How to work with fondant: how to cover and cover a cake step by step at home

Dreaming of learning how to make beautiful, eye-catching holiday cakes at home? Start by learning the basics of how to use fondant to cover and decorate cakes. In this article, we offer a complete guide for beginners on working with sugar paste. We'll explain how to properly use store-bought fondant and homemade sugar dough, and we'll also provide a detailed step-by-step guide to covering a holiday cake at home.

Tools for working with mastic

Before you begin working with cake fondant and implementing basic projects for beginners, following the step-by-step instructions in the master class, you will need to purchase special tools.

When decorating cakes and working with mastic in general, it is convenient to use:

a silicone mat with special markings (to roll out the coating to the required diameter);
with a scraper and spatulas (for leveling cream or confectionery glaze);
a smooth silicone or acrylic rolling pin (allows you to get a perfectly smooth surface without folds);
roller knives;
iron (indispensable when covering large cakes);
relief rolling pins, mats, molds (for creative decoration of confectionery products);
cuttings, veiners, molds (when creating complex multi-component decor);
special stacks for sculpting complex elements;
rotating cake stand.

Types of mastic

Many confectioners prefer ready-made universal fondant, which can be purchased at specialty stores. This sugar paste is sold in airtight containers of varying sizes and is suitable for both coating confectionery and creating decorations. Store-bought fondant can be stored in the refrigerator for a fairly long time (the main thing is to prevent it from drying out or becoming stale).

Homemade mastic doesn't have such a long shelf life, but many prefer it for its taste. Depending on the ingredients and recipe, there are several types of mastic:

sugar;
gelatinous;
dairy;
honey;
marzipan;
from marshmallows;
floral (with a special adhesive component SMS for extremely thin rolling).

Sugar dough, properly prepared at home, is softer and more elastic, making it easier to work with. Furthermore, the craftsman can prepare a mastic with the appropriate properties for each type of project:

for covering the cake – soft, pliable and elastic;
for sculpting decorations - denser, better fixing and quick drying;
for making the finest petals - adhesive, allowing the mass to be rolled out into a very thin layer.

Recipe for universal sugar paste

Gelatin mastic recipe

Marshmallow fondant recipe

Honey mastic recipe

How to work with store-bought mastic

Most likely, you will buy a fairly hard sugar paste at the store, since to extend its shelf life, mastic is kept at low temperatures.

Important! Gelatin mastic must not be frozen! After defrosting, it will lose its original physical and chemical properties.

Step 1 – kneading

Whether you're simply planning to cover a cake with sugar paste or create beautiful figures, flowers, and other unique decorations, before you begin, you need to knead the paste until it becomes soft and pliable, like plasticine.

To do this, you first need to warm the paste slightly by placing it in warm water in an airtight bag or heating it in the microwave in short bursts. Once the temperature of the paste rises, you can begin kneading it. Working with fondant is similar to kneading stiff dough, except that starch and powdered sugar are used instead of flour.

Stage 2 – coloring

We discussed in detail how to work with colored fondant for a cake, and what methods can be used to obtain a coating of bright, deep shades in the article “How to paint mastic".

There are quite a few options, because you can add a tint to the sugar dough using:

liquid or gel dye;
dry powder dye;
food gloss (candurin);
natural ingredients.

Step 3 – Rolling

Before covering a cake or pastry with fondant, the sugar paste must be rolled out into a thin layer. It's also important to roll out the fondant correctly, achieving maximum uniformity. The optimal thickness is 2 mm. If the layer is too thin, there's a high risk of tearing it before the fondant can be applied to the cake. At the same time, a layer of sugar paste that's too thick can negatively impact the dessert's flavor.

A special type of mastic called "flower mastic" is rolled out very thinly. This is made possible by the presence of a special adhesive agent called SMS.

Step 4 – Application

Depending on whether you plan to cover the cake with fondant, create three-dimensional figures, lettering, or complex decorations, the prepared fondant, rolled out to the required thickness, can and should be used immediately. Some types of fondant can deteriorate very quickly, and thinly rolled cake layers can lose their initial elasticity after just 15-20 minutes of exposure to air.

Decorating cakes with mastic

Decorating a cake with fondant coating is not difficult, but it does require some skill.

Helpful tips

For beginning pastry chefs who don't yet know how to properly work with cake fondant, the following tips will be helpful:

Be sure to isolate the fondant from the cake filling. To do this, you can apply a thin layer of rich buttercream to prevent the sugar dough from becoming too wet.
In order for the mastic to lay evenly, the surface must first be well leveled.
A thin mastic coating must be placed on a well-cooled cake surface.
It is best to apply the mastic and all the decorations to the cake shortly before handing over the order to the client (on the day of serving the cake on the festive table).
To ensure a perfectly smooth surface (without creases), use a culinary iron.
It is important to cover the cake with fondant quickly, as the cooling sugar mass may begin to crack and will be less able to take shape after cooling.

Step-by-step algorithm

Whether you're working with homemade fondant or store-bought, the step-by-step recipe for covering a cake is as follows:

Roll out the sugar dough to a thickness of 2-3 mm (the diameter should be generous).
Cool the cake.
Place a piece of mastic sheet over the rolling pin and carefully transfer it to cover the cake on top.
To decorate a classic round cake, you must first carefully smooth and iron the top, and only then begin covering the side surface.
Once again, carefully smooth out all surfaces with an iron.
Trim off excess edges.
Trim the bottom edge.

Next, you can begin the process of decorating the cake.

Possible problems

If the mastic does crack while drying, don't worry. Small cracks can be ironed out. Larger imperfections can be camouflaged with a waffle pattern or other decorative elements.

Molding decorative elements from mastic

For beginning pastry chefs just beginning to learn the secrets of working with fondant, it's recommended to choose simple cake decoration options that can be made from all-purpose fondant or special modeling compound.

For those who want to learn how to create their own mastic decor at home, the following tips will be helpful:

To ensure the rigidity of three-dimensional figures, reinforcing elements (for example, wooden skewers) are often used.
To glue the fragments together, the joint is coated with water or pasteurized protein.
It is better to prepare large decorations in advance, since such figures can take several days to dry.
After drying, mastic flowers are stored in a place protected from humidity and temperature changes, as any moisture can quickly ruin the delicate petals.
The cake is decorated immediately before being given to the customer (or even better, before serving).
Assembly and decoration of multi-tiered structures with complex, exclusive mastic decor can be carried out at the venue.

Fondant Cake Design Ideas

Now you know how to cover a cake with sugar paste at home and can try your hand at implementing the easy and original holiday cake decorating ideas shown in the photos.