If you are wondering how the Cricut Cake works for cutting fondant, or want tips on how to cut fondant with the Cricut Cake, you’ve come to the right place!
In my first Cricut Cake post, I experimented with using the Frosting Sheets– but today I’m going to share my first attempts at cutting “rolled fondant” by Wilton.
So, a bit about that. I went to my local JoAnn’s ETC store and was blown away by the Wilton aisle. I mean, WOW! I can totally see how folks get sucked in to cake decorating! The array of tools, decorations, display items, gel colorants, and shimmery powders really make me get a little melt-y inside.
I selected a set of pre-colored rolled fondants that come it really bright, happy colors: pink, orange, yellow, and purple:
They usually retail for under $11.00, but currently JoAnn’s is having a food-crafting sale, so I got them for $7.86. Just for comparison, this is much less expensive than the frosting sheets.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of comparisons, let’s just talk about taste. Remember how underwhelmed I was with the bland taste of frosting sheets? Well, the fondant is absolutely yummy by comparison! I mean, I still prefer buttercream (who doesn’t?) but for a cute decoration on a cake, cookie, or cupcake, it’s pretty tasty! Even the kids thought so.
OK, so back to the USING the fondant! I snipped open the package and used about 1/2 of it, rolling it out with a fondant roller with the 1/8 inch bands on. Following the package directions, I rolled it out using a bit of powdered sugar to keep it from sticking.
I found it really easy to knead and roll- it wasn’t stiff or overly sticky at all. In fact, it was easier to roll than pie crust. In no time flat I had a nice, thin sheet:
Just about 1/8" thick.
Then (again, following the directions that came with the Cricut Cake) I brushed the mat with Crisco and laid the fondant on the mat. Now, the instructions say roll it as thin as you can. So what I did was use my Pampered Chef Baker’s roller to smooth out the bubbles and roll it even thinner. This also gives you more material to work with!
Pampered Chef Baker's Roller (what I had on hand.)
I noticed that when I could see the lines of the mat through the fondant, it was thin enough.
So…. this is what I got:
Pretty cool, right? I got some “drag” or distortion with the cut, but it was only minimal. However, when I went to remove the flowers from the sheet, this is what happened:
Fail! Cripes. So, after searching for some tips online, I found out that it is recommended that you freeze the fondant for a 1/2 an hour or so to make it firmer, thus reducing the drag and making it easier to remove your cut pieces.
Let me tell you, it made all the difference! (Especially because currently in Ohio it’s 90 degrees and humid. And even with the A/C on, it’s pretty warm in the kitchen.) SO! I rolled the fondant, smoothed it down on the greased mat, and the popped it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. That was just enough time to chill and firm the fondant, and I got great cuts after that. AND it made it easier to remove the cut fondant from the sheet without tearing it.
(However, on that note, I still need some practice, and maybe a better tool. I’m thinking an long, off-set spatula might help.)
So after I started chilling the fondant, I became a m0-sheen and forgot to take pictures altogether! But here are some of my finished projects:
Perfect? No. But much cuter than I could manage on my own. And here are my failures:
Whoops!
I am unfortunately heavy-handed, and I broke my favorite piece- that 2-layered paisley above- before I even got a decent photo. It was set out to dry for about 8 hours, and it could have used a bit more to make it stiffer. (I tried to stand it up on a cookie, and then it fell over into the frosting, and then I tried to wipe it off and it broke…you see how it is for me??)
Ah, well. Crafting isn’t about perfection, it’s about the learning curve– and my curve is breaking hard, baby! But overall, I have to tell you that my fear of fondant is GONE and I certainly will not hesitate to use it again. I can’t wait to try out some of the larger, more intricate designs. But I need a larger rolling pin first!
My handy-dandy fondant tips:
- Roll it out on granite or marble, if you have it. Keeping it cool is key!
- Do a final roll on the cutting mat to get it uber thin.
- Look for the markings on the mat- if you can see them through the fondant, it’s thin enough.
- Chill, baby! Pop the mat with the fondant on it into the freezer to firm it up.
- After cutting, you might want to re-freeze it for another 10 minutes to help you remove it from the mat without tearing it.
- Having 2 mats is ideal– one to work on while the other is chilling.
- Give your kids some scraps to play with and eat! You’ll win big points!
Have fun, and please share any additional tips YOU may have!
Disclosure
If you are considering purchasing items from this post, I’d appreciate it if you’d consider using my affiliate links:
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the tip about freezing is a great one! I will definitely have to try that. I just purchased a cricut fondant cutting machine and im a bit intimidated and afraid to use it, lol but I’ll just have to work on that.
Diane- don’t be scared of it- it’s just a machine! I’d actually suggest you start out with trying to cut some bologna- it’s cheaper than fondant, and will give you a feel for the machine. (By the way, I wrote about that today on Crafttestdummies.) Then, after your confidence builds, try the frosting sheets. (The sheets are easier to cut than fondant.) Then you’ll really be ready for fondant! Have fun crafting, and stay tuned for more Cricut Cake adventures on CraftTestDummies!
The great thing about fondant is that you can re-roll it if it doesn’t turn out! I too found using multiple sheets is best, gets the flow going. AND – washing the blade between cuts helps reduce drag as well.
Thanks for the blade-washing tip, Kymberlee!
Hi!
Great tips about the Fondant. I don’t freeze mine, I do however live in Central California where there isn’t any humidity this time of year. So I have been successful making cuts without freezing. I don’t cut mine quite as thin either and have been lucky so far that the pieces don’t break.
Another tip, I have a large glass cutting board that sits on little silicone feet. I slip my greased mat under the glass, roll out the fondant until it’s bigger than the mat, pull it off the glass, put it on the mat, give a quick roll to stick the fondant to the mat, trip the edges of the fondant so it won’t get in the way of the rollers and cut away.
Thanks for all the information, very, very helpful. So much to learn, thanks for sharing.
I started out with cookie dough and it was a disaster I was ready to chuck it out the window! When I used fondant it was so much better and when you add the tylose powder it worked great!! Thanks for sharing all your info.
Try coating your mat and blades with shortening. It should make them easy to remove and stop them from sticking.
Thanks for your suggestion, Scott. The mat already IS well-coated with shortening to keep the food stuck down. However, the “drag” is caused by the temperature of the food- it needs to be somewhat frozen in order to get a clean cut. Does that clear it up a bit?
Has anyone made their own marshmallow fondant and tried it with this cricut machine? I am having a horrible time and I even tried freezing it on the mat. I made my own gumpaste too and it’s “dragging” like crazy and nothing comes out. Help! -Kristen
Kristin- I’m so sorry to hear that you’re having a hard time. I haven’t made my own gum paste or fondant- I only use what’s commercially available. However, the “dragging” indicates that the food material isn’t firm enough. Perhaps tweaking the recipe a bit might help, if the freezing isn’t doing the trick. Also double-check your blade and make sure that it’s clean and free of debris. Good luck!
I make my own fondant routinely because it’s a great way to
save money and it takes very little time. The key to using home
made fondant and this mchine is controlling the consistency. (I
have to mention I just received this machine a day ago and have
only spent 10 hours with it so far – but the result was a beautiful
cake and it could have been 2 if I had found this website first.)
My first cuts were flawless but I had just taken the fondant out of
the fridge rolled it out and threw it on the machine. But as it got
warmer and I tried smaller cuts, disaster struck. I then made a new
batch of marshmallow fondant using almost no water (one good
squeeze from a spray bottle) and work the dough until it was very
firm. Usually I give my hands, tools, and rollout board a good
treatment of shortening, but this time I went over the board with
powdered sugar to keep the dough from losing it’s consistency. Then
I rolled it just a little thicker than I guess I’m suppose to, but
the pieces looked fabulous layered. I also put a few pieces through
my pasta press to save time. I hope my trail and error save some of
you some headaches.
Awesomeness! I have had my cake for about ten days now. Aside from not having much time to play, Ive been hesitate to using the fondant even though I know others have. This post may get my butt in gear! Thanks a lot!!
ps dont forget you can use Joanns coupons for cricut accessories! Just not the machines or cartridges.
Wow we just bought the cricut cake but OM Gosh its dragging our fondant horribly. Im trying to 3/4 inch letters and its a horror. I eventually got out the steel letters and cut it myself..lol HELP! Also how does anyone figure out how to make this machine show me how to find the letters. I use my font but I keep having to guess the lay out?
Ryan, you need to stick the fondant on the cutting mat in the freezer to make it firm enough to cut without dragging. You also may need to re-freeze after cutting so that they are firm enough to remove from the mat so that they don’t distort. Good luck!