Creating Romantic Ruffles For Your Wedding Cake

Ruffles are a popular feature on wedding cakes, with their delicate and pretty appearance adding a unique touch to the cake's design. There are several ways to create ruffles, with buttercream and fondant being the two most common methods. Using buttercream frosting, a piping bag, and a petal 104 tip, you can pipe ruffles onto the cake by applying a crumb layer of buttercream, followed by a second layer, and then using a swaying motion to create the ruffling effect. Fondant ruffles, on the other hand, are more time-consuming but offer a variety of styles, including cutting strips or shapes, such as circles or squares, and attaching them to the cake to create a cluster or layered effect.

Using buttercream frosting

Ruffles on a wedding cake can be made using buttercream frosting. This technique is perfect for beginners and experienced cake decorators alike. It is a quick, easy, and simple way to decorate a wedding cake.

To make ruffles using buttercream frosting, you will need a piping bag, a leaf tip, and buttercream frosting. The leaf tip, also known as Wilton's Tip 104, is essential to creating the ruffle effect. The tip has a broad end and a narrow end. When filling the piping bag, ensure that the broad end of the tip faces the cake, while the narrow end faces you. This positioning allows you to create ruffles as you pipe.

Before you begin piping, it is crucial to chill the crumb-coated cake in the refrigerator. This step ensures that the buttercream ruffles adhere properly to the cake. Once the cake is chilled, hold the piping bag at a 45-degree angle and start piping from the bottom edge, moving your hand right to left while gently moving upwards. This motion will create columns of ruffles. Remember to wipe the tip with a tissue before starting each new column to ensure neat and well-defined ruffles.

Repeat this process until the entire cake is covered in ruffles. For the top of the cake, start piping from the outer edge and work your way inwards until it is fully covered. You can also add extra decorations, such as fresh flowers or fruits, to enhance the overall design.

It is important to maintain the correct consistency of the buttercream frosting. It should not be too firm or too soft. If it is too firm, it will be difficult to pipe, and if it is too soft, it will ooze out of the piping bag. Aim for a medium consistency that is easy to work with.

Additionally, working in a cool environment is crucial. If the room is too hot, the buttercream will become soft, making it challenging to pipe. To avoid this issue, ensure that you work in a cool kitchen and chill the cake if necessary.

By following these instructions and taking your time, you will be able to create beautiful buttercream ruffles on your wedding cake.

Using fondant

Fondant ruffles are always in trend and can be made in many variations. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make them.

Materials

• Fondant in the colour(s) of your choice
• A pizza or pastry wheel
• A paintbrush used only for food purposes
• A cake covered in fondant
• Corn starch
• Sugar glue
• A foam pad
• A ball tool
• A rolling pin
• A ruler (optional)
• A ribbon cutter (optional)

Step 1: Roll out the fondant

Take a ball of fondant and roll it out into a long strip. You want it to be pretty thin, around 1mm. Then, using a ribbon cutter or a pastry wheel and a ruler, cut strips of about 1.5 inches in width. The strips do not have to be long enough to go all the way around the cake—in fact, it is recommended that they are not, as the longer they are, the harder they are to handle.

Step 2: Prepare the strips

Separate out a single strip of fondant and dust it with a little corn starch. Slide your foam pad under one end of the strip. Now, use the ball tool to apply pressure to one edge of the ribbon, rolling it down onto the fondant and pulling away, making it thinner, and it will also begin to curl. Work quickly, moving the fondant strip as you need to and working from one end to the other.

Step 3: Attach the ruffles to the cake

Starting at the top of the cake (if the ruffles are pointing up), paint some sugar glue onto the cake. Pick up your ruffled ribbons and begin to attach them to the cake, leaving the ruffled edge free and gluing the remaining flat part of the ribbon to the cake. Press it on firmly in small sections, sometimes even adding tiny pleats to give it more dimension. Continue all the way around, adding extra pieces of ribbon as needed. Move down about half an inch below the first ruffle and repeat the steps, making sure to have a good overlap.

Tips

• If your fondant is too soft, you can roll out the thin strips and then just let them dry/harden for 20-30 minutes before starting to ruffle them. If the whole batch is too soft, you can knead in more powdered sugar or tylose powder to firm it up.
• If the ruffles are too soft and won't hold up well, hold them up with toothpicks and let them dry for a few hours or overnight. Once you remove them, the ruffles will sag a little, covering the holes, or you can do tiny dots of buttercream to cover them.
• If you are new to adding ruffles, using cutters to make fondant shapes is an easy technique to apply to your cake. It can be a bit time-consuming, but the effect is worth it.
• For each technique, you will need around 350 separate shapes, which are folded into the ruffle and pushed onto the side of the cake.
• The thinner the fondant, the more delicate it looks.
• The circle cutter gives the most classic-looking ruffle. The ruffles have a very soft and delicate appearance, making them perfect for a ballet cake, for example.
• The square cutter looks like you have stuck tissue paper ruffles all over the cake. It is a similar effect to the circle cutter, but by folding your shapes so you get these points poking out of the side of the cake, it looks a little more grown-up. However, this method is the most time-consuming, as you need to let the ruffles partially dry before adding them to the cake so that they will keep their shape.
• Cover the cake in fondant and let it air dry before you attach the ruffles. The drying helps the fondant set around the cake so that you can press the ruffles firmly, and they won’t fall off.
• Prepare your colours a few hours ahead of time. This helps the gelatin in the paste set again, so it’s not so sticky and soft to roll and cut, and you won’t need too much flour.
• Roll the fondant thinly—no one likes big fat ruffles!
• Cut the fondant with clean edges. Use sharp pizza wheels or a cutter. Shaggy edges, when thinned, give an untidy look.
• Thin the edges of the fondant to add that feeling of lightness to the ruffles.
• Ruffles take a long time (hours). Either work in batches or take breaks.
• You can use homemade fondant or homemade gumpaste. If you choose to use fondant, you will need to add CMC or tylose to condition it.
• A 50/50 mix of fondant and gumpaste is ideal for ruffles as the gumpaste allows you to roll the paste thinly, and the fondant keeps them soft so they don’t become hard and difficult to eat.

Using a piping bag

Ruffles are a beautiful addition to a wedding cake, and with the right tools and technique, you can achieve impressive results. Here is a detailed guide on using a piping bag to create elegant ruffles for your wedding cake:

Firstly, ensure you have the right piping tip for creating ruffles. The Wilton #104 tip, also known as the "leaf tip," is a popular choice for creating buttercream ruffles. This tip has a broad end and a narrow end. You can also use Wilton's #127 and #127D petal tips or their #402, #403, and #406 ruffle tips.

Now, let's prepare the piping bag. Fill the bag with frosting, ensuring it is not overfilled. The consistency of the frosting should be medium, not too firm or too soft. Too firm, and it will be difficult to pipe; too soft, and it will ooze out of the bag. If using buttercream, ensure it is not too warm, or it will become soft and difficult to pipe.

Once your piping bag is ready, it's time to start piping! Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle, with the broad end of the tip facing the cake and the narrow end facing you. Position the tip along the bottom edge of the cake. Start piping by moving your wrist up and down in a wave-like motion while also moving your arm horizontally along the cake's surface. This will create a column of ruffles.

To end a ruffle, bring the tip back to the cake's surface, stop applying pressure, and pull the tip away. Overlap the first and last waves if you are creating a continuous, circular border.

Continue piping columns of ruffles all around the cake until it is fully covered. Remember to wipe the tip with a tissue before starting each new column to ensure neatness. For the top of the cake, start piping around the outer edge and work your way inwards until the entire top is covered in ruffles.

With practice and patience, you will be able to create stunning ruffles on your wedding cake using a piping bag.

Using a cake turntable

Step 1: Prepare the Cake

Start by applying a crumb layer of buttercream to your cake, allowing it to solidify. Then, add a second layer of buttercream, ensuring it is smooth and flat. This will provide a good base for your ruffles to stick to.

Step 2: Prepare Your Piping Bag

Fit your piping bag with a petal 104 tip. Fill the bag halfway or less with icing—overfilling can make it difficult to pipe.

Step 3: Start Piping the Ruffles

Hold the tip of the piping bag at a 45-degree angle to the cake, with the narrow part of the petal tip facing downwards. Begin piping in a swaying motion, maintaining the correct angle to create the ruffling effect. Continue this motion up and down along the cake, ensuring you cover all areas.

Step 4: Mastering the Technique

When you're ready to end a ruffle, release the pressure on the piping bag and pull the tip away abruptly. To create a seamless look, overlap with the existing end of the ruffle when starting a new one. You can create different designs by starting at the bottom and working your way up in a straight line for vertical ruffles, or starting at the bottom and working upwards in layers for a more ruffled look.

Step 5: Final Touches

Remember, practice makes perfect! The key to achieving beautiful ruffles is in your wrist movement. Take your time, and don't be afraid to experiment with different techniques to find what works best for you. With a little patience and creativity, you'll be able to create a stunning ruffled wedding cake using a cake turntable.

Using a spatula

Firstly, prepare your cake by applying a crumb layer of buttercream. This will act as a base for the ruffles to stick to. Allow this layer to solidify, and then apply a second, smoother layer of buttercream.

Now, you are ready to begin creating the ruffles with your spatula. Hold the spatula at a 45-degree angle to the cake, with the narrow part of the spatula facing downwards. Start at the bottom of the cake and use a swaying motion to create the ruffles, keeping the spatula at a consistent angle.

Continue this motion, working your way up the cake, ensuring you cover every part. When you want to end a ruffle, simply stop applying pressure and pull the spatula away. To create a seamless look, overlap with the existing end of the ruffle when you start a new one.

You can create different designs by varying your technique. For vertical ruffles, start at the bottom and work your way up in a straight line. For layered ruffles, start at the bottom and work upwards, squeezing and releasing the icing in an up-and-down motion while slowly spinning the cake.

Remember, practice makes perfect! So don't be discouraged if your first attempt doesn't turn out exactly as planned. With a little patience and persistence, you'll be creating beautiful ruffle designs on your wedding cakes in no time.

Frequently asked questions