry with a more organic shape instead of flat. Ask your nearest grocery store for these helpful recyclables! Make sure that they are clean and dust them with cornstarch before using.

Styrofoam Cake Dummy

A cake dummy comes in handy for drying sugar flowers on wires. If using Styrofoam that is not food-safe, make sure to cover it in plastic wrap.

Paintbrushes

I often use paintbrushes with liquid or powder dyes to finish fondant and sugar paste decorations. When dry dusting, I use a large fluffy brush; for wet painting, I use a thin brush. Keep a variety of sizes on hand for different uses. Paintbrushes also come in handy when applying sugar decorations or patterns to a fondant-covered cake, using royal icing or a mixture of corn syrup and water as glue.

To clean wet brushes, wash them in hot, soapy water, then shake out to remove excess water. Make sure to rinse thoroughly to remove all color. Always dry and store brushes with the bristles upwards so they keep their shape. If using brushes with dry powder, clean with cornstarch by gently rubbing the end of the brush in the powder until the bristle is back to its original color to avoid wetting the brushes. Keep the cornstarch in a separate container and toss it after each use.

Canvas Pastry Bags and a Variety of Tips

Durable canvas pastry bags are reusable and can be cut to use with any size tip. Use a large plain tip to fill cake layers with icing for stacking, smaller tips for decorating. You can also use the tips to cut out sugar paste shapes.

Corn Syrup “Glue”

Use a 1:1 mixture of corn syrup and water as a glue when sculpting sugar paste, and to attach sugar paste details to a fondant-covered cake.